By Shaun Casey

SUNDAY’S all-Ulster affair at Páirc Esler, Newry is a for promotion between the hosts and Antrim and Down defender Ciara McCreanor is hoping her team can do enough to see off the Saffron challenge.

Both sides rest on 13 points, three behind behind table-toppers Louth, and whoever comes out on top this weekend will not only book their place in the league final but secure a spot in Division Two next season.

It’s been a goal of Down’s for a few years now, but they just haven’t been able to take that final step. Colm Donnelly’s girls are competing at All-Ireland Intermediate level, and promotion is the next step on the ladder of their progression.

“The season, the way it is, is kind of split in three so we never really look much further than the challenge that is in front of us and every year that starts with trying to get out of Division Three,” said McCreanor ahead of Sunday’s showdown.

“Having said that, I feel like all the divisions have been really competitive this year when you look across all four, with Division Three being no exception to that and it’s been a really competitive division for the last few years.

“It usually comes down to points difference, and we probably fell that there have been a few seasons where we left promotion behind us but if you want to be the best you have to beat the best and if you’re good enough to win and compete in the division above, you’ll do that.

“We were probably a bit disappointed with the performance against Fermanagh (in their one-point loss), that was a close game, but they really put it up to us and they had something to prove as well competing in Division Three.

“I think that was their first win, so it was a good lesson for us but overall, the league has been really positive. I think we’ve put in some really good performances and despite that loss, we’ll take a lot of positives into Sunday and hopefully it’ll be enough to get us over the line.”

While the teams haven’t met too often in recent years, McCreanor and her teammates are well aware of the challenge that Antrim pose with the Saffrons hoping to secure back-to-back promotions having just jumped up from Division Four last season.

“It’s a great opportunity for us to test ourselves against a really high-quality Antrim side and to see how we handle the pressure with something on the line,” added the Bredagh player.

“Equally, it is another game, and leagues are for playing and developing in so that’s exactly what we’re looking to do at the same time.

“They are a really good side. They are a junior team that probably shouldn’t be junior at all; they would compete at intermediate level, and they’ve done really well in Division Three this year as they’re in contention for promotion.

“The calibre of players they have, like ourselves, they have a good mix of youth and experience, so Antrim football is definitely continuing to thrive with their achievements last year, getting to the Junior All-Ireland final.

“They probably feel like they left that behind them but of course they have the club exploits of Moneyglass and a lot of those players are on the panel, so they’ll be bringing that experience in high-stake games to the game on Sunday.

“We probably haven’t played them in a couple of years. Last year we were in different divisions and different championships so we wouldn’t have met them. There’s a lot of returning faces that have played but plenty of new faces as well.”

Down have yet to taste defeat on home soil this season, although Sunday is their first outing at the Newry venue.

“They’ve picked up wins over Roscommon at Cherryvale, Belfast and Limerick at Liatroim Fontenoys, so they’ll be aiming for three in a row this weekend.

“It’s always nice to get a game on our home ground and hopefully we can bring a lot of home support out as well given the day that will be in it,” McCreanor continued.

“We’ve had a few challenges this year in terms of changes of venues and that sort of thing, but they’re challenges that we have overcome and it’ll be nice to have home advantage on the last day of the league and hopefully that’ll give us a nice boost.”