By Shaun Casey

WHEN these sides clashed in the final round of their Division Four National League campaign 11 weeks ago, Antrim were comfortable 14-point winners and went on to claim the league title, while Derry finished second from bottom in the table.

Now, the Ulster Junior Championship trophy is the prize on the line as the pair renew acquaintances at Healy Park, Omagh. Joint Saffron boss Chris Scullion says that their March meeting will count for little this weekend.

Antrim haven’t won the competition since 2022 but following their terrific league campaign, where they won all nine of their outings, they are in brilliant form and eyeing up a second piece of silverware in a number of weeks.

“That result earlier in the year counts for nothing now. Finals are different, it’s a new game, a new challenge,” said Scullion, who manages the team alongside Michael Devlin.

“We are preparing ourselves just as we have for every game this year.

“We’re preparing for a tough, competitive battle and making sure our focus is on our performance and meeting our standards and hopefully if we give it our all, we can be successful.

“Some of the squad were involved in that 2022 win and they know what it takes to get over the line. For others, this is their first taste of a final at this level, and you can see the hunger, they are feeding off the energy of the experienced players.

“There’s a great blend of experience and fresh energy, and that’s been driving us forward all year. The motivation to lift silverware again is very real after experiencing it in the league final.”

Antrim are looking forward to the big occasion and Scullion hopes to have a full squad to pick from come Saturday afternoon. “The girls are really looking forward to it. A provincial final is a big occasion and something they’ve worked towards,” Scullion added.

“As a management team, we’re proud of the commitment they’ve shown and we see this as an important milestone in the team’s development this season, there’s a real sense of excitement and determination in the group.

“We know opportunities like this don’t come around often, so we’re fully focused on making the most of it. Like any team at this stage of the season, we’ve had a few knocks here and there, and we are trying to manage the girls loads as best we can.

We have two long-term injuries, and we have had six or seven girls with niggles that have prevented them from training, but that’s the benefit of having our squad, that we can always maintain a competitive squad for training each week.

“Credit to our backroom team as well, Sean Duggan our physio does a brilliant job keeping the players in top shape, and we’re confident in the depth we have should any late changes be needed.”