Saffrons welcome the All-Ireland champions to town

ANTRIM couldn’t have asked for a much tougher set of questions as they head into the Ulster Championship.

They’ve All-Ireland champions Armagh on the horizon, a game that made the headlines for all the wrong seasons.

A quick glance. Antrim were pulled out first in the draw. It was mooted for Corrigan Park. Then it was fixed for Páirc Esler. The Antrim squad dug their heels in. Corrigan or nowhere. They stuck to their guns. Corrigan it is.

Andy McEntee’s charges come into the game under another cloud after their relegation to Division Four for next season.

Speaking at the Ulster Championship launch, Saffron forward Patrick McBride said they’d parked relegation after their defeat to Sligo. Their final day trip to Kildare was a total shot in the dark.

It allowed them to fully focus on Armagh, a change from the week-on-week battle during the league.

Antrim began their season with victory over Clare. Taking the amount of players the Banner County had back on board and their performance in Munster against Kerry, this was a sign they could challenge towards the top half of the table.

It never materialised. Antrim failed to get a consistent set of results.

Even within games, their spells of fluidity were diluted by periods when they struggled.

Take their game with Kildare. It took most of the first quarter before Conor Stewart burled a two-pointer for their first score. In the 10 minutes after half-time, they failed to score.

That’s where their big gains need to come from when Armagh come to town. Stewart is only back from injury. Conor Hand, Marc Jordan and Dermot McAleese are the men McEntee will look to if Antrim are to make the midfield zone a scrap.

A delve into Armagh, and they’ve closed teams down. It’s cutting off the impact of Andrew Murnin that will be their starting point.

From their own point of view, Dominic McEnhill has been in and out of the team. An impact man and then a starter.

It’s about getting a return from up front. Ruairi McCann will be the likely target in attack and he’ll probably have Barry McCambridge for company.

McBride, Ryan Murray, Ryan McQuillan and Niall Burns have all been players that have chipped into Antrim’s scoring return this season.

Playing in the familiar surroundings of Corrigan will be a help, but it won’t tell the entire story.

In some ways, it’s a free shot. McEntee accepts that to a certain extent. Armagh are a big fish.

With his second breath, he knows his side have backed themselves into a corner with their stance of fighting to play on home soil.

For the Antrim boss, it is now about a performance. They must come out swinging.

The county u-20s endured a heavy defeat at the hands of Donegal. It paints a picture of a county struggling to make themselves competitive against the bigger guns.

This championship game is about so much more than a place in the last four for Antrim.

There is a Division Four campaign lingering in the distance. It’s not now, but it’s still there. Asking serious questions of Armagh would be a start.

The most optimistic Saffron fan will know the task they face. Impossible? No. Very difficult? Yes.

Whatever Antrim fans that managed to get a golden ticket to come through the turnstiles will have to back their team every step of the way. In the same way, they did during this venue saga.

It was their right to play at Corrigan. Few, if any, dispute that.

Now, it’s their responsibility to have a real go.

Armagh are All-Ireland champions for a reason.

Roll of honour: 10 (1900, 1901, 1908, 1909, 1910, 1911, 1912, 1913, 1946, 1951)Memorable Ulster Championship match:
Ulster Championship semi-final 2009
Antrim 0-13 Cavan 1-7
Saturday June 27, 2009
LIAM Bradley led Antrim to a first Ulster final in 39 years with victory over Cavan to spark magical scenes at Clones.

A David McGivney goal wasn’t enough to stop a Saffron side who took a four-point lead into the final quarter.

Paddy Cunningham kicked four points. There were scores from Tomás McCann and Sean Burke as Antrim grew into the game.

Antrim were winners over Donegal in the first round and built on the confidence to send them to Ulster final day.

Cavan cut the gap to two points but Antrim were able to kick their way to the final.

Wild card: Conhuir Johnston
HAVING starred with St Mary’s, Magherafelt at school level, the Cargin forward is somewhat on the radar. He is capable of playing as a playmaker or as an inside man. A focus of Antrim’s attack is Aghagallon goal machine Ruairi McCann and Johnston could nestle inside as his partner. Andy McEntee will face an Armagh defence who shuffle excellently across the arc but Johnston is someone who could ghost into any spaces to give Antrim a chance to break inside. Has the potential for a long inter-county career.

Captain: Dermot McAleese
YOU always know you are going to get with McAleese.

The Portglenone man is strong, can pass and can break tackles. Played some of his football in midfield and attack, he has slotted into a spot on the wing to drive Antrim on the front foot.

He has had his share of injuries but keeps his head down. A quiet man who does his talking on the pitch and under the breaking ball.

If Armagh close down Michael Byrne’s kicking channels, McAleese will play an important part in Antrim’s midfield sector.

Manager: Andy McEntee
THE Meath man is now into this third season as Saffron boss and faces into a championship date with All-Ireland champions Armagh. It doesn’t come much tougher.

He came into the gig with experience of winning an All-Ireland Club title. McEntee brought Justin McMahon further up the ladder in his management team this season.

After a tough league campaign and ‘Corrigan or nowhere’ campaign, Andy’s focus is getting his players to fully lock in on one thing and one thing only – throwing the kitchen sink at Armagh.

It’s a tall order but they have a shot to nothing. His motivational skills are important in the days ahead.