Working on a Dream

Wimbledon weren't supposed to beat Liverpool in the FA Cup final in 1988, Buster Douglas had no chance against Mike Tyson in 1990. In 1992 Clare suprised the whole GAA world when they won the Munster Football final, dammit even last week the Connaught script said that Sligo were due to win out over Roscommon in the provincial decider. Having said all of that, here is my official Saturday evening prediction - Antrim won't beat Cork tomorrow, it's a mountain to steep to climb. Isn't it??

The last time Antrim hurlers were in the All Ireland quarter final Cork were the opposition. That resulted in an awful hammering and was one of the worst days out I can remember in Croke Park. Since that time the narrative has been mostly a downhill one - the introduction of the qualifier system which for a while involved groups of three teams placed huge obstacles in the way of Antrim in their quest for a return to this stage. There were high points too in the last 6 years. Winning the Christy Ring cup felt a little bit underwhelming, but league wins over Galway, Wexford, Limerick were fine achievements. The Walsh Cup win in 2008 was something of a milestone, involving as it did a competitive win over Kilkenny. On the night that Northern Ireland's soccer team upset the odds against England in Windsor Park, Antrim fans had their own floodlit joy when we inflicted Dublin's first league reversal of the year.

Can tomorrow be another milestone day? Of course it can happen, and it doesn't take that much of a stretch to imagine the series of events which will have to converge to result in a Saffron victory - it just that it seems highly unlikely. It is true that a lot of our players can improve their own performance from last week and if we are not blown away in the opening half then who's to know? In theory anything less than a 23 point defeat would represent a better return than 2004, but we will be hoping for much, much more than that.

We can look for solid performances from Neil McManus, PJ O'Connell, Liam Watson, Karl McKeegan, Shane McNaughton, Paul Sheils et al. We have a useful subs bench too and it is likely that Michael Herron and Barry McFall will see significant action. If these guys deliver as best they can, we can all take some encouragement from Croke Park tomorrow.

To my memory last Saturday represented Antrim's first hurling win in Croke Park since 1989. 21 years is a long time to have waited between wins. Given the talent and the workrate of these players, the committment from Dinny Cahill and his team, it won't take that long again.

Earlier today Antrim minors lost out to Dublin on a 3.13 to 1.11 scoreline. Details to follow via the Club Aontroma twitter feed.

Antrim unchanged for Sunday

Antrim (SH v Cork): Chris O'Connell; Kieran McGourty, Cormac Donnelly, Sean Delargy; Paul Shiels, Johnny Campbell, Ciaran Herron; Shane McNaughton, Karl Stewart; Simon McCrory, Neil McManus, Thomas McCann; PJ O'Connell, Liam Watson, Karl McKeegan.

Saffrons stake quarter final claim

Taking a holiday in July is a dangerous pursuit for a GAA fan, and increasingly so for Antrim followers. I headed off on the morning of the Casement double header, relying on text and twitter updates to hear of the demise our footballers and the victory for the hurlers over Carlow.

Those results have taken on a new light in the weeks which followed. in retrospect our big opportunity to beat Kildare was in Newbridge the first time round. Chances at the very end of normal and extra time weren't taken; since then Kildare have pushed on and are now one game away from an all Ireland quarter final. Could have been us, but there is little point pining for what might have been. A win for the hurlers over Carlow was expected; what nobody outside the Barrowsiders thought was that they would push the Saffrons all the way. The comeback manner of that victory stood Antrim in good stead last Saturday. We now appear to be a team which refuses to accept defeat and battles to the end. But along with fighting spirit and the deterimation it was a source of pride to look at the hurling skills on display last weekend.

The media previews, not to mention the bookmakers, all assumed an easy passage for the Dubs. That amused me, apart from last summers 10 point defeat, games between Antrim and Dublin have been 50/50 affairs, always with very narrow margins of victory. Onwards to the quarter final versus Cork - of course we are already being written off by many of the 'experts'. But this year has already been a successful one for the hurlers, we are now in bonus territory and who is to say it has to end this weekend?

Remember the barren years when following Antrim seemed to be a pennance? Yet last year our footballers final game was July 26th. This year our hurlers have taken us to the end of July and are still going strong. Be thankful you belong to a dual county, be thankful for Dinny Cahill and his backroom team, thankful for a squad of players giving their all, refusing to accept championship defeats and laying down a new marker for Antrim hurling.

Our minors, under 21 and senior hurlers are all in action this week. Wonder what the odds are on a treble?

Super Saffron Saturday!!

If this weekend's double bill was to be featured on Sky TV, the marketing dept would be in overdrive and the whole thing would likely be branded the "Super Saffron Saturday!". Indeed the Andersonstown News, whose Conor McLoughlin provided an excellent report from Newbridge, used a variation on that brand name in its preview today.

It really is an occassion to savour. It is early in the qualifier series to get unduly excited but the nature of last week's draw - coming from behind when up against it in normal time and extra time - the incentive of playing Leitrim in the next round and the unique pairing with our hurlers, is very enticing.

First things first. At 5pm the county hurlers look to progress in the All Ireland series for the first time since the 'backdoor' was introduced when we play Carlow. Carlow are getting better - they beat Clare in the league and ran Antrim to a narrow margin in Casement. Indeed last week most observors tipped Laois to beat the Barrowsiders, after all the Laois men have made good progress themselves. Carlow saw them off though on a 1.19 - 3.12 scoreline. But Antrim would appear to have moved up a gear since the league ended, and its great to see. The draw against Offaly which led to the extra time defeat was out of the blue and the nature of the Ulster title win over Down displayed a professional approach to summer hurling. Karl McKeegan seems to be enjoying his new role in the full forward line while younger (sorry Karl!) hurlers like Paul Shiels and Shane McNaughton are flourishing. We should win this and progress to a Phase 3 match on 17 July.

At 7pm it's the rematch. The post match analysis from Newbridge seemed to suggest that Kildare kicked themselves out of it. Not true. A lot of their wides were forced upon them through hard tackling and pressure on the ball. At crucial phases in the game it was Antrim forcing the issue, winning hard ball and piling on pressure. There were some poor passages of play from Antrim that need to be addressed and there were some big performances as well.

It's one out with the disappointing news that CJ McGourty has left the panel (makes you wonder why someone would put in the hours at training only to take off at a crucial juncture?) and one in with the welcome return of Michael Magill. We're not privy to what went on behind the scenes in the run up to the Tyrone match, but it is a fact that Magill played a big part in Antrim's successful promotion campaign. His absence was keenly felt in defeat to Offaly and Wexford. If he is match fit, he is a great option to have available to Bradley.

Can Antrim win this football game? Absolutely, and we showed how last week. When Tony Scullion, KOB, Thomas McCann and James Loughry ran at pace at the Kildare defence they made scoring opportunties or drew frees. Run at them boys, all night long. Kevin McGourty made a huge contribution and surely if Michael McCann is fully fit then he has more to give on what could be a special night. During their poor league run Kildare typically followed up a decent performance with a below par effort. Liam Bradley may be playing mind games but he is right to suggest that some teams dont like coming to Belfast.

Of course we throw our city open to visitors and we hope that Carlow and Kildare fans enjoy their visit. But for 70 minutes each, lets make their lives a misery. This double fixture appears to have caught the imagination of Saffron gaels. Those present last week in Newbridge made plenty of noise in the second half. If you are going - and why would you not be? - make plenty of noise all night long.

These guys have trained all year, put in months of work for themselves, for the team, for the county, our county. Play your part on Saturday - they deserve our support.

Heroics in Newbridge

BBC NI's match report from the Kildare V Antrim qualifier, http://tinyurl.com/2c5ag6p
suggests that Antrim might have 'stolen' the match at the end of both normal time and extra time. The BBC have got it wrong, again. Had Antrim's footballers won the game it would have been just reward for a performance full of determination, skill, some wonderful scores and a willingness to stand and fight for championship survival.

The match was in danger of being over shadowed by the emotion surrounding the death and funeral of Dermot Early snr, a Roscommon and Kildare GAA legend whose son lined out for the Lillywhites at midfield. Dermot's memory was well respected, but thereafter the game came into it own. Paddy Cunningham set the Antrim trend with two early points before Kildare fired themselves into the lead with some well taken points. Thomas McCann finished off a superb saffron move with an audacious goal effort which, had it gone under the crossbar rather then ricocheting over, would have been celebrated as a potential goal of the season. Kildare got sloppy towards the end of the first half and we scored the last two points to leave one in it at the berak.

In the second half Kildare could never get further than two points ahead and it was Antrim who finished the stronger. Kevin McGourty played a gigantic game and his score drew the sides level on full time. Tony Scullion may have won the game late on but a draw was a fair outcome.

Into extra time then and we looked in trouble when Kildare scored two points early on. Paddy socred his 9th to bring the margin to the minimum just before the break. In that period Kildare missed a goalden goal chance which left some of us wondering it going to be our night? In the second period Antrim poured forward but when one Paddy Cunningham free fell short, it looked ominous. Hard won possession led to another free which appeared to be further out, but Cunningham stepped up, kept his cool and levelled the game. As in normal time we might have won in the end. It was Antrim who were now bossing the game and turning over possession, yet despite a two minute fracas interrupting play the referee blew up right on the 10 minute mark.

We left Newbridge with a sense of achievement. We faced a team who last year went to the All Ireland Quarter final, up against a bg home crowd and all the emotion that went with the sad death and burial of Dermot Early snr. And we left with our name in the hat for the second round draw, and a terrific double header in prospect next weekend.

Last night's performance will mean so much more if we put Kildare away next weekend. Can we? I would say Antrim have further to improve - some of our players have more to contribute next weekend and if that happens, well, the Saffron summer could be well and truly underway. There were lots of strong performances last night, none more so than that from Kevin McGourty. He caught some great balls, rode some hard tackles and withstood with maturity a cynical stroke as extra time began. He pitched in with 3 great points as well. Sean McGreevy, Kevin O'Boyle, Tony Scullion and Paddy Cunningham also excelled.

It was a night when two championships debutants appeared (Finch and Doherty) and when Thomas McCann went off and re-appeared in extra time. It was a night when Kildare fans around us were utterly convinced that Antrim offered no prospect of a challenge. They thought differently at the end. It was a night to remember.

Rounding off a solid Antrim weekend, our hurlers strolled to an all too comfortable win over Down in the Ulster Hurling Final. Liam Watson, Karl McKeegan and PJ O'Connell led the scoring. Given Carlow's somewhat surprise win over Laois, they will be the oppsoition next aturday in the All Ireland qualifiers. See match report from RTE, http://tinyurl.com/2ch3bt2

The draw for the next round of qualifiers takes place tomorrow morning. Next weekend meanwhile is one not to miss.

Ulster Hurling Final V Down. Team news

Team to play Down this Sunday, C O'Donnell, Kieran McGourty, C Donnelly, S Delargy, P Shiels, J Campbell, C Herron, , S McNaughton, K Stewart, C McFall, T McCann, L Watson, PJ O'Connell, N McManus, K McKeegan.

A new bridge to the All Ireland

A week ago I wrote that as the draw for the All Ireland football qualifier series approached what Antrim really would prefer was a home draw against non Ulster competition. I still think it was important to escape the claustrophic nature of continous Ulster derby games, and that factor was even more important than home advantage. And lets be honest, we all would have preferred Division 4 or 3 opposition, but at least we got a team from outside our home province, and so its off to Newbridge on Saturday week for a 7pm throw in V Kildare. It could well turn out to be a cracking game of attacking football.

Is it a daunting task? Well it certainly has a right to claim the 'tie of the round' title although RTE has decided to send the live cameras to Crossmaglen instead for the Orchard county V Donega. That one wont be pretty.

Had our clash with the lillywhites been at home I would suggest we had every reason to be entirely confident going into the game. Kildare lost heavily to Louth first time out, and we had Louth dead and buried inside 20 minutes in what was a league encounter crucial to both sides. And yes I know that it doesn't automatically follow that we will beat Kildare but there is plenty of supporting evidence. Kildare were by all accounts dire against Louth and Kieran McGeeney shipped plenty of flack for his sideline decisions. Subbing corner forward Paudie O'Neill in the first half after he scored 1.1 was a bizarre move and clearly 'Geezer' is under big pressure. Newbridge was no fortress during the National League when, in Division 2, Kildare lost 4 out of 7 matches.

Antrim manage Liam Bradley is as usual sending out very positive messages about our squad and the lessons learned during and after the Tyrone defeat. It may well be the case that injuries and substitutions during that game have led the management to discover just what is the best Antrim starting 15. A challenge match victory over Down was a confidence booster, Paddy Cunningham's quirky foot injury should be cleared up in time and the entire squad is training very well.

Some of Antrim's best performances in the last two seasons have come away from Casement Park, in Ballybofey, Clones, Tullamore and Cavan. By next weekend, Newbridge might just have been added to the list.