With the county season for Antrim footballers scheduled to kick off tomorrow with the Saffrons visit to Clones where they meet Monaghan in the McKenna Cup the Saffron Gael spoke to Michael McCarry who will be hoping for a start tomorrow.

The All Saints man has been a vital player for the Ballymena side for more than a decade and has been their top scorer in most of, if not all those campaigns and it was no surprise to those within the club when he got the call up to the Antrim panel.

Saffron Gael: Michael this is your second year on the Antrim panel and you came into the Antrim scene relatively late in your career how difficult has it been?

Michael McCarry: I was brought in by Frank (Fitzsimmons) and Gearoid (Adams) 3 years ago before the qualifiers, basically to join the training panel. That gave me the taste for it and I decided to give it a real go the following year. I’ve enjoyed every bit of it over the last few years. It’s a big commitment but then again you make those commitments because you enjoy it and because it’s an honour to represent your county.

S.G. The action gets under way tomorrow against Monaghan in the McKenna Cup. How have this year’s early season preparations gone?

M McC: Preparation has been good, Lenny, Brendan and Fionntan have been pushing us on, but there has been quite a big turn over in terms of players so it’s been about integrating all the new faces into the group as well. I suppose all teams are the same this time of year in that you are trying to get the foundations and preparations in place for later in the season. We’ve had a few challenge games so it has been a good opportunity for us all to stake a claim for a place on the team and for the management team to get a look at everyone and start to form a picture of who can do what job going forward.

S.G. Last year at this stage of the season you had All Saints colleagues Sean McVeigh, Paddy McAleer, Connell Lemon and Peter McNicholl along with you in the panel. Are any of them there this year?

M McC: Yea it was great having a good representation from the club and it is nice to have your club mates there with you in the county set up. Connell “Bud” Lemon is still there along with me this year, he’s finding things a little easier this year without Patsy and Snowy the wind up merchants torturing him.

• 

S.G. I know Paddy McAleer and a number of other players have left the Antrim panel for various reasons, perhaps this is an opportunity for you to establish yourself in the side. How do you see it?

M McC: Absolutely, it’s unfortunate that a few of the lads have had to step away for various reasons but with that comes opportunities for others to step up to the plate. Its not only from a playing point of view that you miss the boys who have stepped away but many of them were big leaders and characters in the changing rooms. Everyone will always talk about the boys who aren’t there, but it’s important the lads who are there do everything they can to try and move Antrim forward.

S.G. What can you tell me about this year’s Antrim Panel. Who are the new faces who have come in and who has impressed you in early season?

M McC: There is quite a few new faces this year the likes of Fintan Burke, Kevin Quinn, Owen McKeown, Eoghan McCabe and Andy Sweeney and some boys returning to the panel like Marty Johnston. In fairness all the new lads have fitted in really well and are all showing up well in training.

S.G. The McKenna Cup is generally seen as preparation for the league for Antrim and as you head into a second season in division 4 who do you see as your main challengers for a promotion place?

M McC: Yea, the league has to be a priority for us so it will be good to get a few competitive games ahead of the league and it will be good preparation for us. Obviously everyone will be looking at the 2 teams coming down from Division 3, Derry and Wexford as big threats and I’m sure people will see them as favourites to go back up. But every team in the Division will provide their own different challenges and it’s important we prepare fully for each of them.

S.G. You have been an automatic selection for All Saints for more than a decade and have enjoyed the highs and the lows with your club. What are the highlights and how do you see this season going for the Ballymena side?

M McC: The main highlights for me are without doubt the two championship wins in 2008 under Barney McCann and 2011 was particularly special under the management of my father Kevin and Timmy Connolly.

We have a good group of young players coming through, hopefully they can continue to make the step up and achieve their potential. I think this combination of youth and the experience of Snowy, McNicholl and the return of Pizza will provide a good set of ingredients for the new management team to work with.

S.G. How do you feel about tomorrow’s opening game against Monaghan in Clones in the McKenna Cup?

M McC: Obviously Monaghan are a top team and will prove a massive challenge but as I said earlier, in these McKenna Cup games we need to worry about ourselves and use them for our own benefit. They are good preparation for later in the year. It’s good for the management to see players in competitive games.