When Casement was heaving at the seams

Antrim v Derry 2007 Ulster Championship quarter-final Today we take a look back at an Ulster Championship game between Antrim and Derry in the opening round of the Ulster championship at Casement Park in 2007. Casement has been very much in the news recently as Antrim Gaels ponder over as to when work will finally get under way on the Andersonstown Road but our photographs show how vibrant things were at Antrim headquarters back on that day in June 2007. On the same day Antrim minors played Derry at the same venue while our Cumann na mBunscoil lads enjoyed their day in the Casement sun against their Oak Leaf counterparts. A packed house were there to cheer their respective sides on in a game that unfortunately Antrim lost. Today we look back at that game as we look forward to the day when we can cheer the Saffrons on again at the new Casement.

The Derry team who defeated Antrim in the Ulster SFC at Casement Park in 2007

Antrim 0-10 1-13 Derry
Derry secured a six-point success over Antrim at a sunny Casement Park on Sunday to set up an Ulster SFC semi-final clash with Monaghan. The Oak Leafers led by five points early on but the Saffrons fought back to make it 0-6 to 0-6 at the break. Derry regained control after the restart and they pulled clear after Mark Lynch’s goal on 51 minutes. Oak Leak star Paddy Bradley, available after having a three-month ban lifted, came on for the last 10 minutes. Enda Muldoon put Derry on their way with a point after just 17 seconds. The Oak Leaf side took a grip of the game and stormed into a 0-6 to 0-1 lead after 23 minutes. Championship debutant Conor McGourty sparked Antrim’s comeback with two points in a minute. Paddy Cunningham added two points and Kevin Niblock was also on the scoresheet as the Saffrons made it all-square just before half-time. The second half started like the first with Derry on top and with Conleith Gilligan finally finding his range. The Ballinderry attacker pointed 13 seconds after the restart and put over another point a minute later. The decisive moment of the match came with Lynch’s goal – Gilligan fed the ball to Raymond Wilkinson, who sprinted into space before supplying a pinpoint cross for the full-forward to tap in. Antrim staged a mini revival through Cunninghan and McGourty points but Derry eased their way to the final whistle, with late Gilligan and Muldoon scores giving them a comfortable passage to a last four. Derry: B Gillies; M McGoldrick, K McCloy, G O’Kane; P Cartin, SM Lockhart, C McKeever; F Doherty, J Conway; B McGoldrick, C Gilligan, J Diver; R Wilkinson, E Muldoon, M Lynch. Subs: Patsy Bradley for Cartin (31), C Devlin for B McGoldrick (45), Paddy Bradley for Diver (61), L Hinphey for O’Kane 69. Antrim: S McGreevy; T Scullion, P Doherty, K O’Boyle; S McVeigh, G Bell, J Crozier; M McCann, J Quinn; A Gallagher, K Niblock, J Loughery; CJ McGourty, K Brady, P Cunningham. Subs: E O’Neill for Niblock (50), C Close for Brady (54), P Close for O’Boyle (64). Refere: C Reilly (Meath).