Tailteaan Cup – Senior Football
Antrim v Sligo at Breffni Park – Sunday at 4pm
Antrim travel to Kingspan Breffni Park this Sunday to face Sligo in a game that will give automatic qualification to the quarter-final of the Tailteann Cup to the winners. The sides have met frequently in the last decade with only a kick of the ball seperating them in most occasions but their most recent encounter in the NFL Division 3 back in February resulted in a 7 point win for the Yates County.
Both sides have played two games in the group stages of this year’s Tailteann Cup, both defeating Tipperary and Wexford and Sunday’s encounter will decide the winners of the group and direct passage to the quarter-final knockout stages.
Sligo would finish their National League campaign in 4th place with four wins and a draw from 7 starts and were just outside the promotion places while Antrim won only three of their seven starts in a season where quite a number of new faces were introduced to the Saffron camp.
Recent results would suggest that Antrim have made great strides as the season progressed and their win over Wicklow in the final game of the league at Corrigan was to prove a season changer and a season saver.
They went on to beat Tipperary at Corrigan in their opening game in this year’s Tailteann Cup before travelling to Wexford Park and making it two from two with Sunday’s encounter in Cavan one that they can win and avenge that earlier league defeat by Sligo.
Andy McEntee’s charges have been flying recently and his side might not show too many changes from the one that lost in Sligo but the return of Aghagallon’s Ruairi McCann and the emergence of Glenravel’s Ryan McQuillan has made them a more potent scoring threat.
The return of Cathal Hynds to the Antrim mid-field following a lengthy injury has added energy and momentum and he and Paddy McAleer have the ability to influence the game in this department.
Antrim led that game at Marievicz Park at half time but were hit by a second half blitz from the home side and were out-scored 0-12 to 0-3 in the second half and appeared to take their eye of the ball.
Niall Murphy led the way with 0-8 (5f’s) and Darragh Cummins 0-3, Patrick O’Connor 0-3, Cian Lally , Sean Carabine and Luke Towey were the men who carried Sligo’s considerable scoring threat that day and Antrim will have to tighten up in defence while improving their own scoring ratio.
Paddy McBride kicked six points against Sunday’s opponents in Sligo and the inclusion of Ruairi McCann and Ryan McQuillan at Breffni will give the Saffron greater scoring options and they can avenge that league defeat and book themselves an automatic quarter-final place.
BELOW IS A REPORT AND PHOTOGRAPHS FROM THAT LEAGUE GAME AT MARKIEVICZ PARK
Antrim fall as Sligo come strong after the break
Allianz NFL Division 3
Sligo 1-20 Antrim 1-13
Following a winning start to the season, an inexperienced Antrim suffered their second successive defeat when they travelled to Markievicz Park on Sunday and lost to a good Sligo side, led by their captain, Niall Murphy.
The Sligo number 15 scored eight points as the men in black put in their best performance of 2024 to run out seven point’s winners against a Saffron side who had performed well in the opening half.
Sligo keeper, Aidan Devany comes smartly off his line to deny Marc Jorday what looked a certain goal.
Inspired by their own sharp shooter, Paddy McBride, the visitors led 1-9 to 1-8 at the short whistle and might well have been further ahead but were hit by a goal on the break from Cian Lally in the 26th minute.
An injury time point from Daragh Cummins for the Yates County left the home side trailing 1-9 to 1-8 to the break but Antrim must have felt fairly comfortable despite facing the breeze in the second half.
Antrim’s Joseph Finnegan is challenged by Sean Carabine of Sligo
Bright start from the Saffrons
Antrim rattled the home side with a scrambled goal in the seventh minute when Ronan Boyle got the final touch after a Ruairi McCann delivery – a point attempt from a mark – dropped short.
A couple of minutes earlier Sligo keeper Aidan Devaney came smartly off his line to deny Marc Jordan with his legs as the big wing half back looked certain to find the net.
Sligo, though, gradually improved and they moved a point ahead, 0-5 to 1-1, with 23 minutes played following scores from Niall Murphy, Darragh Cummins and Sean Carrabine.
Good points from Dermot McAleese and Patrick McBride put Antrim back in front, 1-3 to 0-5 before Sligo replied with a goal from Lally in the 26th minute and followed with a point from Niall Murphy that looked to have put the Connacht County in control.
Sligo substitute, Luke Lally fires over a spectacular point despite the best efforts of Colm McLarnon and Mick Byrne, Antrim.
Antrim responded positively as they scored six points without reply, including four from the impressive Patrick McBride, who was landing some beautiful scores, to lead 1-09 to 1-08 in first-half stoppage time.
Sligo produced a much improved second half performance to secure their third win of the campaign with Murphy leading by example as they struck through Paul Kilcoyne and Sean Carabine to take the lead in the opening minute before Paddy McBride briefly levelled the contest with his sixth of the evening.
The visitors would only add two further points however through Colm McLarnon and Niall Burns as Sligo took control and slowly began to turn the screw.
The home side grew in confidence and stature with Niall Murphy leading the way and the Sligo captain would finish the contest with 0-8 to his credit as they out-scored their opponents 0-12 to 0-3 in a dominant second half display
Paddy McBNride, who scored 0-6 against Sligo in Markikevicz Park
The hosts and the visitors had identical records coming into this fixture – two wins and one loss apiece, with Sligo victorious over Limerick in the previous round and Antrim losing to promotion favourites Down.
These sides contested successive Allianz Football League finals back in 2009 and 2010, with Sligo winning those Division Four and Division Three deciders.
Recent meetings have been close encounters – a one-point win for Sligo in 2020 and a minimum margin victory for Antrim three years ago.
Murphy, substitute Luke Towey, Eddie McGuinness and Brian Cox impressed in a strong Sligo side and this win looks to have secured their place in division 3 for another campaign.
Antrim, for whom Patrick McBride was outstanding, finished with 14 players because of a late black card for Marc Jordan and will hope to get something from next week’s visit of Westmeath as they look anxiously over their shoulders at the chasing pack. Antrim’s Ruairi McCann and Sligo’s Nathan Mullen in a race for possession
Sligo: Aidan Devaney, Paul McNamara, Eddie McGuinness, Evan Lyons, Brian Cox, Darragh Cummins (0-3), Nathan Mullen, Patrick O’Connor (0-3), Paul Kilcoyne, Alan McLoughlin, Donal Conlon, Cian Lally (1-0), Pat Spillane (0-1), Sean Carrabine (0-2, 1f), Niall Murphy (c) (0-8, 4f, 2 ‘mark’)
Subs used: Lee Deignan (0-1) for Pat Spillane, h-t; Luke Towey (0-2) for Donal Conlon, 46; Eoghan Smith for Alan McLoughlin, 62; Mikey Gordon for Sean Carrabine, 68; David Quinn for Cian Lally, 68
Antrim: Michael Byrne (0-1, 1f), Ronan Boyle, Eunan Walsh, Kavan Keenan, Marc Jordan, Joseph Finnegan, Dermot McAleese (c) (0-1), Colm McLarnon (0-1), Patrick McAleer, Cormac McGettigan, Patrick McBride (0-6), Ruairi McCann (0-2, 1 ‘mark’, 1f), Declan Lynch (0-1), Niall Burns (0-1, 1f), Dominic McEnhill
Subs used: Eoghan McCabe for Kavan Keenan, 39; Eoin Hynes for Cormac McGettigan, 45; Conor Hand for Dominic McEnhill, 53; Ryan McQuillan for Patrick McAleer, 63; Jack Dowling for Colm McLarnon, 63
Referee: Margaret Farrelly (Cavan)