NFL Division 4
Leitrim v Antrim
Sunday 2.00pm
A season that has started badly for Antrim footballers sees the Saffrons face another stiff challenge when they make the journey to Pairc Sean MacDiarmada in Carrick on Shannon on Sunday to face Leitrim.
It has been a bad start to the season for an Antrim team who suffered relegation from division 3 last season and hopes of a quick return from the basement division have been quickly dashed as they suffered defeat in their first three games of the present division 4 campaign.
Antrim opened this year’s division 4 campaign against Carlow and after a bright opening, where they led by three, they were hit by two quick fire goals by the visitors and never really recovered, going down by four points in Portglenone.
Their poor early season form continued in round 2 when they travelled to Tipperary where they led by 0-5 to 0-4 at the break, but the loss of a player to a straight Red just before the interval saw them suffer another four point loss.
Despite those losses there were hopes that they could get their first points on board when Longford visited Portglenone last weekend but once again the Saffrons failed to deliver and suffered their heaviest defeat to date, going down to a heavy 15 point defeat.
Confidence is obviously low in the Antrim camp following these defeats and nothing is likely to fix that confidence but a win and normally a visit to Leitrim would have provided an opportunity to get a much needed win under their belts.
James McAuley of St. Enda’s lined out at right back for Antrim against Longford while (Featured Image) Jack Lenehan had his first start of the season.
However the Connacht minnows have been going well themselves this year and after losing by the minimum to Wicklow in their opening game they have recorded wins over Waterford at MacDiarmada Pairc and away to London last weekend.
London will have sleepless nights over this one however as a Barry McNulty inspired Leitrim produced an incredible display to overturn a 12-point deficit in a dramatic Allianz NFL Division 4 clash at McGovern Park on Sunday in Ruislip.
McNulty was the name on everyone’s lips as he hit an incredible six two pointers in the second half after his introduction at the interval while another sub, Killian Gaffey, made a couple of decisive interventions, including clawing away a late London goal chance that might have snatched victory.
The home side had looked on course to extend their unbeaten run to five matches as they eased into a 1-14 to 1-2 lead with 33 minutes on the clock. Michael O’Reilly got the goal while Joe McGill raised three well-taken orange flags.
Barry McNulty was the Leitrim hero; introduced at half-time for his first action of the year, the Glencar Manorhamilton man proceeded to land six booming two-pointers. Five of those came from play including the 56th minute strike which saw the visitors hit the front for the first time in the game.
London pressed late in the game and might have snatched it at the death but were denied by some last ditch defending by the visitors and Leitrim now find themselves on 4 points along with Longford and Wicklow with Carlow leading the division with 3 wins from 3 starts.
There will have been much for Antrim to reflect on after that heavy defeat to Longford at the weekend. The Antrim press when Longford attacked was disjointed as they afforded their opponents acres of space.
At the other end of the table Longford showed just how to press, denying Antrim space and turning them over or forcing them into hurried shooting options.
Individually some of the Antrim performances haven’t been bad and Mark Doran and his backroom staff will have been pleased by the return of Aghagallon’s Adam Loughran against Longford.
Loughran weighed in with a well taken goal and the return of Ryan Murray from a long term injury will have been another positive for the Antrim management with the Lamh Dhearg man kicking a couple of points and looking lively after being introduced.
Conor Hand, Jack Lenehan and Cathal Hynds made their first start of the season but Peter Healey remains a long term injury and it is not known when the Ballyboden St. Endas man might return and John Morgan and Ronan Boyle still remain on the injured list.
It will have been a cause for concern that the Saffrons didn’t raise their first Orange flag until Pat Shivers was introduced from the bench midway through the second half and the big Cargin man kicked their second as scoring remains to be a problem for Doran’s side.
Wholesale changes doesn’t appear to be the answer and I wouldn’t expect there to be many alterations from the team who played Longford last weekend for the visit to Carrick on Shannon.
An improved collective performance in both defence and attack is what Antrim will be hoping for at MacDiarmaida Pairc and if the visitors can attain that and put the dampeners on Barry McNulty, Tom Prior and Co then I feel they will be in with a fighting chance to break their duck.
The only way is up!