Ulster SFC
Derry V Antrim
Saturday 5pm Celtic Park
Antrim make their bow in this year’s Ulster Championship when they travel to Celtic Park in Derry on Saturday evening to face a Derry Side who will be cast in the role of red hot favourites and rightly so.
Derry played their football in division 2 of the National league this year and turned in some great performances, winning five of their seven games and missing out narrowly on promotion to division 1.
They were pipped for a promotion place by Cork and Meath despite recording a big win over Cork in early March but an opening round defeat to Meath on day one and a loss to Louth on 14th March would eventually cost them a promotion place.
Left to Right: Niall Burns, Peter Healey and Pat Shivers
A solid league campaign never the less under Ciaran Meenagh, who appears to have got all of Derry’s top players back on board after a short reign by Mickey Harte which produced a National league title.
Former Tyrone manager Harte was never fully accepted by the Oak Leaf support despite that title in 2024 and following a poor 2025 campaign Derry turned to former coach, Meenagh.
And while Meenagh was taking up the reigns in Derry, Antrim had a new man in charge themselves. Mark Doran was to endure a less than spectacular start in charge of the Saffrons when they lost their opening three games in Division 4.
Like Meenagh with Derry, Doran has steadied the Antrim ship however and the Saffrons won their final four games in the lower division and just lost out narrowly on a promotion place.
The Derry side to face Antrim at Celtic Park will be littered with household names like Padraig McGrogan, Gareth McKinless, the Doherty’s, Matthew Downey, Conor Glass and Shane McGuigan to name but a few.
McGuigan scored 0-11 in their final league game against Cavan while Conor Glass is often the driving force in the Derry engine room.
Conor Glass reckons a good Ulster Championship campaign would see Derry’s confidence spiral and could act as a springboard for their summer.
Glass says Derry still see themselves as “one of the top teams in Ireland” and if they aren’t striving to compete at that level they have no business playing football.
The Glen All Star can tell by the confidence of his team mates that they have recovered from a 2025 campaign where they didn’t win a League or Championship game.
Antrim have their own stars however and they won’t be going to Celtic Park just to make up the numbers.
The Saffrons will take great heart from their performance against Armagh in their opening championship game last year when they took the game to the Orchard and led by one at half time.
The return of Marc Jordan will give the Antrim challenge a major boost
Kieran McGeeney’s side stepped it up after the break to win comfortably enough in the end but Antrim can be well satisfied with their performance for 40 plus minutes of that game.
John McNabb has been excellent for Antrim since taking over the goalkeeper’s jersey from Mick Byrne and the return of Eunan Walsh at full-back has added a bit of composure to their defence.
Marc Jordan has been outstanding for Antrim this year but missed the final game of the season against London with a hand injury but has been included in the side named on Thursdasy night and will be a big boost for the Saffrons.
Kavan Keenan, Eoghan McCabe, Paddy McAleer, Dominic McEnhill, Pat Shivers, Joe Finnegan and Adam Loughran have been regulars in a team that has had a more predictable look to it as the season has progressed.
In fact Jordan and Conor Hand are the only changes from the side who finished their league campaign with a win over London and the Saffrons are as near full strength as they could be.
Ryan McQuillan can be a match winner on his day and whether he starts, or is introduced will be hoping to play his part as underdogs Antrim go for broke in the Maiden City.
