Allianz Football League Division Three
Antrim v Wicklow (Corrigan Park, Saturday, 2pm)
 
HAVING suffered a first National League defeat since 2020 last time out, Antrim will hope to bounce back in style when they host Wicklow – the team that inflicted that previous reverse – at Corrigan Park on Saturday.

Back in March of that year, Antrim appeared to be on the crest of a wave, having thumped a Limerick side that was sweeping all before them in Division Four. But momentum was well and truly broken with the onset of Covid-19 and the shelving of the county calendar for seven months.

When inter-county action resumed, the Saffrons headed to Aughrim hoping to pick up where they had left off and virtually seal promotion, but what happened was beyond a nightmare as they were on the receiving end of a morale-sapping 25-point defeat.

It's fair to say that it was something of a freak result, not helped by unforeseen disruption, but one that ultimately condemned Antrim to another year in the basement division with Wicklow going up. Promotion was achieved last year and here both sides are, rematching in Division Three.

Revenge is not the main motivation for Antrim on Saturday, but it would be naive not to think that those who played in the 2020 game will feel they have an opportunity to prove there is not a 25-point difference between the sides, while at the same time picking up two valuable League points that could set the tone for the rest of the campaign.

“Personally, the hurt’s still there,” reflected Ricky Johnston, who lined out at full-back in 2020 and is set to do so again this week.

“You never want to go away from home and get beaten by that much against any team.

“It was a really bad day down in Wicklow, so that is something a lot of players won’t forget in a hurry. But we’ve come a long way under new management who have done a really good job over the past year.

“We have some new players in and some have stepped away, but we’re in a really good place and I think we’ll put that (2020 defeat) to the back of our minds.

“It’s another league game at home and we will look forward to that and hopefully come away with two points.”

It was a similar story, only in reverse, against Limerick a fortnight ago when the Treatymen made up for their heavy loss in Portglenone two years with a fully-merited victory.

Antrim’s cause was not helped by a ropey start as the visitors had 2-1 on the board before the hosts got themselves into the game.

There were warning signs the week before in Enniskillen as, while Antrim would ultimately run out handsome winners, they rode their luck early on with Fermanagh passing up some gilt-edged chances for goals, but Limerick didn’t need to be asked twice when the same opportunities arose at Corrigan Park.

The onus this week will be on making a much brighter start and not allowing Wicklow, who are still seeking their first win of the League campaign, to gain confidence and build a lead for Antrim to chase.

“It’s quite frustrating as we knew what we were up against,” the Creggan man said of the Limerick defeat.

“It was probably more difficult because we went through the league last year unbeaten and beat Fermanagh the previous week, so it was really disappointing, but we’re looking forward to getting back out this week.

“I think we need to get off to a better start. Against Fermanagh they had three goal chances early, but we have identified certain areas we need to work on and bring into the  Wicklow game.

“Wicklow will be a serious challenge. They are a big, physical side as well so we won’t take them for granted. We’ll get our homework done and hopefully come away with two points.”

Wicklow were a step ahead when the sides last met in 2020
2Gallery

Wicklow were a step ahead when the sides last met in 2020

As mentioned, Wicklow are still chasing their first win of the campaign, having lost their opener against division favourites Westmeath and then playing out a draw with Fermanagh.

Every team has at least one point on the board, so it appears this is a division that will be tightly contested and the promotion and relegation battles look set to go to the wire.

Therefore, victory this weekend is imperative for Antrim to keep pace with those at the top of the table heading towards the midway point.

“It was disappointing two weeks ago, but we look at other games and there have been a lot of draws,” Johnston noted.

“This division is going to be quite tight and it’s not going to be easy getting promoted, so getting a win is massive or even one point.

“If you lose, it can put you right back. It’s really tight after a couple of games, but it’s still in our favour and I think we can push on.

“We want to be playing at the highest level. Division Three is a step up this year and there’s nothing between the teams.

“Last week took us down a peg or two getting beaten, so we’ll go back to the drawing board and get ready for Wicklow.”