Allianz Football League Division Four Playoff
Waterford v Antrim (Dungarvan, Sunday, 12.15pm, live on GAA GO)

PROMOTION from Division Four has eluded the Antrim senior footballers for the last three seasons. Now, after three thrilling injury-time victories in succession, they are just 70 minutes away from escaping the bottom tier.
 
Sunday’s semi-final is a straight promotion play-off against Waterford in Dungarvan’s Fraher Field.
 
Carlow host Louth on Saturday for one of the other coveted promotion slots, but there will be no Division Four final for the winners of this weekend’s game Carlow and Louth are involved in the first round of the Leinster Championship on Sunday, June 27.
 
Yet, for Paddy McBride, Sunday’s game might as well be a Championship game. The stakes are every bit as high.
 
A victory for Waterford in only their third outing of 2021 would secure promotion from Division Four for the first time in a little over a decade while Antrim bid to return to Division Three for the first time since the 2017 season.
 
“The big thing for them (Waterford) is that, usually in Division Four, you have to win nearly every match to get promoted,” said McBride.
 
“They haven’t been able to do that, but now they have a chance to promotion after one win (against Wexford). It is a massive opportunity for them as well.
 
“You’d be expecting them to give a big lift to try and win a one-off game to win promotion. It will be a tough game and we have to be on form in order to take care of business.
 
“I know we beat Waterford last year, but we can’t be thinking we have the right to beat anybody.
 
“We’ve won three games, but only just so we haven’t earned the right to fancy ourselves against any team. We have to treat this like a genuine Championship game.”

When these sides met last autumn at Haggardstown near Dundalk, the Saffrons were hoping for other results to go in their favour to secure promotion.
 
After losing home advantage due to Waterford’s refusal to travel to the North, Antrim lived up to their side of the bargain as goals from Naomh Éanna duo James McAuley and Odhran Eastwood helped them secure a 2-14 to 0-13 win over the Munster side.
 
However, Limerick’s victory over Sligo ensured they were promoted along with Wicklow with Antrim finishing in third place for the third successive year.
 
The subsequent Ulster Championship defeat to Cavan marked the end of Lenny Harbinson’s three-year tenure as Antrim boss and former Tyrone star Enda McGinley was appointed to the role in November.
 
The Errigal Ciaran clubman has enjoyed a 100 per cent start, but Antrim have left it late to secure their three wins.
 
In their Division Four North opener against Mickey Harte’s Louth, an injury-time winner from Ryan Murray sealed the two points on their return to Haggardstown.
 
One week later, his Lámh Dhearg clubmate Paddy Cunningham provided the late heroics as his point gave the Saffrons a 3-13 to 3-12 win over Sligo in Corrigan Park.
 
In their final group outing and with their place in the semi-final already secured, Antrim were involved in another thriller at Corrigan Park when they hosted Leitrim.
 
After building up an 11-point lead following goals from Conor Stewart and Conor Murray, the Saffrons were pegged back by Terry Hyland’s men, who looked set to take a point when Keith Beirne levelled the game in stoppage time.
 
Yet, with the final kick of the game, Tomás McCann maintained his side’s winning streak with a point to give Antrim a hard-fought 2-17 to 1-19 success. 
 
Despite winning three from three, Antrim will make the 464-mile round-trip to Dungarvan as Waterford only played one game at home while the Saffrons had two games at their revamped Corrigan Park home.  
 
The long trip down south doesn’t faze McBride, but he insists Antrim will need to be more ruthless in closing the game out if they are to overcome Waterford on Sunday.
 
“The last time we won promotion, we beat Wicklow to go up back in 2016,” stated McBride.
 
“We’ve done it before – it is the same this time. We’ve one game to win promotion.
 
“We’d have a great advantage if the game was played in Corrigan Park, but it would be even sweeter to do it down there.
 
“We’ll go down with the underdogs mentality of having to beat them in their own back yard. We need to learn how to stay in the lead when we are playing well.
 
“That said, I’ve played in a lot of games over the years when we’ve lost a big lead or something has happened and we’ve completely broken down and haven’t been able to fight back and get the win.
 
“I know we can’t keep doing it, but there is something there and there has been a change in the mentality of the squad this year.”

Ryan Murray is an injury doubt for Antrim
2Gallery

Ryan Murray is an injury doubt for Antrim

McGinley will be hoping Antrim aren’t relying on another injury-time winner in Fraher Field this weekend and they may be forced to rejig their forward unit if Ryan Murray’s hamstring injury rules him out of Sunday’s tie.
 
The corner-forward lasted just 13 minutes of the Leitrim game and is Antrim’s main injury concern.
 
Waterford also have a new manager since October’s clash between the counties with Shane Ronayne succeeded Ger Walsh.
 
The Déise lost their home game against Carlow, but defeated Wexford 2-13 to 0-18 in Wexford Park thanks to a second half penalty from Darragh Corcoran and a further goal from full-back Brian Looby.
 
Given what’s at stake, it would be no great surprise to see both teams adopting a more defensive approach on Sunday and Antrim have plenty of options at the back since the return of Ricky Johnston and James Laverty.
 
Debutant Conor Stewart has been immense at midfield alongside Niall McKeever, who is back after a spell away from the county set-up.
 
Yet, it is in attack where Antrim can really hurt their opponents. If they can get enough ball into Odhran Eastwood, the Naomh Éanna attacker has the pace to burn any defender and the likes of Paddy McBride, Conor Murray and Ryan Murray are all capable of landing the vital scores for the Saffrons.
 
With Paddy Cunningham, Tomás McCann, Eoghan McCabe and Adam Loughran in reserve, among others, Antrim ought to have enough to see off the challenge of Waterford and escape the clutches of Division Four.