Northern Switchgear Antrim Senior Football Championship quarter-final
St Brigid’s v Aghagallon (Saturday, 1pm, Dunsilly)
 
A HECTIC weekend of club football action in Antrim gets underway with, arguably, one of the toughest games to call as St Brigid’s and Aghagallon clash at Dunsilly on Saturday afternoon.

Both teams remain keen to make the breakthrough at senior level and a coveted semi-final berth awaits the winners of Saturday’s tie.

Aghagallon are making their second succession appearance in the quarter-finals having been pipped by Lámh Dhearg in a griping quarter-final meeting at Corrigan Park last year.

A late goal from Brendan Herron helped his side claim a 1-10 to 0-12 win, but it gave an indication that St Mary’s were now able to mix it with the top teams in the county.

Speaking after their dramatic 1-13 to 2-8 win over Naomh Éanna in their final game in Group Three, Aghagallon boss Kevin Murray feels his side are improving with each Championship outing.

“I suppose three years with the group and coming out of intermediate and maintaining their position in Division One was probably the first priority and getting more championship games,” said Murray.

“Every campaign you’re trying to learn and bring new players through. You’re trying to bring them up to senior championship level where they haven’t really been before.”

On the challenge of taking on a St Brigid’s team they met last year in the group stages, Murray added: “They (St Brigid’s) are a different animal this year. They came through their group and they were up against Portglenone and Ahoghill. 

“(James) Loughrey is back with them and they’ve a few other boys back and Anthony McGrath has them well tuned and well primmed. It is going to be a big task for us.”

Aghagallon scored home and away wins over St Brigid’s in last season’s Championship and McGrath believes that those wins, coupled with a league defeat back in May places the burden of favouritism firmly on the shoulders of St Mary’s ahead of this weekend’s duel.

“They beat us in the league without their county players and it was a time when they weren’t really beating anyone else, so that was disappointing for us as a group,” stated McGrath.

“Looking at the way Aghagallon have progressed over the last few years and through the Championship, they are the most underrated team in Antrim.

“They beat Naomh Éanna in the last game when Naomh Éanna probably should have seen the game out. The quality that Aghagallon showed in the last quarter was very impressive.

“Aghagallon big players really stood up in the final quarter and underlines the phenomenal quality they have.

“They are a star-studded team and they’ve great talent all over the pitch and, on that basis, Aghagallon will be raging hot favourites.”

While Aghagallon qualified for the last eight having finished as runners-up to Lámh Dhearg in Group Three, St Brigid’s won Group Two, but only after recovering from a shocking 2-19 to 0-11 loss at Portglenone in their first Championship outing.

Yet, McGrath feels the defeat might have been something of a blessing in disguise and insists his side are enjoying their Championship journey.

“We lost badly to Portglenone in the first game. It was a dark night for us all to say the least,” added the Donegal native.

“There is no time for self-sympathy in this game. You win or you learn and we analysed our performance and that allowed us to grow and become stronger and I think we’ve done that.

“We are a very young team. A lot of the team are playing in their first senior Championship.

“The group are excited to be in the quarter-final and they are really fearless because of their age and we’d see that as a strength.

“We’ve had our ups and downs throughout the year, but we are enjoying the adventure and that’s what the Championship is for us.”

Aghagallon are expected to be close to full strength for Saturday’s tie with Antrim panellist Eunan Walsh expected to recover from a knock picked up in the second half of their last outing against Naomh Éanna.

St Brigid’s, in contrast, have a number of injury concerns and McGrath insists he will give his players as much time as possible to prove their fitness this week.

The return of former Antrim star James Loughrey has been a huge boost for the South Belfast men this season and he has added experience to the ranks and his input could be vital on Saturday.

It would be no great surprise to see Patrick Finnegan take on a man-marking role to try to curtail the influence of Walsh around the middle third of the pitch while Adam Loughran and Gareth Magee have been in great form for St Mary’s in attack.

Many of this St Brigid’s team have experience Championship success at U21 level and some of the older players were part of the Intermediate title-winning side of 2017.

Aghagallon have also plundered the same titles prior to establishing themselves at the senior grade. There is a feeling that St Mary’s just might be a step ahead of St Brigid’s in their development, but there is likely to be little separating the sides on Saturday afternoon.