OB Construction Antrim IFC final
St Teresa’s v All Saints, Ballymena (Toome, Saturday, 4pm)
 
OVER the past few years, there has been a trend in the Antrim Intermediate Football Championship where a beaten finalist goes onto claim the title in the following season, so Ballymena will be hoping to keep that going while St Teresa’s aim to buck the trend when they meet in Toome on Saturday.

Last year, All Saints - who had beaten Saturday’s opposition in the last four - came up short against Glenravel in the decider, just as Con Magee’s had done to Dunloy the previous year, so Liam Bradley’s outfit will be determined to go one better against the West Belfast side this week.

They will enter the game as favourites for many due to the fact they were not just operating in Division One this year, but secured a top-four finish.

Yet St Teresa’s have enjoyed a fine year of their own, narrowly missing out on promotion from Division Two with defeat at St Paul’s in their final fixture, but have regrouped in the Championship to remain undefeated in the group phase and then edged past Sarsfield’s it the last four as late points from Francis Dugan and Niall McCann, plus solid defensive play saw them home.

“That’s just sport - things can go either way,” team captain Darren McCann said of their league disappointment.

“We still had a bit of consistency and were quite fortunate with injuries as two or three in our squad could have a big impact, same as most clubs.”

Conor Stewart is a key figure for Ballymena
2Gallery

Conor Stewart is a key figure for Ballymena

McCann is one of many who were involved the last time St Teresa’s claimed Intermediate honours back in 2013.

That success came after an Ulster Junior final appearance in 2010 and their rise would bring them all the way to an Antrim Senior semi-final the following year.

They remained at the top level for a number of years, but player unavailability eventually saw them slide back down and Ito the second tier, but this year there is a sense that things have taken an upward turn once again.

“We had a couple of years at Senior and came back down, but we are in a good place,” McCann offered.

“This is probably the strongest we have been in a few years with a few lads returning from abroad, so we are feeling good about it.

“About 70 per cent were involved in some capacity (in 2013) and we are still plugging along.

“We got beat in a Senior semi-final a year or two after that by Cargin, but it’s still many of the same players still knocking about.

“We aren’t the largest squad compared to some around the county, but it’s still that core group.”

There is a bit of a feel-good factor around St Teresa’s as the U14s claimed an All-County title last week and their hurling contingent formed part of the Belfast Saints team that landed the Antrim Junior B title at the weekend.

“It was brilliant for those lads to win the Junior B and then myself and Anto coach the U14s who won the All-County Fr Mullan Shield against a strong Moneyglass team, so there is a buzz about the club going into the weekend,” McCann reports.

“That’s always good to have no matter what level.”

However, it will require more than good vibes to get over the line this weekend as they face a Ballymena side that is laced with quality and experience.

Kavan Keenan missed out in their semi-final win against St Paul’s, but even without one of Antrim’s stars of 2024, they had Conor Stewart, Paddy McAleer and veteran Sean McVeigh to help them see off the city side.

They have also had to recover from a setback int he competition having lost out to Sarsfield’s in the group phase, so subsequent games all had an extra element of jeopardy and they have held their nerve.

St Teresa’s are aware they have a challenge ahead, but it is one they are embracing.

“I wouldn’t say we are overconfident as we are conscious how good Ballymena are with a lot of county players, but are going in with belief,” McCann insists.

“Ballymena have been around the top of Division One this year, but when you get into a final, anything can happen. If we play our football, we know what we are capable of.”