A NEW chapter in Antrim football begins at the Athletic Grounds this evening (Wednesday, 7.30pm) as Andy McEntee presides over his first competitive fixture when the Saffrons face Armagh in Group C of the Dr McKenna Cup.

The sides will meet again in the Ulster Senior Football Championship and although this game will bear little resemblance to the summer rematch, it is nonetheless a chance for the Meath man to get a proper look at the players he has at his disposal for this game and then again on Sunday at home to Cavan.

Likewise, this is also an opportunity for the players to impress the new boss and put their hand up for the National League campaign that begins at the end of January with a clean slate for all.

Antrim have been back training a while but were unable to play any games due to a GAA decree so all are keen to get started and attacker Ryan Murray says he and his teammates would like to get off on the right foot with such a big year ahead.

“Everyone has been tipping away doing their own stuff when the club season ended but now we are back collectively training and getting ready for the McKenna Cup and National League,” the Lámh Dhearg clubman reported.

“There’s a whole new freshness about the team and the panel with Andy in. He’s getting used to us and we’re getting to know him. The panel is in place apart from the Cargin ones.

“Anything that’s happened before is essentially out the window. There’s a new manager in who is going to have his own style and it’s up to all of us as players to put our foot forward.

“At the minute you are getting your strength and conditioning up in training sessions, but when it comes to the McKenna Cup it will be the first time Andy gets to see us in competitive action.

“That’s not a lot of time for him to get to know us all before the National League starts. That’s of massive importance for us every year but maybe more so this time because you have the All-Ireland/Tailteann Cup (split) now.”

That split means that promotion from Division Three is crucial if Antrim are to have any chance of being part of the race for Sam Maguire with the 16-16 split dependent on either reaching a provincial final or being one of the best-ranked teams on league position.

With the Connacht Championship draw seeing one of Sligo, London, Leitrim or New York guaranteed a place in the final, that effectively takes one best league position place away and therefore promotion may still see Antrim left in the Tailteann Cup.

However, for the county to progress, playing at a higher level is vital and whatever of the Championship ramifications, moving up into the second tier is Antrim’s key goal for 2023.

“The main thing for us has been league and climbing up through the divisions,” Murray added.

“You are only going to get better and progress when you play teams at a higher level consistently, whereas in Division Four we usually won the majority of our matches and then lost out to the bigger teams who were getting promoted.

“If we look back at last season, we probably won more games than we lost but it was considered a terrible season, whereas in Division Two or Three, you’re playing teams each week where you know there will be a couple of points in it and it can top either way.

“If you look at results in those divisions, teams are all beating each other so our aim is to get promoted into Division Two and keep working our way up through the tiers.”

That promotion push will not be easy with some very decent opposition in Division Three including 2022 Tailteann Cup winners Westmeath, plus Ulster rivals Cavan, Down and Fermanagh.

It promises to be a challenging campaign but that is what Antrim want and should they manage to get enough results, it would represent a major achievement.

But first is the McKenna Cup and this evening's opener to an Armagh side that made it to an All-Ireland quarter-final in the summer, only to lose out to eventual All-Ireland finalists Galway on a penalty shootout.

Both teams will be keen to open the new year on the front foot as well as unearthing fresh talent, so it ought to be a very decent test for both as they aim to put themselves in place for a semi-final berth that will help build momentum ahead of the League.

“This is the big opportunity to get a starting place for the National League,” Murray acknowledged.

“The years gone by where I played McKenna Cup, the boys have always loved playing in it as they are good, competitive games leading into the National League.

“When the colleges were in it and I was at Queen’s, I always enjoyed the opportunity to play against county teams and even my own county as it’s another way for players to put their foot forward to get onto a county panel, so it’s a put they aren’t involved in the competition anymore.”