Bank of Ireland Dr McKenna Cup, Group C
Armagh 2-20 Antrim 2-8

ANDY McEntee's first game in charge of Antrim did not quite go to plan as the Saffrons were outclassed by Armagh in Wednesday's Dr McKenna Cup opener at the Athletic Grounds.

A huge crowd poured into the venue and the home support in the overwhelming majority will have been delighted to see their side lay down a marker for the year ahead, but those who made the trip from Antrim will have hoped their team could have gotten a little closer to last year's All-Ireland quarter-finalists.

Of course, this game can be put into context with it being an effective pre-season affair and the new bainisteoir was able to give no fewer than 27 players game time.

Armagh would made 16 substitutions on the night, but they are a group further down the road and this told against Antrim who had a host of new faces on the field and some who have returned to the fold.

It will certainly take time for new boys to fully find their feet at this level and they were given a glimpse into what is required at this level by Kieran McGeeney's men.

"You can look at fellas in training all you like, but you don't know what they are like until you see them in the white heat of battle," said McEntee.

"I'd like to think we didn't see a true reflection of a lot of guys out there tonight as they didn't fully do themselves justice, but you are playing against a different quality of opposition and if there is a lesson to be learned, it's that if you don't show up against opposition like this, then you're in for a long night."

Patrick Mcbride gets past Kieran
2Gallery

Patrick Mcbride gets past Kieran

The hosts quickly began to take charge, probing and passing through the hands with the kick-pass finally unlocking the door for Tiernan Kelly to put them ahead.

After Shane McPartland doubled the lead, the hosts found the net on seven minutes as Aidan Nugent pounced on a mistake from Marc Jordan to poke into the path of Conor Turbitt who lifted over Mick Byrne to find the net.

Colm Duffin did get Antrim on the board with an 11th-minute mark, but the hosts were completely on top, decimating the Antrim kick-out as they owned the ball and the scores were flowing in quick succession with five unanswered in seven minutes.

A pointed mark from Dominic McEnhill stopped the rot for Antrim, but a Turbitt mark and Aidan Nugent's third free of the opening half extended the hosts' lead, while Jarlath Og Burns was denied his team's second goal by Byrne.

Antrim were struggling with McEntee beginning to ring the changes and they made a slight impact with Ryan Murray converting a free before Niall McConville converted a mark at the other end to ensure all six of Armagh's starting forwards were on the board as they carried a 1-10 to 0-4 lead into the break.

Armagh would make 12 changes at the break and although McEnhill kicked an early mark for Antrim, the Orchard men kept their foot on the gas with one of the three starters still on the field, Barry McCambridge, responding before Justin Kieran raised white and Cian McConville kicked the first of his three second-half scores.

Armagh's second goal came on 43 minutes with Joe Sheridan passing up the option of a mark, spinning Paddy Mervyn and railing the net via the post.

Antrim were also availing of the unlimited substitutions at this point with one of the second-half replacements, Odhran Eastwood in for the first of his goals on 49 minutes as Pat Shivers played a good ball into Patrick Finnegan who in turn found the Naomh Éanna man to finish.

McEnhill was on target with a pair of frees to bring his tally to five for the night, while Eastwood bagged his second major after Finnegan's initial effort came back off the crossbar, but Armagh kept the board ticking with late scores through Niall McConville and Stefan Campbell putting a final gloss on the board in what was a good night for hosts, but a disappointing one for Antrim who will hope for an improved display against Cavan on Sunday.

ARMAGH: E Rafferty; P Burns, A Forker, R Ó Finn; C O'Neill (0-1), B McCambridge (0-1), J Óg Burns; N Grimley, S Sheridan; E Woods (0-1), A Nugent (0-3 frees), T Kelly (0-1); C Turbitt (1-2, 0-1m), N McConville (0-2, 1m), S McPartland (0-1).
Subs: S Magill for E Rafferty (HT), L Rice for P Burns (HT), P McGrane for A Forker (HT), N Smyth (0-1) for C O'Neill (HT), C Cumiskey for J Óg Burns (HT), T McCormack for N Grimley (HT), S Campbell (0-1) for C Turbitt (HT), C Higgens for S Sheridan (HT), C McConville (0-3), for R Ó Finn (HT), J Sheridan (1-1) for E Woods (HT), J Hall (0-1) for A Nugent (HT), J Kieran (0-1) for T Kelly (HT), K Doyle for S McPartland (55), C Grimley for N McConville (55), O Conarty for B McCambridge (55), N McConville for C McConville (63)

ANTRIM: M Byrne; P McBride, C Hynds, P Mervyn; D McAleese (0-1), J Finnegan, R Boyle; J Dowling, O Lenehan; M Jordan, C Duffin (0-1m), C Stewart; R Murray (0-1f), K Small, D McEnhill (0-5, 4f, 1m)
Subs: P Finnegan for M Jordan (29), E McCabe for R Boyle (29), S McGarry for J Dowling (33), P Shivers for K Small (45), O Eastwood (2-0) for R Murray (45), P McCormick for C Stewart (45), J McAuley for P Mervyn (45), B McCormick for J Finnegan (55), S O'Neill for D McAleese (55), C Higgins for C Duffin (55), R Hanna for M Byrne (60), C McGirr for C Hunds (60)

REFEREE: Barry McMenamin (Cavan)