THERE was no getting away from the reality that Antrim were second best at the Athletic Grounds on Saturday night, but manager Andy McEntee could still reflect on some 'what might have beens' at the final whistle.

By the time Antrim got anything going in attack, it was approaching the half-time whistle and the hosts were already eight to the good, yet that margin could have been a lot closer but for some poor wides and shot selection with the ball dropping into Ethan Rafferty's hands on several occasions.

For Antrim to have any chance of causing the shock on Saturday, their conversion rate had to be high, yet it was far from it and along with a number of unforced errors in possession, it was always going to be a difficult evening against a team that reached last year's All-Ireland quarter-final.

"We were slow to get going and weren't taking the chances that were presented to us," McEntee reflected. 

"At half-time, we counted 10 chances (missed) - four dropped short and six wides. You get half of those and it's a different situation."

But even with the slow start, Antrim were just six adrift at the break and while that may have flattered them a little, it was also far from game over if they could muster a head of steam from the restart.

They certainly improved, but not by enough to really put the hosts on the back foot as Armagh were able to keep the board ticking and also decimated the Antrim kick-out to make primary possession an issue.

"That was the message as we felt like we hadn't played," McEntee said of the half-time team talk.

"I think we did play a little bit better and were a little more adventurous in the second half, but we just didn't seem to go at them like we'd talked about. 

"You have to give Armagh credit for that as they don't allow you to. The pace they have and physicality they have probably told in the end."

Antrim found the net once, but that could as easily have been four times with Aghagallon's Ruairi McCann unfortunate to see a palmed effort just go the wrong side of the post and another stopped on the line, while Adam Loughran blazed wide from a great position.

"We certainly could have had three (more goals) that might have made the difference, but when we did get the goal, Armagh responded very quickly and strongly," the Antrim manager continued. 

It was certainly a learning curve for this Antrim team that had several Championship debutants.

Going up against a team that many consider contenders for silverware this summer will have given them a glimpse into what is required at that level; the pace and physicality a different world to Division Three football in winter.

"A lot of our fellas wouldn't be used to playing in that company, so it is a learning curve and an experience for them," said the Meath native.

"It mightn't have been the best experience in the world, but it's experience, so we just dust ourselves down and go again."

With their interest in the Ulster Championship now done, Antrim will now drop into the Tailteann Cup.

Last year's inaugural running of the second-tier competition began with many question marks as to whether teams would buy into it, but it proved a success and this year it will fully kick into life with four groups of four, with the top two, and in some cases, third team, advancing to the knockout phase.

It will benefit both McEntee and his squad to gel as they will get a decent run of games to continue their development and with at least two Division Two teams from this year involved, there will be decent tests along the way. 

"This (Tailteann Cup) was always a possibility and it's about getting as many games into this group of players as possible against the best opposition possible so they can get used to this sort of level," he stressed.

"I think we're guaranteed another three games, so we'll try to get the most out of them. We've played a few of them (potential opposition) already, so we know exactly what's ahead."