Lidl Ladies National Football League Division 4A
Derry v Antrim (Sunday, 2pm, Celtic Park)
ANTRIM Ladies Football manager Emma Kelly admits their preparation has been far from ideal, but she believes her side will be ready to give a good account of themselves when they face Derry in Sunday’s League opener.
Following the sudden departure of former boss Dee McConville of Lámh Dhearg, Kelly was only confirmed as his replacement earlier this month and she wasted no time enlisting the help of former Down star Kyla Trainor to be the new head coach.
The pair swiftly arranged trials and drew up a panel of 33 players ahead of their Division 4A campaign.
On the eve of their first outing of 2021, Kelly has hailed the attitude and commitment of the squad.
“Once we heard the news regarding Dee (McConville), my phone went mad and the girls told me to put my name in for it,” stated Kelly.
“The county board got in touch and I got in touch with Kyla (Trainor) to get her on board.
“She has won an All-Ireland title with Down and she has done a lot of coaching in Down over the years.
“It has worked out well and we were lucky to get her before clubs started asking for her.
“We held trials for the squad and opened it up to everyone and we’d great numbers. We now have a squad of 33 and it is very competitive and it keeps everyone on their toes. It is probably the most competitive senior squad I’ve ever seen.
“We were only allowed games since last month and you can only play one challenge game in seven days so we’ve only managed to play one friendly (against Bredagh).
“You’d like another two or three games to give people the chance to show their hand and to get the set-up right, but the girls have been brilliant and they’ve really stepped up.”
Antrim face a real acid test on Sunday as they travel to Celtic Park to take on a Derry side they defeated in the Junior Championship back in November prior to losing the All-Ireland semi-final to Wicklow.
Despite conceding a goal after just 45 seconds, the Saffrons bounced back to record a 2-11 to 1-7 win in Augher thanks to goals in each half from Meabh McCurdy and Cathy Carey.
Antrim are also on the road next week against Louth before finishing their Division 4A campaign with a home tie against Leitrim at Davitt’s on Sunday, June 6.
As part of a host of new rules which will be trialled through the League, teams will be permitted to use unlimited subs.
Team captain Aislinn McFarland (left) and vice-captain Grainne McLaughlin (right)
Kelly knows getting off to a good start this weekend is crucial, but she says last November’s win over her native county will count for little when the sides clash in Derry City.
“We can’t turn up thinking we are going to win – that’s one way to guarantee you’ll lose,” said Kelly.
“We have to go and put in a performance. You now don’t have an idea of your starting 15 and your subs – you have a starting team and your finishers.
“Ideally, the first 15 burst themselves then we can bring in the finishers to see the game off. “That’s the perfect scenario, but everyone will be thinking that!
“It will be interesting to see how things work out with the unlimited subs. If things are going well, everyone should get some game time.
“We’ll see how things so against Derry. Louth will probably be the team who fancy themselves to get out of Division Four. If we can get a win this weekend, it will be the monkey off our back.”
Ahead of the new season, Antrim Ladies are also lending their support to Lidl Ireland’s campaign targeting period poverty.
They’ll forgo their traditional white shorts in favour of a new saffron and green kit while club and county players are able to avail of a new coupon scheme with the retailer to access free sanitary products each month.
“We are changing the colour of our shorts and it has been something I’ve been pushing for since I came into the Antrim set-up. I hate white shorts,” added the St Paul’s star.
“We’ve a lot of players, they are young girls turning into women and they get caught out.
“It is embarrassing for the player and the coaches. They shouldn’t have to wear white shorts so we are changing to green shorts.
“Lidl, who are the main sponsor of Ladies Football, are providing free sanity products for females at club and county level so it is one less thing for the players to worry about and it allows them to concentrate on the game.”
