Ulster SFC Quarter-Final: Armagh v Antrim
(Athletic Grounds, Sunday, 3.30pm, Live on BBC2)
FEW away venues in Ulster have been happy hunting grounds for Antrim in recent times, but at least their captain and their top scorer have fond memories of the Athletic Grounds.
Antrim travel to Armagh for Sunday’s Ulster Senior Football Championship quarter-final seeking a first win in the provincial series since their dramatic 2-18 to 3-13 win over Fermanagh in Brewster Park in 2014.
With Casement Park still awaiting planning approval, Antrim have been on the road in Ulster since 2013’s loss to Monaghan and they used the Athletic Grounds in 2019 as their ‘home’ when they were drawn out first against Tyrone with the Red Hands claiming a 2-23 to 2-9 win.
Antrim’s Peter Healy didn’t play against Tyrone that year as he’d taken time away from county set-up to focus on his studies at UCD and his 2018 club season ran into 2019.
Naomh Éanna annexed the Antrim and Ulster Intermediate titles in 2018 and reached the All-Ireland decider in Croke Park in February of 2019 before coming up short against an excellent Kilcummin outfit from Kerry.
Healy knew his spell away from the Antrim set-up was only ever going to be brief and he was back for last year’s campaign, one which was overshadowed by the Covid-19 pandemic.
With the Saffrons under a new management team of Enda McGinley, Stephen O’Neill and Sean Kelly, Healy was chosen as the Antrim senior football captain for 2021 and has already led his team to promotion from Division Four.
He’ll lead Antrim out on Sunday at the same venue where his Naomh Éanna side defeated Tattyreagh (Tyrone) and Mullahoran (Cavan) in their provincial semi-final and final respectively in 2018.
Antrim’s top marksman Odhran Eastwood and defender James McAuley were also key members of that team with McAuley captaining the side to the provincial title.
Healy, who also won a Sigerson Cup medal with UCD in 2018, says it is a huge honour for himself and his club to captain the county side.
“Yeah, we’ve good memories of playing in the Athletic Grounds and hopefully we’ll have some more after Sunday,” stated Healy.
“It is brilliant (to be named captain), it isn’t something that is very common in our club.
“I remember when I started playing senior football, St Enda’s were down in Division Three in Antrim and we weren’t up to much.
“It is brilliant for the club now we are up in Division One. We’ve two lads (Joe Maskey and Niall O’Connor) on the hurling team and three on the football team.
“It put down a marker for the club. It is where we want to be. Everyone is delighted and everyone is behind us so it is good.”
Healy in action for Naomh Éanna against Tattyreagh in the 2018 Ulster Club Intermediate semi-final at the Athletic Grounds
While last year’s League campaign resulted in a disappointing third-placed finish, Antrim’s Championship performance against Cavan offered a glimpse of hope that the 2021 campaign could see the Saffrons unleash their potential.
With a harrowing 25-point loss to Wicklow still fresh in their minds, Antrim were, somewhat understandably, written off for their Ulster SFC quarter-final clash against Cavan in Breffni Park last November.
Mickey Graham’s side had just pulled off the first shock of the delayed Championship by beating Monaghan in extra-time in a thriller in Clones.
However, Antrim proved more than a match for the Breffnimen and, had Paddy Gallagher found the net from a promising position early in the second half, the outcome may have been different.
The 0-13 to 0-9 loss marked the end of Lenny Harbinson’s tenure, but Healy believes that display should give Antrim encouragement for Sunday’s clash, even though he concedes Armagh are another step up in class from Cavan.
“Coming into the Cavan game, we’d parked the League and we went out and gave it a good crack,” said Healy.
“We were set up well. In the second half, we had plenty of chances to get over the line. It was really frustrating.
“For me, that was the closest I’d came to winning an Ulster Championship game in my four or five years in the team.
“Going into the Armagh game - they are in the top tier, they are brilliant.
“Going into the Cavan game last year, they were in Division Three (after being relegated).
“That was encouraging for us, they weren’t that far ahead of us.
“Armagh are up there (in Division One), they stayed there and they looked comfortable there.”
“Going into the Armagh game - they are in the top tier, they are brilliant. Going into the Cavan game last year, they were in Division Three (after being relegated). That was encouraging for us, they weren’t that far ahead of us”
Antrim’s last competitive encounter with the Orchard County came in an ill-tempered Division Three clash in the Athletic Grounds in 2017.
CJ McGourty missed a late penalty for the Saffrons with the hosts claiming a 1-12 to 0-13 win.
A round seven draw with Longford at Corrigan Park confirmed Antrim’s relegation to Division Four.
They remained in the bottom tier for four long seasons before securing their return to Division Three with a 1-15 to 0-11 win over Waterford in Dungarvan on Sunday, June 13.
On the same afternoon, Armagh retained their Division One status with a comprehensive 1-17 to 0-11 defeat of Roscommon.
Armagh failed to gain promotion in 2017 following their win over Antrim as Michael Quinlivan completed his hat-trick deep in injury time to give Tipperary a 3-8 to 0-16 win over the Orchard County on the final day of the League.
Kieran McGeeney’s men did manage to seal promotion to Division Two in 2018 and, last season, they moved in Division One along with Roscommon.
The trajectory of both counties may have gone in the opposite direction since that League battle in 2017, but Healy hopes Antrim can close the gap to the likes of Armagh sooner rather than later.
“We played them four years ago in Division Three. We missed a penalty with a few minutes to go to go two or three points up and we lost the game,” reflected the Antrim skipper.
“Since then, we went one direction and they went the other direction and they’ve stayed there.
“We can play some good football as well and we can be good at the back when we want to so hopefully we can put it altogether for a good performance and go down to the Athletic Grounds and cause them some problems.
“We know the task we are heading into and hopefully we can give a good account of ourselves.
“It is knockout football. As far as our squad goes, it is as strong as it was four years ago against them, maybe even stronger in terms of the young lads coming through.”
Peter Healy says Antrim must travel to Armagh with belief on Sunday
At 24 years of age, Healy can still count himself as one of the younger members of the squad and, in the absence of experienced campaigners Mick McCann and Mark Sweeney, a number of players of stepped up to the mark with Ballymena’s Conor Stewart impressing in his debut season.
Healy’s clubmate Eastwood has been Antrim’s top scorer this season while St Gall’s clubman Eoghan McCabe made his first senior start against Waterford and didn’t look out of place alongside Healy and Ricky Johnston in the full-back line.
Sunday’s game will be much tougher test for the Saffrons and Armagh are overwhelming favourites to progress to a semi-final meeting with the winners of Saturday’s quarter-final clash between Monaghan and Fermanagh at Clones.
Cavan’s provincial win following relegation to Division Three last season proves that League and Championship success doesn’t always go hand-in-hand.
Yet, Healy believes that exposure to better quality teams will stand to Antrim in the future and he is relieved to have secured promotion from the basement division.
“For the last three years, there is no hiding behind it, it is disappointing being stuck in Division Four,” said Healy.
“We can’t go from Division Four and give the Ulster Championship a crack - the Ulster Championship is what it is. It is one of the most competitive out there.
“For us, the stepping stones are getting out of Division Four, giving Division Three a good crack and get a solid base there for two or three years. Then we can give the Championship a crack.
“At the start of this year we said, we’d have four game to get out of Division Four and we’ve accomplished that goal. Now, we are glad it is in the rear-view mirror.”
Having already tasted success with his club and his college, Healy has now captained Antrim to promotion from Division Four in his first year as skipper. He now has his sights set on improving Antrim’s fortunes in the Championship arena, starting with Sundays’ Ulster SFC duel with the Orchard County.
