Ulster SFC quarter-final: Down v Antrim
(Pairc Esler, Saturday, 6pm, live on BBC2)
 
THE opening weekend of the provincial football championships served up shocks aplenty, so will we see the early trend continue in Newry on Saturday when Antrim travel to face Down, or have the Mournemen been forewarned?

Last week, Wicklow stunned Westmeath in Leinster, Waterford took down Tipperary in Munster and Cavan ambushed Monaghan in Ulster - more than evidence to give the underdog Saffrons more then enough hope that should they get the performance right, then anything is possible.

Sure, the teams have met in Division Three fixtures over the past two years with Down stunning Antrim at the death at Pairc Esler last year, while they were much more dominant at Corrigan Park this term to win by nine and march onwards to promotion, while Antrim needed a final day win over Wicklow to beat the drop.

The form guide in 2024 suggests Down are a step ahead and they will enter the game as favourites, but if you’re only as good as your last game, then the Mournemen were well beaten by Westmeath in the Division Three final, while Antrim held their nerve to come through against Wicklow.

“If things hadn’t gone our way (against Wicklow) it would have been very difficult to get fellas to focus,” McEntee admitted as he turned his attention towards this week.

“We are a young team and you can’t expect anything to go up in a straight line. There are going to be dips, but going back to Division Four would have undermined a lot of work.

“They have been great, despite the lengthy injury list. The attitude was always great and the appetite for work was always great. 

"With the League behind us, we can just say ‘we have one game to play (against Down) and let’s see where it brings us’.”

Eunan Walsh, Cathal Hynds and Aghagallon’s Ruairi McCann returned for the Wicklow game, but the bad news is that McCann is out once again having undergone an operation on his appendix.

That is a major blow for McEntee and the Saffrons as his aerial presence is one they really could do with and missed when they faced Down in February.

The towering Pat Shivers was introduced late in the League encounter, but played around the middle. He is named on the Antrim bench but could yet find himself on the edge of the square to provide a presence and give the Saffrons a different dynamic.

There are a host of other injuries, but those who have stepped into the breach this year in their first taste of inter-county action have impressed the Antrim boss.

“With a full hand we are capable of good performances, but a lot of young fellas have come in," McEntee acknowledges.

"We had 12 newcomers to National League football throughout the campaign.

“Sport is not fair. You get kicked in the teeth more than you get slapped on the back. I tried not to talk about injuries as ultimately nobody gives a shit. One person’s injury is another’s opportunity.

“You look at (Wicklow) when Dermot (McAleese) goes off. You bring in young Conor Hand - that guy is an athlete. He came on against Offaly and didn’t last too long (as was sent off) but he is learning all the time. He came on and performed. When Wicklow put the squeeze on, he won three kick-outs.

“Then Ruairi McCann (Creggan), who has been a consistent seven or eight out of ten, gets injured and Eoin Hynds comes in and he had a smashing game.

“You’d like to think having come through the experience (of Wicklow) which was nervy enough, we’ll be stronger for it.”

The injury list certainly didn’t help Antrim’s cause in the League, and it was evident against Down as the lack of physical presence on the edge of the square meant they were left trying to break the lines.

Down quickly worked this out, cutting out space to play clever ball inside and it was left to Paddy McBride and Marc Jordan to attack from deep. Both are crucial to the Antrim cause, but this week they must vary the attack as doing the same thing as they did in the League will not deliver a different result.

Aghagallon's Ruairi McCann (left) is out of Saturday's game in Newry
2Gallery

Aghagallon's Ruairi McCann (left) is out of Saturday's game in Newry

Of course, the Mournemen can improve from the game at Corrigan as it was only in the final quarter, they pulled away having been wasteful in front of the posts.

Just what Saturday brings remains to be seen. Down’s form this year has been better than Antrim’s, but then the Saffrons perhaps have more room for improvement.

Their plan will be to stay in the game for as long as possible and be within striking distance of upsetting the odds down the stretch.

“You want your strongest hand so you can ask different questions on different areas,” McEntee admitted.

“The game last year was probably the game of the season. It was a really entertaining game with good scores at both ends.

“You wouldn’t say that about the game up in Corrigan. That was ugly enough at times but sometimes games take on their own meaning and everybody has a plan until they get punched on the nose.

“At the same time, with 15 minutes to go (in February) we were level and had a bit of momentum behind us, but ultimately, we just weren’t good enough.

“Down brought on a few guys who can play and have experience, whereas we weren’t strong enough in those 15 minutes.

“The challenge is to be right there with five or ten minutes to go and see where we are.”

DOWN: John O'Hare; Peter Fegan, Ryan McEvoy, Ceilum Doherty; Miceal Rooney, Pierce Laverty, Daniel Guinness; Jonny Flynn, Odhran Murdock; Shane Annett, Liam Kerr, Ryan Johnston; Oisin Savage, Pat Havern, Danny Magill.

ANTRIM: Mick Byrne; Ronan Boyle, Eunan Walsh, Kavan Keenan; Declan Lynch, Joseph Finnegan, Dermot McAleese; Cathal Hynds, Marc Jordan; Conor Hand, Patrick McBride, Eoin Hynds; Ryan McQuillan, Ruairí McCann (Creggan), Dominic McEnhill