There is no getting away with the size of the task Antrim face on Saturday as they seek to cause a monumental shock against Armagh.

The Saffrons will run onto the Corrigan Park field as 11-point underdogs against the All-Ireland champions, with few outside their camp giving them a chance of making a dent in the Orchardmen.

That has not detracted from the hype around this game, with the saga surrounding the venue making initial headlines and having ultimately been set for the 4000-capacity West Belfast venue, the scramble for tickets began.

Armagh fans will likely be in the majority but the supply has not come close to meeting demand. That was the argument for moving the game to Newry, but it also highlights the elephant in the room: Casement Park.

Early on Saturday, Gaels will march from Rossa Park to the derelict venue on Andersonstown Road to demand a resolution to this issue, which has left a gaping hole in not just the west of the city, but Antrim as a whole.

The majority of the current panel never got the opportunity to play an Ulster Championship game at Casement Park, including Marc Jordan who points out how much the ground is needed for days like Saturday to meet the demand of those who want to take in the game and also to inspire the next generation at a time when it is badly needed.

"I remember 'Russ' - Frank Fitzsimons - always talked about playing Tyrone in the '80s at Casement and all of these big games," said the Lámh Dhearg club man, a teacher at Christ the Redeemer.

"This is one of them you're going to be talking about, hopefully for the right reasons. 

"It's unusual for the All-Ireland champions to be coming to West Belfast. Kids in school have been chatting about the game, asking for their tickets, so that in itself proves the value of having the game in Belfast.

"We were right to dig our heels in (regarding the venue), but it's important now to go out and put a performance on to justify it.

"I played with (Armagh defender) Paddy Burns at Queen's and he was saying we're right in what we've done, but it's a real shame because you have 4,000 in Whiterock, but you could have 20,000 at Casement. It's a missed opportunity."

But this weekend, Corrigan Park is the place to be for supporters and players.

It's Antrim's home venue and also where Jordan last kicked a ball in anger when the Saffrons picked up the last of their League points in a 14-point win over Leitrim at the end of February.

After the game, Jordan felt unwell and that deteriorated to the extent that he required a trip to the hospital with chest pains - a visit that lasted four nights.

As it transpired, it was a viral infection which can put pressure on the heart muscle, but an MRI showed that everything was fine and rest was required to recover.

That meant he missed the rest of the Division Three campaign, which ultimately resulted in relegation as Antrim failed to get anything from their final three games.

Watching from the sidelines was tough in itself, but the scenario could have been a lot worse and having been given the all-clear, Jordan is back in training and hopes to be able to play some part this week. 

"I was just kind of given instructions to do nothing for six weeks, so it was very frustrating, although I think I would have been better off playing the Sligo game than watching because my blood pressure was through the roof," he said with a rueful smile of the game which effectively sealed their demotion.

"The cardiologist was an Antrim man from St Enda's, Dr Daniel MacElhatton, who was actually at the game and I got chatting to him, so he was happy enough to see me not playing.

"It's frustrating because you're thinking you could maybe be worth a point or two for the team. I suppose your boys like Peter Healy and Adam Loughran saying the same thing.

"It could be a lot worse and hopefully I can play some sort of part here on Saturday. It'd be nice just to get back on the pitch because at one stage I thought the season could have been done."

The League is certainly done and from an Antrim perspective, it is one that has had to be parked as they put the disappointment of relegation to the side to focus on what is a massive challenge ahead.

To mount a challenge, the glaring issue of inconsistency within games must be ironed out as any down periods will spell trouble against a team with an embarrassment of riches.

The tendency to switch off for 15-minute spells proved their downfall in Division Three, so the mission is clear this week.

Jordan accepts Antrim face the most uphill of battles, so it must all go to plan from start to finish or the inevitable will happen.

"We know that at times we can play really good football, especially going forward, but we know it's going to take a 70-minute performance to even have a bit of a chance," he acknowledged.

"Realistically, if we both play our best, Armagh will win the game - we're not stupid. We've been around the block long enough. 

"We need to play the best we've played in a long time, probably under Andy (McEntee, manager). Everything needs to go well for us and you just hope they have an off day - that's just being brutally honest.

"The challenge for us will be to try and keep it tight. Obviously, Armagh are putting up serious first halves,  beating Dublin by 13-14 points, so we know that they have the ability to do that.  For us, it's just a case of trying to be able to keep it as tight as possible and limit their scores."