Eirgrid Ulster U20 Football Championship: Fermanagh v Antrim                            (Friday, 8pm, Brewster Park, live on PáircTV) 

WHILE provincial victories at senior level continue to elude Antrim, the Saffrons will be hoping for better luck at the U20 grade when they take on Fermanagh at Brewster Park on Friday night. 

Enda McGinley’s senior squad failed to pull off an upset in the Athletic Grounds on Sunday and, despite an encouraging first half display, fell to a 13-point defeat to Kieran McGeeney’s side. 

Antrim were massive outsiders in the Cathedral City, but their U20 team have greater expectations. 

Indeed, Hugh McGettigan’s side made huge strides in the grade last season and caused a massive shock when they defeated a high-rated Derry side in their provincial opener at the Dub last February. 

Antrim then suffered a narrow two-point loss to Tyrone in the Ulster semi-final in horrendous conditions in Lavey with the Red Hands going on to win Ulster before narrowly losing out to Dublin in the All-Ireland semi-final. 

While only a handful of players remain from last year’s squad, they look set to play a major role in Friday’s clash with Fermanagh. 

Conor Stewart has been the find of the season for Antrim and was a Man-of-the-Match contender in his first senior start as the Saffrons began their season with a win over Louth. 

The Ballymena clubman played alongside Niall McKeever at midfield in his senior Championship debut last Sunday. 

Stewart picked up a knock in the early stages of the Armagh game, but is expected to be fit to play against Fermanagh. 

Goalkeeper Luke Mulholland also made his senior Championship debut against the Orchard County and the Aghagallon clubman’s restarts will be key against Fermanagh.

Cargin’s Pat Shivers was the star of last year’s U20 side and he earned a call up to the senior squad on the back of his performances for the U20s as well as his club side. 

Despite boosting a strong panel, McGettigan admitted that preparations for Friday night’s game in Enniskillen have been far from ideal. 

“The squad we have developed, we’ve actually never seen them all together. It is a bit of a jigsaw puzzle – we’ve never seen them all in one place,” said McGettigan. 

“It is just the way things have worked out. It has been a tremendously difficult season for everybody. 

“We had started back just before Christmas with trails and we had 80 or so lads – we’d a great interest. 

“Then Covid-19 hit and, basically, we didn’t start again until very late in the season. At that stage, you were right in the middle of club football. 

“We play reserve football on a Friday night, club football on Sundays and Wednesday so can imagine how difficult it is to get a squad assembled on the field. 

“Yes, on paper, it looks like a nice squad, some of them have played minor before.  “The reality is it is a jigsaw puzzle.” 

He added: “Pat (Shivers) has his county medal with Cargin and he was a strong player for us last year. 

“He has been hit by a couple of niggles this year. It was touch and go for him to make the senior 26-man squad this year, but he is a great prospect and a good lad.” 

Pat Shivers helped Antrim U20 defeat Derry last season and will be a key player for Hugh McGettigan’s side
2Gallery

Pat Shivers helped Antrim U20 defeat Derry last season and will be a key player for Hugh McGettigan’s side

Another top prospect for the U20s is St John’s ace Conal Bohill, who is also on the U20 and senior hurling squad. 

Indeed, Bohill lined out for the Antrim U20’s during Tuesday night’s Leinster U20 Hurling Championship clash against Laois in Navan. 

However, had Bohill played for the seniors in their recent Leinster SHC defeat to Dublin, he wouldn’t be permitted to play for the U20s 

As with all dual players, getting the right balance between various commitments is vital and McGettigan has been in touch with senior hurling manager Darren Gleeson regarding Bohill’s availability. 

“Darren Gleeson has been very fair since he has come in and he is very aware that Conal (Bohill) should be playing at his own grade,” said McGettigan. 

“We’ve had a couple of conversations and, obviously he is pushing hard to try and get his place on the senior hurling team and he has done very well.

“Darren has been very good and allowed us to have him on the squad - he is a great talent.” 

While his players may be busy juggling commitments, McGettigan himself hasn’t exactly been taking it easy since retiring from teaching at St Mary’s CBGS on the Glen Road. 

He is currently managing his native Rossa, something he claims “ruined his retirement plans” and the structure of his year’s season means competitions are overlapping. 

McGettigan also says he has “traditional views” and reiterated his belief that the underage football was better served at U21 and U18 rather than U20 and U17. 

“Last season worked well because we had January, February and March for the U20 season, then you had the club season,” added McGettigan. 

“This time, you are going seven days a week, it isn’t the way forward.  “I still think it should be U21 – having the grade at U21 allows you to get a good squad together who have the potential to step up to senior level. 

“You aren’t running across MacRory Cup football and the likes. The Derry squad, for example, will be running across what St Pat’s Maghera and St Mary’s Magherafelt are doing. 

“If you go to U21, you take away that problem. My view is that U18 and U21 makes it easier to make the step up. 

“U17 to U20 is a big step and U20 to senior is an even bigger step. I know we’ve a couple of U20 players on the senior panel, but that’s the exception rather than the rule. 

“At U21, I think it is an easy step, an easier route – guys are more developed and a bit more mature. 

“I’ve traditional views, but the people making these decisions need to talk to managers at the coalface to see what’s happening.” 

McGettigan feels that making the step to senior is easier from U21, but he’ll still be hoping to help pave the path to the senior set-up for some of his current U20 squad. 

Mulholland and Stewart already tasted senior football this season while Shivers looks certain to make his senior bow next season. 

“The aim is to get as many of these players into the senior set-up with Enda (McGinley), Stephen (O’Neill) and Sean Kelly,” said the Rossa clubman. 

“From last year’s squad, we sent up around 10 from the U20 squad. Some of them, made their breakthrough this year, some are still on the squad and some just haven’t made that step up yet. 

“Basically, that’s our aim this year, to push another group of players up to them who have played at a good level and competed with the Derrys and Tyrones and had no fear against these teams. 

“We’ve had Stephen (O’Neill) in for a session and he believes that the link is very important. 

“Obviously, he has areas he wants to improve on and it is up to us to point him in the right direction. 

“They (the senior football management) see the benefit of U20 football and they want to know as possible about the players we have. 

“The work they have done with Conor (Stewart) has helped him along the road. 

“The ways things worked out with Mick McCann getting injured, he was put in there and has become a very good inter-county player in his first year. They are playing Division Four, but it is a good start.” 

Fermanagh will provide a stern test for the Saffrons on Friday night and will be looking to make the most of home advantage. 

They are also backboned by a host of 2019 Hogan Cup winners from St Michael’s Enniskillen including Ronan McHugh, Josh Horan and Justin McDade while Antrim goalkeeper Mulholland played on the St Ronan’s Lurgan team who annexed the Hogan Cup a year earlier in 2018. 

Josh Largo-Ellis has already graduated to Ryan McMenamin’s senior squad and scored a point during last Saturday’s Ulster SFC defeat to Monaghan in Clones. 

The Ulster Senior Football Championship may have been littered with one-sided affairs thus far, but the U20 equivalent looks set to throw up some fascinating battles and Antrim’s experience from last year’s campaign may just give them the edge over Fermanagh on Friday night.