15 June 2009
Faith justified – faith restored.
‘Bakers boys’ chalked up a milestone today, when they answered some pertinent questions about their true potential. For the faithful this truly was a day in the sun. After many months of sheer hard work, honest effort and sustained endeavour, Antrim found the courage, the stamina and the tenacity to upset the apple-cart; at last, and they won and deserve that long awaited and lasting respect.
Donegal, despite their pre-match comfort and confidence, emanating from a home venue Championship game against a virtually unrated Antrim side, are totally gutted tonight. Those quick to point out the wasted opportunity, brought about by wide after wide from Donegal may be expected to have little interest in giving due credit to the tenacity of Antrim’s’ relentless pressure from fired up defenders – a man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still.
Antrim senior footballers are in essence coming of age. Some of the displays of courage and conviction today have their roots in the months of hard work done under the leadership and direction of Liam Bradley and his dedicated back room team. No one can, nor should they try to take credit away from Antrim Senior Footballers today – they won because they deserved to win. A fourth Division side, on the way up, met a First division side, on the way down. The rest is history.
This historic victory was and is the tonic needed by a county team all too often cruelly ridiculed, vilified and ignored, even by its own. Antrim Senor Footballers needed this victory today. Antrim County needed this victory today. Ulster football needed this victory today. Most of all perhaps those long suffering and faithful supporters, who lived in hope of better days to come, needed this victory today. This win was sweet.
This is but another milestone and should only seen as such but, Antrim Senior football is now out of the wilderness. They should take great courage from such achievement. When next they go on to the field, against Cavan, they can be confident within themselves that they have what it takes to get respect. This nevertheless is a million miles away from either complacency or arrogance.
Baker has his feet flat on the ground; his focus is elsewhere, on higher things. He knew from outset that he had a pool of raw talent within Antrim. He brought with him ambition with inspired natural leadership and passion. Quickly and quietly he instilled discipline and earned respect. After levelling his panel to produce a team of equals, he set about the task of rebuilding senior football in Antrim. We are witnessing the fruits of that effort.
Encouragement and enthusiasm, from supporters, will ease the task for our panel players. They deserve respect and support for what they have achieved in the space of six months. Some of those individual efforts today were unprecedented for a very long time in Antrim senior football. It was such a team effort on the day that it would seem unfair to single out individual players but again perhaps it is equally unfair not to relive some of those indelible moments, of a match which will be the subject of discussion for many years to come.
It is perhaps time to consolidate rather than to celebrate. The next two weeks will see a renewed and more vigorous focus upon going back for another scalp and why not; today we proved that we have real talent and we have a real team working together. One look at that square jaw of Bakers and I was sure from outset that we had a real manager. If I have been dreaming then please don’t wake me up, because the dream gets better by the day. Anyone for happy pills – clearly they work!
Lawrence Smyth County PRO.
