30 December 2010
As the year end approaches it is timely to reflect on what progress was made with our county teams in 2010, and cast an early eye on what might come our way next year.
In football Antrim got off to a winning start, although that McKenna Cup opening round win over Derry seems a long time ago now. In the national league there were some fantastic performances, culminating in the demolition of Louth which effectively sealed a second successive promotion. Going from Division 4 to 2 in two seasons was a genuine achievement and something that offers a foundation for the forthcoming Allianz Division 2 campaign.
The momentum dipped in the Division 3 league final and wasn't really resurrected during the three championship matches. The best championship performance overall was the draw away to Kildare, and unfortunately we didn't build on that in the replay a week later.
Dinny Cahill's second stint in charge of the hurlers got off to a poor start in the Walsh Cup, and didn't get any real momentum up in the national hurling league. But the season also included perhaps the three or four best championship performances of recent years in wins over Dublin and Carlow, a draw against Offally and the spirited defeat to Cork. Throw the Ulster title into the bargain and all in all it was a strong performance. Our hurlers unearted a new competitive streak and a desire to battle for victories which augurs well for 2011.
The fixture calendar already has a few enticing entries particularly in home Allianz Football League Div 2 matches at home to Kildare, Meath, Sligo and Derry. You can imagine the 'stand full' sign going up early those days. Our hurling Div 2 campaign will include visits from Clare, Limerick and Carlow - plenty to savour.
Have a happy, and a saffron coloured, new year.
Brendan Mulgrew
