15 July 2011
Tomorrow Antrim senior footballers play their 4th championship game of the year. Four games in the same season has only happened once before - two summers ago when largely the same squad, under the same management team, lost to Tyrone and Kerry having beaten Donegal and Cavan.
While the standard of opposition moves up three divisions from last week, the luck of the draw held to some extent with another home fixture.
We have not met Down often in the championship in recent seasons, the last was under the old 2 year cycles when we lost to them narrowly in The Marshes in 1999 and famously beat them in Casement in 2000 under thunderous skies and hailstones. That kicked off an Ulster Championship campaign which almost ended in Clones, had Anthony Tohill not pulled a point bound 45 from above the crossbar. Will we ever forget? Will we ever forgive??
There was a league game between Antrim and Down in the early part of the 2000s; if memory served the game was delayed while the larger than expected crowd was accommodated before the teams played out an entertaining draw. Earlier this year there was another draw in the McKenna Cup played under floodlights when each team dominated a half an outscored the other 9 points to 2.
Antrim have no reason to be fearful of tomorrow nights fixture, it has the potential to be a high scoring thriller with the result in the balance until late on, maybe even beyond 70 minutes. In Willie McSorley the Liam Bradley and Robert Fitzpatrick appear to have unearthed a real shot stopper, while at the other end of the field forward options are more plentiful and more fruitful than during the league.
Our team and squad can take an historic step tomorrow night and take the season even further, onto a Rd 4 showdown with All Ireland champions Cork.
As a supporter your part is tk make sure you are there to support them. Bring your colours, bring your friends and clubmates too.
It all starts at 7pm and patrons are advised to be there early.
Club Aontroma volunteers will be selling ballots for the half time draw at £2 each or 3 for £5. Match updates will be available at the Club Aontroma twitter feed.
Best of luck to the squad and management. Saffrons Abu!!
