27 August 2012
The Baker almost got the perfect recipie
So, farwell Liam ‘Baker’ Bradley. After 4 transformative seasons the Derry native turned saffron has decided that he has brought the Antrim football team as far as he can, and that the time has come to step down. It is an appropriate time to reflect on what has been achieved during his term.
Before an Antrim player had kicked ball competitively Bradley was telling them all, and anyone else who would listen, that they were among the best players in the country, far too good for Division 4. This was largely the same panel which had missed out on promotion the previous season; some wondered if a crazy man had come into our midst. But when promotion was secured with a win against Sligo, people began to take notice.
That year – 2009 – is now firmly lodged in Saffron folklore as the players threw off their mental shackles and went all the way to the Ulster final. After losing to Tyrone, Antrim travelled to Tullamore, apparently without a hope, and scared the daylights out of Kerry, before going down by 4 points.
For me the following season’s league campaign provided some of the best football Antrim have played in recent memory. Travelling to Cavan on a freezing cold Saturday night – fully expecting a win, and the team obliging in style, was a new concept for Antrim fans. That successful campaign also saw wins over Fermanagh, Sligo (again) and the night of champagne football against Louth.
Although that championship summer ended without a win, there was a tremendous battling draw away to Kildare, to tide us over.
Division 2 in 2011 was difficult and Bradley was severely hampered by the non-availability of key players through exams, withdrawals, suspensions and injury. Only the win against Meath stood out in a campaign of demoralising defeats. However over the last two Championships Antrim finally became a team which was competitive in the Qualifiers, chalking up 4 wins, most memorably against Galway this summer.
The list of teams we beat during the Bradley era is impressive: Donegal, Cavan, Derry, Armagh, Meath, Sligo and Galway. There were days when the defeats were hard to take, like this year’s home loss to Wexford in the league and perhaps most frustratingly of all the defeat to Tipperary when a trip to Croke Park for an All Ireland quarter final was on the Antrim radar.
Some people may level what they view as justifiable criticisms; the team had become too negative, too inflexible to adapt to inter game dynamics; we didn’t get the best out of our best players at times. That’s fine, but only those among us who have managed at that level can appreciate the depth of work, planning and commitment involved.
For 4 years Bradley was saffron to the core. No one could ever doubt his commitment to our cause, not even for a second. He took as much delight out of our victories than any Antrim follower, and he quickly came to appreciate the deep desire for success among Antrim football people. He earned respect of the players and opposition, and the affection of the fans. No-one of will forget the reaction to the Clones semi-final over Cavan win in 2009, and those who were there will always remember the atmosphere at the pre Ulster final dinner in the Wellington Park Hotel. Halcyon days, and I think we can genuinely say they wouldn’t have happened without the man they call The Baker.
So thanks Liam, good luck and, wherever you end up in the future, Go dté tú slán.
Brendan Mulgrew
Antrim PRO
