21 June 2013
Antrim hurlers take to the road (again) this weekend for the preliminary round of the All Ireland hurling qualifiers, away to Wexford. We got here following a win over Westmeath and a defeat to Laois which manager Kevin Ryan describes as a ‘flat, disappointing performance.’
The manager is convinced that the players have the ability to put that performance behind them and he insists that Antrim are travelling to Wexford in a determined mood.
“To be honest if we were playing any of the teams which were in the draw at home, I would be very confident that we could have seen any of them off. But, that’s the hand we are dealt and the lads have prepared very hard for this game. We have a very strong core group of players and none of them can be faulted in any way for the way they approached this season and this game.”
Since the Laois defeat the O’Moore men gave Galway an almighty scare last weekend. Does that put our performance against them in a new light?
“No, not at all. Our performance against Laois was down to us, not to the opposition. We should have put more scores on the board early on and in the second half we didn’t find the spark to ignite our performance. That was down to us and it is something we want to correct this weekend.
We played Wexford in the league this season, got off to a good start and ended up losing fairly heavily. Does that game have any bearing on tomorrow’s clash?
“I don’t think so. It’s a new game, we both have relatively new teams since then and the context is different too. We have had a break from playing county for a while, they are coming off two tough games. The championship is different from league anyhow so this is a new game.”
So, the big question, can Antrim fans travel to the game with confidence?
“Absolutely, the fans can be confident that they will see a performance from the team and that we will be competitive throughout the game. That’s the level we all want Antrim to be at and to be honest, we are heading down there fully aware of the scale of the challenge and ready to give Wexford a game. The attitude is positive, the preparation has been excellent. Antrim are ready.”
