31 January 2014
So, the National Football League is here and Antrim travel to take on Leitrim in what Liam Bradley regards as one of the toughest fixtures in the Division 4 campaign. Last summer when Leitrim were beaten by a history making London team in the Connaught championship they looked to be at a low ebb, and an Antrim team fresh from two successive wins in the McKenna Cup group stages could have been regarded as favourites for the opening two points up for grabs.
However in the last few weeks Leitrim have stepped up to win the FBD league, the Connaught equivalent of the Mckenna Cup, beating Galway and Roscommon in the process. Whatever the merits of these pre-season competitions we know how delighted we would have been to have made similar progress in the McKenna Cup.
So Leitrim will not be short of confidence, something returning manager Liam Bradley was keen to emphasise.
“This could be the toughest of all the league games and the fact that it is away from home makes it that wee bit harder too. Their tails will be up and they will be looking to start with a win against us. But we are ready and we want to get off to a good start. We are unlucky in that we have a few injuries already but we have to cope with that. Training has been very positive, the attitude across the group is top class and we will travel in search of two important points. It’s the start of a new campaign and we have every faith in the boys taking the field and in the strength of our squad.
“Our ambition this year in the league is to win promotion, nothing less.”
