THREE years in, this is a big one for Andy McEntee and Antrim.
An Ulster Championship date with All-Ireland champions Armagh will bring plenty of eyes in April but, as ever, it is the earlier months of the year that will provide a better indication of where the Saffrons stand at this stage in the Meath man’s tenure.
And, for some of the difficulties faced, there has been improvement, and there has been greater stability in that time. It wasn’t so long ago that Antrim appeared in a perpetual battle to escape the League’s basement.
Since Enda McGinley led them to promotion in 2021, they have stayed put, steadily building under McEntee’s stewardship. Yet, when they look back, the Saffrons have been left with frustrations in both years – really encouraging results sometimes followed by below-par performances, preventing any real sense of momentum from gathering.
Last year they came flying out of the blocks with victories over Limerick and Offaly, only to be derailed by defeat to neighbours Down.
Antrim had been more than a match for the Mournemen in previous years and, just a few months on, would be left cursing their luck after narrowly losing out to Conor Laverty’s side at Pairc Esler in the Ulster Championship.
Following that League defeat came losses in Sligo and Clare, and at home to Westmeath. Marc Jordan is one of the more seasoned campaigners among the Saffron ranks now and admits lessons must be learned from the last few years if they are to properly progress.
“That was a real drain, losing that one,” he said of the League defeat to Down.
“When you get two wins you sort of know you’re not going to get relegated, so where losing was a sucker-punch, you nearly had the safety net of knowing you probably weren’t going to go down.”
Yet, in McEntee’s time, Antrim have also shown real glimpses of the promise they possess. Toppling Cavan in the penultimate round of the 2023 League remains a highlight, while in last year’s Tailteann Cup they came from seven points behind to beat Fermanagh by three at Brewster Park.
Yet, just as Meath pulled away in the previous year’s semi-final, so Laois came on strong after the Saffrons led by three with 25 minutes to go, two late goals helping the O’Moore men across the line.
“We were way behind against Fermanagh, so I don’t think it’s apprehension or anything like that… I think you just need that experience before you win those games.
“You nearly need to go through that, and hopefully we can take those lessons. It’s up to us now to go and do it, or we won’t move that step forward.”
And, while stalwarts like Declan Lynch and Paddy McAleer have retired from the inter-county scene, 2025 sees a fair bit of experience – and quality - return to the Antrim ranks.
Livewire Lamh Dhearg forward Ryan Murray missed last year after damaging his cruciate ligament, while towering forward Ruairi McCann was also absent for a large chunk due to injury.
It is hoped his Aghagallon club-mate Adam Loughran will return to the fold in the coming weeks, the availability of midfielder Conor Stewart is a major boost, while Cargin’s Conhuiir Johnston could have a big part to play.
However, Peter Healy will miss the early part of the League after breaking a bone in his foot, Colm McLarnon remains sidelined after suffering a cruciate injury during the club championship, with Creggan’s Ruairi McCann not involved this year.
“There’s not many boys going in and out - we’ve been fairly consistent in terms of the team over the last three or four years. The boys who are 32, 33 are staying around now, whereas in the past that might not have been the case,” said Jordan.
“We need those experienced boys available to us, that completely changes the dynamic of your team, changes the competition levels.
“Big Ruairi’s probably our most important player, Conor Stewart around the middle, Ryan Murray has 10-12 years county experience, Conhuir Johnston barely played last year.
“It’s a big boost having those boys available.”
As a primary school teacher at Christ the Redeemer in Dunmurry, Jordan knows better than most the long-term challenges the county faces in terms of sustaining interest in Gaelic Games, in the face of competition from so many other sports.
But signs of progress, and consistency on the field, he hopes, can slowly but surely help bring everybody along in the one direction.
“You have to be realistic.
“Over the course of the next couple of years, obviously we want to be pushing for that Division Two/top of Division Three level, and then you’re hoping your medium and long-term plan can start to come in.
“It’s a cultural thing, and it is a numbers game. We try our best in the school to try and make the kids play as much football as possible, but the areas they’re in, it’s soccer and if their mum or dad isn’t a member of a club, it’s very hard to encourage that child to get up and play.
“Then you see the difference elsewhere; I remember talking to Stevie O’Neill when he was up with us a few years ago, he’s out every single week at a different tournament in Tyrone. The exposure those kids are getting is just different.
“Maybe we need to be looking at the likes of Lurgan, see what has happened there, what has been put in place to drive that change, because Lurgan is absolutely thriving.
“Of course we want this Antrim team to push on as far as it can, and as much as possible, but it’s just as important to make sure the numbers are coming up behind.”
Fixtures (Division Three):
Sun Jan 26th: Clare (H) Corrigan Park, 1pm
Sun Feb 2nd: Fermanagh (A) Ederney, 2.30pm
Sun Feb 16th: Offaly (A), Tullamore, 2pm
Sat Feb 22nd: Leitrim (H) Corrigan Park, 2.30pm
Sat March 1st: Laois (A) Portlaoise, 5pm
Sun March 16th: Sligo (H) Corrigan Park, 2pm
Sun March 23rd: Kildare (A) Newbridge, 2pm
Ulster SFC quarter-final (April 12/13): Armagh (H)
2024 League results (Division Three):
Limerick 2-7 Antrim 2-14
Antrim 2-5 Offaly 1-7
Antrim 1-6 Down 1-15
Sligo 1-20 Antrim 1-13
Antrim 0-9 Westmeath 0-13
Clare 0-15 Antrim 0-12
Antrim 1-14 Wicklow 0-14
2024 Championship results:
Ulster SFC quarter-final: Down 0-13 Antrim 0-9
Tailteann Cup, Group Two:
Antrim 4-12 Tipperary 2-13
Wexford 0-17 Antrim 1-15
Sligo 0-20 Antrim 0-20
Tailteann Cup preliminary quarter-final: Antrim 3-11 London 2-10
Tailteann Cup quarter-final: Fermanagh 0-11 Antrim 1-11
Tailteann Cup semi-final: Laois 3-12 Antrim 1-13
Five-year record
2024: Division: Three; Points: 6; Position: 5th
2023: Division: Three; Points: 4; Position: 6th
2022: Division: Three; Points: 7; Position: 4th
2021: Division: Four North; Points: 6; Position: 1st of 4, promoted
2020: Division: Four; Points: 9; Position: 3rd
