ANTRIM manager Lenny Harbinson says that his side will try to tap into the positivity that is surrounding Antrim GAA at the moment when they face Louth on Saturday night.
Recognising recent victories for the U20 footballing and senior hurling sides, Harbinson said: “There is a wee bit of momentum in Antrim at the moment, the U20’s have done quite well against Derry and Louth; the hurlers had a magnificent win against Offaly at the weekend too. We are mindful from a football perspective that we want to be performing to the best of our ability too.”
When asked if these wins can help boost his side’s chances against Louth, the Antrim boss replied: “It doesn’t directly help us how other teams are doing, but it is the feel good factor within the county that a lot of teams are doing well. You try and tap into that positivity and hope that from a senior footballing point of view, we can tap in to and build on this momentum.”
Harbinson also revealed that Antrim have a few injury concerns ahead of the clash against Louth in the first qualifying round of the All-Ireland.
“We are carrying a few knocks and have been over the last number of weeks. We have a few concerns. The likes of big Marty Johnston for example would be one of the guys who wasn’t able to feature against Tyrone and wont be able to feature against Louth.
“From a defensive point of view, Patrick Finnegan is another person who will likely be out. We have a few other knocks and we probably won’t be picking a team until Thursday or Friday morning at the earliest.”
Antrim and Louth are both coming off the back of bruising defeats in their respective provincial Championships.
Lenny Harbinson is looking forward to an opportunity to bounce back from Antrim’s defeat at the hands of Tyrone by securing a victory over Louth in the Gaelic Grounds in Drogheda.
Harbinson told the Irish News: “I think Louth will be coming at this match in a similar way to ourselves. Both teams are coming from tough defeats against very formidable opponents in Dublin and Tyrone respectively.
“It’s an opportunity for both teams to try and get back on track by getting a win. I suppose that is the way we are looking at it and Louth will be looking at it from a similar point of view.”
For Harbinson, Saturday evening’s game is the perfect chance to pick his side up following their Ulster Championship exit.
He said: “No matter what game you lose, be it a league match or a championship match, you always want to get back in as quick as you can to try and get the next result from a positive point of view. That is the way we will be approaching it.”
