Tailteann Cup round one Leitrim 2-14 Antrim 1-12
JUST as this game got underway in Carrick-on-Shannon, the footballers of Cavan and Down were also getting underway, less than an hour down the road at Kingspan Breffni. That all-Ulster clash, where Cavan were overwhelming favourites at the start of the week and somehow were backed into an even shorter price, proved that in the Tailteann Cup, teams can enter with very different levels of motivation.
Some people might look at this result and suggest that a similar dynamic was at play, but the reason for Leitrim’s five-point win here was much simpler than that – Antrim travelled with the intention of redeeming their Championship season after a dismal showing in the Ulster championship, but they left their shooting boots at home.
Twelves wides, five shots dropped short and a handful of missed goal chances said it all, and it was no surprise that Enda McGinley’s reaction to the game centred on those opportunities that went astray.
“Coming off the Cavan defeat, you’re trying to get belief going again in training, you’re trying to get it going again in meetings, so it’ll be there out on the pitch when it counts” said the former Tyrone star.
“So those misses, instead of being little boosts when they go onto the scoreboard, they were little punches to the gut”.
In general play, Antrim were extremely competitive. Their attempt to push up on the Leitrim kickout was risky, and twice the home side failed to convert when Brendan Flynn’s long restart overshot midfield and was picked up by Jack Heslin to set up a goal chance.
Still, at 0-3 to 0-2 after 10 minutes and 0-5 to 0-3 behind coming up the 20-minute mark, they were in the game.
Then a long, hopeful ball into the square was flicked to the net by Shane Moran. Antrim’s shooting really fell off a cliff after that with five wides in the next 15 minutes, and by half-time it was 1-9 to 0-4 and the Saffrons had a mountain to climb.
A quickfire 1-1 early in the second half, the goal coming from Heslin, pushed the Leitrim lead out to double figures and realistically, there was no way back.
Antrim continued to enjoy plenty of possession and a final quarter goal from Peter Healy, allied to a series of excellent points from Pat Shivers, reduced the deficit but never looked like changing the result.
While McGinley described the mood in the dressing room as “gutted”, he said that he was unsure of how his players were likely to react after their disappointing Ulster Championship clash with Cavan.
“We were certainly worried to a degree, because while training was good, you’re starting without a lot of experienced players. We were down to 22 fit players, maybe six or seven changes from the team in the middle of the league, that’s always going to leave you stretched," he said.
“It was very much hope, rather than a firm belief of knowing we were ready, but that’s likely to be the nature of most teams coming into the Tailteann Cup, and then you’re hoping to get a win the first day and then get bit of momentum.
“Unfortunately we’re out the door before that has happened”.
Leitrim: B Flynn; P Maguire, M Diffley, C Reynolds; D Flynn, J Rooney, D Bruen (0-1); P Dolan (0-1), S Moran (1-0); C McGloin (0-1), K Beirne (0-6, 0-2 frees, 0-1 mark), J Heslin (1-1); E Sweeney (0-1), D Wrynn (0-1 mark), R O’Rourke.
Subs: J Reynolds (0-1) for McGloin (37), E Mulligan for O’Rourke (47), M Plunkett (0-1) for Heslin (53), C Farrell for Flynn (59), D Rooney for Sweeney (67).
Yellow ards: Bruen (21), Moran (43), Diffley (67), Mulligan (70+1).
Antrim: M Byrne; E McCabe, P Healy (1-1), P McCormick; M Jordan, D Lynch, D McAleese (0-2); K Small, C Stewart; P McBride (0-1), R Murray, P McAleer; J Gribbon (0-1), P Shivers (0-4), O Eastwood (0-1).
Subs: R McCann (0-2, frees) for Jordan (h-t), J Laverty for Small (h-t), B McCormick for P McCormick (47), C Murray for Gribbon (47), E Hynds for Eastwood (58).
Yellow cards: Shivers (61 & 70), Laverty (70+1).
Black card: Stewart (42).
Red card: Shivers (70+2).
Referee: B Cassidy (Derry)
