Leitrim's promotion hopes suffer major blow as impressive Antrim dent Division 4 campaign

Leitrim’s dreams of launching a push for promotion from Division 4 of the Allianz League suffered a sickening blow in Heartland Credit Union Pairc Sean Mac Diarmada as an impressive Antrim bossed the crunch encounter to run out convincing eight point winners in difficult conditions.

With the wind and rain a major factor in the game, Antrim’s decision to play with the wind in the first half looked ill-advised as they led 1-11 to 1-3 at the break, a breakaway Paul Honeyman goal on the stroke of halftime infusing the Leitrim with hope for the second half.

With Barry McNulty joining the fray for the second half, Leitrim would have been confident of pushing on but Antrim punctured those hopes in ruthless fashion, holding onto possession for long spells and landing five points in the opening ten minutes of the second half.

Suddenly Leitrim had a 13 point deficit to overcome and given the way Antrim were controlling possession and winning the crucial battle for possession in the middle of the park, it appeared as if the Saffrons were on course for a big win.

Two pointers from Ben Guckian, Honeyman and McNulty (free) got Leitrim dreaming again but when Paddy McAleer blasted home a second Antrim goal on 55 minutes, the writing was on the wall for Steven Poacher’s men, the Saffrons managing 1-9 to Leitrim’s 12 points against the wind.

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Truth be told, Antrim were well worth their win and the only mystery is how they hadn’t won a game in the Division 4 campaign up to this - their physical power saw them negate Leitrim’s strength and their running ability and clever passing drained time off the clock in the second half, time Leitrim desperately needed.

It wasn’t that Leitrim hit a lot of wides - just one in the first half, two weak shots at goal in the second and a thunderous shot from close range from Gavin Reynolds with five minutes to go that cracked off the crossbar, a goal that would have reduced the deficit to seven points and might have sparked a late surge.

Barry McNulty also had a goal chance saved by keeper John McNabb but to think Leitrim were denied would be clutching at straws - every time Leitrim managed a surge in scoring, Antrim responded and even in the closing stages after they lost the impressive Joseph Finnegan to a straight red card, they hit two points to Leitrim’s three, seeing out the game with a degree of unexpected comfort.

Antrim had all the early pressure, the game going ten minutes without a score as the Saffrons hit four wides in that period despite playing with the strong wind and driving rain behind them, and the feeling it might be Leitrim’s day was magnified when Mark Diffely scoring a superb swerving two pointer from the left wing.

But Antrim suddenly found their scoring boots with Dominic McEnhill responding with a monster two point almost immediately. The wind took a good Riordan O’Rourke shot wide after an intricate Leitrim move and despite another wide, Antrim went in front when eoghan McCabe pointed on 15 minutes.

Another Antrim wide proved costly for Leitrim as the visitors turned over the resulting kickout and McEnhill sent his second two-pointer between the sticks. Still at this stage, Leitrim would have felt reasons for optimism as they trailed by just three points against the strong wind.

That all changed 19 minutes in - Antrim put together a good move, the ball going through a couple of hands before Cormac Hand’s clever finish from close range found the net for the game’s first goal.

The long ball proved effective too as a high ball into the Leitrim area came back to Pat Shivers for a point while keeper John McNabb joined the attack to great effective, lobbing a huge two pointer from the left sideline, well outside the 40 metre line, over the Letirim crossbar.

A rocking Leitrim needed something and from the kickout, the ball broke to Keith Keegan who released Paul Honeyman for a fine point on the run but Antrim were in control, Eunan Walsh and Joseph Finnegan both adding points, McEnhill the provider in both cases.

Leitrim players stand for a moment's silence to the late Patsy Prior, Seamus Lavin, Tommy McCartin, Mickey O'Donnell and Paddy Seymour before Sunday's game Picture: Stefan Hoare

Sean O’Neill got on the end of a move involving Shivers and McEnhill but he lifted his goal chance high over the bar, admittedly under pressure from Letirim’s defence in added time.

That pressure proved vital as Leitrim hit a crucial blow just before the break, Fergal McLoughlin doing extremely well to keep the ball in play along the sideline.

Antrim protested the ball was out but the Fenagh man found Honeyman who bore down on goal, his shot deflecting fortuitously off an Antrim defender for a much needed Leitrim goal, leaving the halftime score at 1-11 to 1-3 for Leitrim.

Barry McNulty was sprung off the bench at halftime, replacing Oisin McLoughlin, but it was Antrim, against the wind, who dominated possession. Conor Reynolds was penalised for touching on the ground, McEnhill converted before a Conor Quinn foul on Hand saw McNabb hit his second two pointer from the resulting free.

Quinn had a sniff of a goal after Eoin McLoughlin did really well to not breach the halfway line, poking the ball to Fergal McLoughlin whose long delivery broke for the Mohill but a tame shot was easily gathered by McNabb.

A foul on a raiding Marc Jordan and another on Eoghan McCabe allowed McEnhill added two more frees as Antrim led by 13 points ten minutes into the second half.

Leitrim started a fightback thanks to two pointers - Ben Guckian and Paul Honeyman both hit accurately from outside the arch while a free brought forward allowed McNulty hit a two from a free, cutting the gap back to seven points and raising hope of a final quarter surge.

But just as hope was flowing, Antrim struck for a second goal, Ryan McQuillan doing very well to hold onto the ball as it threatened to get away from him and set up Paddy McAleer for a composed, close range finish to the Leitrim net.

That sucked the life out of the Leitrim supporter in Pairc Sean and Killian Gaffey did well to stop a Shivers goal chance three minutes later. At the other end, Barry McNulty created his own goal chance, outpacing two defenders from the wing but McNabb made a good save with his feet on 59 minutes.

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Ryan McQuillan landed a good point after patient Antrim play, McNulty responded with a huge two pointer but Antrim always had a response, McEnhill collecting a return from a short free to punch over.

Leitrim had one final goal chance with five minutes to go when a long ball broke to sub Gavin Reynolds but the St Mary’s man lifted his shot too high, the ball cannoning off the crossbar with sub Jack Kelly firing over a point.

Antrim had a late worry when Joseph Finnegan received a straight red card after a collision with McNulty as both jostled ahead of a Leitrim free, McNulty converting the resulting two point free.

With four minutes of added time, Antrim were more or less safe with Ryan McQuillan adding two late points as the visitors broke in response to one from Barry McNulty, the Saffrons celebrating a much needed victory as Leitrim’s promotion hopes took a hit.

LEITRIM

Scorers: Barry McNulty 0-7, 7f; Paul Honeyman 1-3, 1 tp; Mark Diffley (tp) & Ben Guckian (tp) 0-2 each; Jack Kelly 0-1

Team: Killian Gaffey, Eoin McLoughlin, Kieran Clancy, Conor Reynolds, Michael McKiernan, Mark Diffley, Eanna McNamara, Conor Quinn, Keith Keegan; Fergal McLoughlin, Riordan O’Rourke, Oisin McLoughlin; Ben Guckian, Ryan O’Rourke, Paul Honeyman. Subs: Barry McNulty for O. McLoughlin (HT); Tom Prior for F. McLoughlin (43); Gavin Reynolds for McKiernan (51); Sean Harkin for C Reynolds (58); Jack Kelly for Honeyman (64)

ANTRIM

Scorers: Dominic McEnhill 0-8, 2 tp, 3f; John McNabb 0-4, 4f; Ryan McQuillan 0-3; Paddy McAleer & Conor Hand 1-0 each; Sean O’Neill, Eoghan McCabe, Joseph Finnegan, Pat Shivers & Eunan Walsh 0-1 each

Team: John McNabb, Sean O’Neill, Joseph Finnegan, Kavan Keenan, Eoghan McCabe, Ronan Boyle, Marc Jordan, Paddy McAleer, John Morgan, Conor Hand, Pat Shivers, Eunan Walsh, Ryan McQuillan, Adam Loughran, Dominic McEnhill. Subs: Ryan Murray for Loughran (61); Cathal Hyndes for Boyle (62); Tiernan McCormack for E Walsh (68); James McAuley for Keenan (73)

Referee: Patrick Clarke (Cavan)