Letirimv Antrim scoreline doesn’t tell the full story says Saffrons boss Andy McEntee

You’d have thought Antrim boss Andy McEntee would have been shouting from the rooftops after Sunday’s 3-18 to 2-12 victory over Leitrim in the Tailteann Cup. But the former Meath boss was the first to stress that the nine point winning margin in Corrigan Park wasn’t reflective of the game.

“The truth was that Leitrim were pretty much on top for large periods of that first half,” said McEntee after the game, “I know they got an early goal but they had numerous goal chances after that, Mick Byrne had a hell of a game for us and if another one or two of those goals had gone in! 

“People look at the scoreline but it doesn’t tell the full story in fairness. There was probably 25 minutes of it when it was really good in the second half but then the last ten minutes was really sloppy to tell you the truth.”

Moran can’t fault effort but searches for clinical Leitrim edge

One of those goal chances was Michael Byrne’s miraculous save to deny Darragh Rooney a certain goal in the first half and like many of us, McEntee couldn’t believe the ball didn’t end up in the net: “I just assumed it was in the net, there were so many bodies between me and him, I just couldn’t see it and then I thought maybe he kicked it wide but it was a hell of a save.”

The key for Antrim, according to their manager, was that he almost had a full deck to choose from for the first time in a long time: “There are a couple of guys who were probably not available to us as much as we would have liked during the League, they came back and got themselves in good condition. Even the subs who came on, Paddy McCormick made a big impression as well. .

“Dermot McAleese is nearly a new player for us, he unfortunately broke his jaw in the early League game against Down and that’s his first full game, he was very effective and he is one of the most experienced players we have. Paddy McBride offered a lot, young Ronan Boyle, that’s his first Senior game, I thought he had a pretty decent game too.”

The result sets up Antrim to make an impact in the Tailteann Cup and their manager is well aware of what the competition can do for counties like his and Leitrim: “Whether we can actually make hay or not is still up to be seen but what it is is a great opportunity for us to grow. 

“In the older situation, we’d be finished now and teams that you’d be trying to catch up on have another two months together and that’s where the gap gets wider, instead of getting closer. As far as we’re concerned, we want to go as far as we possibly can in this, get as much training as we can and play as many games as we can.”

€40,000 up for grabs for Leitrim GAA clubs through Kellogg’s GAA Cúl Camps on-pack competition

Like his Leitrim counterpart Andy Moran, McEntee admitted his surprise at Wexford’s draw with Fermanagh but stressed he knows from experience how tough Wexford can be when they get momentum: “The truth of the matter is that it would surprise you, it wasn’t the expected result but as I say, when Wexford get their teeth into it and a smell of it, they know how to battle, whether it is football or hurling, and they’re going to be hard to break down.

“There are never any guarantees but it means we go down the road in a good position. I’ve had enough experience with Wexford over the years with Meath to know that any time you go down there, you’re going to earn anything you get.”