Although football’s new rules were intended to produce open, expansive games, conditions at Corrigan Park on Sunday had a greater say as Antrim slogged it out against Clare to get their Division 3 campaign off to a winning start.
With heavy wind and rain sheeting across the field throughout, this game came down to who could make the fewer mistakes as executing the basic skills became a lottery with slipping, sliding and fumbling the order of the day, but it was the hosts who managed to find a way.
It was far from pretty, but Antrim found a way and much of it came down to a fine start which saw them hit 1-4, but just as important was the number of turnovers and blocks they made throughout the game, which was always going to be a massive factor in such conditions.
“It was horrendous conditions and a chance of it being called off at one stage it was that bad,” Antrim manager, Andy McEntee admitted.
“You wouldn’t learn too much from the new rules out there today apart from the fact both sets of players were fairly disciplined.
“On a day like that it’s not about the amount of sexy points or goals you get, it’s about how many blocks, turnovers of times you get the dirty ball.
“There wasn’t much in it and they (Clare) were pretty honest out here today as well, but I thought our lads were particularly honest.”
Antrim made a blistering start with early scores from Conor Hand and Fionn Nagle before Hand saw a shot from deep hop up and over for the first and last two-pointer of the game.
Better was to come as Paddy McBride broke in on goal and played the ball inside which Nagle tapped to the net to set the hosts on their way.
Clare were in danger of getting overrun but got a real break with ten minutes gone as Ciarán Downes shaped for a point, but the ball seemed to be taken by a strong gust of wind and dipped into the net.
Emmett McManus kicked a free for the Banner, but it was their last score of the half as Antrim made the better of grim conditions with Conor Stewart, Ryan Murray and McBride kicking points to put them 1-7 to 1-1 up at the break.
Unsurprisingly, it was the visitors on the front foot into the second-half as the conditions seemed to deteriorate further and they did begin to carve out opportunities with Seán McAllister seeing a shot tipped out for a 45, but Clare worked it short and this became a feature as they were reluctant to shoot from too deep.
However, points from Ciarán Downes, Aaron Griffin and Emmett McMahon had them to within three with 20 to play.
Antrim were getting into advanced positions, but were unable to work any scores although they would receive a big break with ten minutes to go as Clare were penalised for only having two players in the opposite half and a 13-metre free was slotted over by McBride with Conor Stewart then thumping over a beauty straight after.
That put five between them and gave Clare a mountain to climb but after McNamara pulled one back, a dropping free broke to substitute Cormac Murray and he managed to get a shot up and over.
Try as they might, Clare just couldn’t find an equalising goal as a late raid came to nothing as Antrim managed to do enough to get over the line.
“First-half, we struggled to get into the game and took wrong options at times, but second-half we fought with fierce heart,” said a disappointed Clare manager Peter Keane.
“We really went about it in very difficult conditions and how they went at it, I’d be proud.
“If you are against the wind, you could be beaten by half-time, but in fairness to the boys, they weren’t as they kept battling and got stuck in, so I’d praise them for that second-half. We had chances we just didn’t take and could have come out of here with something.”
Scorers – Antrim: F Nagle 1-1; C Hand 0-3 (1 2p), C Stewart 0-2, P McBride 0-2 (1f), R Murray 0-1. Clare: C Downes 1-1, E McMahon 0-2 (1f), A Griffin 0-1, B McNamara 0-1, C Murray 0-1.
Antrim: M Byrne 7; J Morgan 7, E Walsh 7, K Keenan 7; R Boyle 6, J Finnegan 7, D McAleese 6; C Stewart 8, C Hand 7; P Finnegan 6, M Jordan 8, P McBride 8; R Murray 6, F Nagle 6, D McEnhill 6. Subs: R McQuillan 6 for D McEnhill (23), P Ferris 6 for K Keenan (60), N Burns for R McQuillan (70).
Clare: É Tubridy 7; M Doherty 7, C Brennan 7, C Rouine 7; I Ugweru 7, F Kelliher 8, A Sweeney 6; B McNamara 7, S McAllister 7; E Cleary 6, E McMahon 7, D Walsh 6; C Downes 7, A Griffin 6, K Sexton 6. Subs: G Murray 6 for S McAllister (55), C Murray 7 for A Griffin (65), S Griffin for C Rouine (70), D Burns for E Cleary (70).
Referee: K Faloon (Armagh).