Antrim may be in the eye of a storm in relation to their Ulster Senior Football Championship Quarter-Final tie against Armagh next month but this will certainly not deflect their attention from Sunday’s vital Allianz Football League meeting with Sligo at Corrigan Park, Belfast (2.00pm).
With the visitors having captured only one point from four Division Three outings the spectre of relegation is looming large although the Saffrons, too, still have some concerns in this regard as they have only pocketed four points from five matches.
It’s little wonder then that Sunday’s clash has created considerable interest given that at the outset of the competition both teams had been making it clear that they are keen to move up in the world.
Armagh 2002 All-Ireland winner and Crossmaglen Rangers legend Tony McEntee is in his fifth year as Sligo manager but has experienced only disappointment to date this term as his team have found difficulty in slipping into a smooth gear. Their erratic performances have caused a sense of frustration and now with just two games in the League to go the Yeats County side are anxious to make up lost ground.
Antrim are similarly focused on atoning for earlier setbacks in the league although manager Andy McEntee, has been forced to do without the services of some key players just as he was obliged to do last year.
The fact that some of the more familiar faces are back on duty is a source of encouragement to their manager and he is particularly keen to see his side move into top gear early against Sligo.
“The fact that we have home advantage is a boost but we are not reading too deeply into that. We know that we need a win here to ensure that we protect our status for next year,” points out the Antrim boss.
Patrick McBride, Marc Jordan, Dominic McEnhill, Ruairi McCann and Dermot McAleese are key players in the Antrim side who can fire their colleagues up and help their team sustain pressure when they get into their stride.
But Sligo, despite their recent dismal track record, are not short on talent. In Nathan Mullen, Paddy O’Connor, Niall Murphy and Canice Mulligan they have solid players who are capable of rising to the occasion.