The lowest ranked of the nine coming into the championship, Antrim missed out on promotion from Division Four in the league.
Much of that was to do with a horrendous start, losing their opening three games against Carlow, Tipperary and Longford, but a corner was turned by winning their remaining four games – how they must rue that slow start now.
Mark Doran is in his first season in charge of the Saffrons and felt the league came just a few weeks too soon for his squad which took a while to settle, while Patrick McBride stepped away after the defeat by Tipperary.
His influence and leadership will be missed on top of the two-point ability he displayed in last year’s Ulster SFC defeat by Armagh when the Saffrons led at the break against the then All-Ireland champions, and now it’s up to Adam Loughran, Ryan McQuillan, Dominic McEnhill, Niall Burns and Pat Shivers to lead the charge.
This year, they travel to Celtic Park on 18 April [17:00] to face a Derry side which seems to have rediscovered its mojo, but if Antrim need the inside track on the Oak Leafers, their manager ought to have that in spades having managed Slaughtneil last year.
They will go into that game as rank outsiders to end their wait for a first win in the Ulster SFC since 2014 but carry winning and will arrive in Derry with the pressure off their shoulders.
