DERRY WIN OVER SLUGGISH ANTRIM

IN the All-Ireland second round qualifier at Casement, it was a lacklustre Derry side which managed to secure a three-point victory over an equally lacklustre Antrim.

The game, which held lots of potential to entertain, failed to come up with the goods for the 10,000 strong crowd on Saturday in Casement Park.

The final result, Derry 0-10 Antrim 0-7, was a culmination of a game riddled with yellow card offences, missed chances and bad tempered interruptive fouling.

The game started sluggishly and only gained momentum with a short burst of energy leading into half time. Antrim’s Peter McCann managed to secure two points over the bar, but still left the team dragging 0-4 to Derry’s 0-5 at half time. Although Derry were put in the lead at this juncture, manager Eamon Coleman must be worried about the calibre of his team’s point taking. Eight first-half wides represent serious missed chances particularly as they now progress into the third round where every point counts.

The second half started lively, and Derry increased their lead with points from Gavin Diamond and Jonathan Diblock. Johnny McBride played a good and aggressive game throughout but managed to get himself a red card in the 59th minute, following two prior yellow card offences. Despite being one man down the Derry side continued to dominate. The last ten minutes of the game saw Antrim push through the Derry defence and Anthony Tohill’s height to bang two more points over the bar. Derry held out and their reward came as the final whistle blew on a game that was sure to give players and managers much food for thought. (AMcE)