Antrim ladies ready for business with 

Casement clash against Carlow.

Kevin Herron,

Antrim ladies PRO

   For Antrim’s successful All-Ireland winning ladies football team it must seem like only yesterday they climbed the steps of Croke Park to lift the All-Ireland junior football championship after beating Louth 3-09-0-07 in the 2012 decider. Since then the ladies have enjoyed their success, and were honoured last week with a civic reception in Belfast City Hall. But this week its business as usual as they embark on what they will hope to be a successful 2013 campaign in the division four football league.

   Last season Antrim’s ladies managed to win only one of their five league fixtures, with two draws and two defeats. Although it may not have been a successful league campaign, they certainly pushed on winning the Ulster title and the All-Ireland junior championship. This year however Antrim will look to push on from their success in headquarters, and will be pushing for a spot in the play-offs come the end of the league campaign.

   The opening league game this season sees Antrim take on Leinster side Carlow, in a game that had plenty of action the last time they met in the league last season. On that occasion the sides shared seven goals as Carlow ran out 5-03-2-09 winners. Antrim will be hoping to turn the tables this time round, with home advantage at Casement Park. Ahead of the clash on Sunday Antrim manager Brian Coyle gave us his hopes for the season ahead: “After last year’s poor performance in the league we’re targeting the league this year and hopefully if results go our way we will be hoping to get ourselves into division three. And also have a good run in the intermediate championship”.

   Coyle believes that a good run in the league will put them in good stead for the Intermediate championship and a clash with Fermanagh: “we play Fermanagh in  the intermediate championship later this year, so the better we do in the league the better the bond will be for the team for having a run at the intermediate championship. But our main priority this year is getting out of division four, and hopefully with so many home games we will hopefully get out of division four in the first attempt”.