Antrim beaten by Wexford in Leinster SHC opener
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Belfast Telegraph
4 hours ago
- Belfast Telegraph
My boys did County Antrim proud, says Gary Chisholm after ‘rollercoaster' Final win against Armagh
The Antrim players emulated some famous names of the recent past who have gone on to earn senior international caps after winning the tournament with their county. Trai Hume, Brodie Spencer, Dale Taylor and Ross McCausland were involved in triumphs back in 2017 and 2018, and now Antrim are champions again after a 2-1 win over County Armagh. Michael Mulholland and Jordan Bradley Camlin hit the Antrim goals before Alfie Davidson gave Armagh hope – and Antrim a scare – but a first defeat of the week confined the Orchard County boys to the runners-up spot. 'It was an emotional roller-coaster,' said Chisholm. 'Three years we have been doing this and every year we have given everything to the squad in front of us, and this year, the squad has given us what we were looking for and made Co Antrim proud. 'I am so pleased to get over the line. We've been beaten in the Semi-Final, beaten in the Final, now here we are, we've won the Final, so I'm very pleased. We know what this squad is capable of and I think they've proved it.' Davidson had a goal ruled out for offside midway through the first-half, as did Antrim's Fionbharr Stiobhard, who had only been on the pitch a matter of seconds, at the start of the second-half. Antrim did, however, build on that momentum, and Stiobhard was involved again when they took the lead nine minutes after the break. His super through ball found Mulholland and he showed the finishing prowess that has attracted a host of big-name clubs as he shot across the goalkeeper and into the net. Armagh tried to respond and Eoghan Mallon sent a shot over the bar. Just nine minutes after the first goal, however, Antrim tightened their grip on the game when the ball was squared across the six-yard box and Bradley Camlin finished. Armagh still had something to give, though. Ethan Connolly's heavy touch allowed the ball to get away from him in a good shooting position just a couple of minutes before Davidson headed home at a corner with nine minutes to go. But they just couldn't muster up an equaliser to send the game to extra-time. Third place went to St Patrick's Athletic after a dominant 5-2 win over Celtic. Bohemians beat Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 to win the Globe, Blackburn Rovers were 4-1 winners against County Down in the Vase Final while Crewe Alexandra took the Bowl, winning 4-1 against Charlton Athletic. Kieran O'Connor's joy as son Keegan tees up a piece of Cliftonville history in Minor triumph The kid named after a famous golfer showed all the calmness and composure of a top pro on the 18th green at a Major Championship to deliver SuperCup NI Minor glory for Cliftonville. Keegan O'Connor's thunderous penalty kick, which looked all the more impressive as the ball crashed off the underside of the crossbar, midway through the second-half gave the Reds a 1-0 win over Linfield. Blues goalkeeper Jonas Henderson had been the hero in the Semi-Final, making the only save in a 7-6 shoot-out win over Blackburn Rovers. There was nothing he could do to stop the strike by O'Connor, whose name is taken from American golf star Keegan Bradley, or in the incident that led to the penalty as he was already committed to going for the ball before colliding with Aidan Green. Given that Cliftonville had also reached the Final by virtue of a shoot-out win in the last-four, it was perhaps inevitable that a penalty would decide the destination of the trophy, particularly as a tight and tense game progressed. 'Heart and desire won that game,' said Cliftonville coach Kieran O'Connor. 'Aidan Green showed his heart and desire just to get onto the ball to win the penalty and a fantastic finish from Mr Composure in front of goal, Keegan O'Connor, wins the Cup. 'We've made history for our club as the first Cliftonville team to win the SuperCup.' While Keegan was nerveless when put on the spot, his coach too had full belief that he would deliver – and few know him better as Kieran, who played for Cliftonville in the Irish League, is also his father. 'It's difficult because Keegan is my son, but I have every faith in him. He is very cool and calm and collected when it comes to those areas,' said Kieran. 'He has shown all week, he's got five goals this week so he has a good eye for goal.' The SuperCup NI Third/Fourth place Play-Off was won by Shamrock Rovers, defeating Blackburn Rovers 4-2. Leeds United won the Globe decider with a 2-0 win over Coleraine, while Loughgall were victorious in the Vase decider, beating Al Jazira Club 3-0. The Bowl was won by Ross County as they won 3-2 against IDA Bermuda.
Belfast Telegraph
3 days ago
- Belfast Telegraph
Deadline nears in Antrim's search for McEntee successor
When Meath man Andy McEntee stepped down from the position earlier in the year, Antrim officials knew they faced into a difficult situation. With the county having been relegated to Division Four of the Allianz League along with Leitrim, there is a strong feeling within the county that it will take a huge effort if the team are to regain their status. In the Allianz League earlier this year, Antrim lost five of their seven games and won only two. But the fact McEntee was forced to do without a ration of experienced players certainly did not help the team's cause. Conor Stewart, Adam Loughran, Ryan Murray, Peter Healy and Conhuir Johnston were among absentees, some of them for protracted spells. McEntee had hoped to see the team turn the corner but difficult circumstances rendered his task more trying than had been anticipated. Yet the timing of the closing date for applications for the managerial post could in one sense scarcely be more appropriate. The opening matches in the Antrim Senior Football Championship are due to take place over the course of this week-end starting on Friday, and while unlikely the appointment will be made by then, potential candidates will have an opportunity to run their eye over the current consignment of talent within the county should they choose to do so. If, as expected, a greater array of players is available for the 2026 season, there is the possibility of a bid for promotion. Antrim county board officials are keen to see a new manager in situ and the aim is the appointee will surround himself with a strong backroom team that could hopefully play a part in attaining some level of progress next year.
BBC News
3 days ago
- BBC News
Larne 'need to keep the ball better'
Larne defender Tomas Cosgrove says the Irish Premiership side "need to keep the ball better" in Thursday's Uefa Conference League second qualifying round second leg against Prishtina in east Antrim side were held to a goalless draw in the first leg of their tie at Ballymena Showgrounds last week."It was a weird game. We did well for 65 minutes and were disappointed we didn't score a few goals," said Cosgrove. "We ended up with 0-0 and we were happy about it because we really hung on towards the end."It's a massive game on Thursday night. We know what we did right in the game and we know what we did wrong so we'll try to address that."Cosgrove believes Nathan Rooney's side must dictate the pace of the game more in the second leg."They are a good team. They are at the same stage of the season as us but they kept the ball really well."We need to keep the ball a bit more, have a bit more belief. "I think we were trying to force it and go for goal every time rather than recycling the ball and slowing the game down to our tempo."The ex-Cliftonville player was part of both Irish Premiership title-winning squads with the Invermen in 2023 and 2024 and says that Rooney's arrival has brought a fresh approach."It's a new era at the club, new ideas. Kenny [Bruce. former owner] is away as well. "Nathan brings in a lot of enthusiasm, he's really keen on the job. "He brings a lot of energy into the building every day. We're all getting a big boost from it."Whoever comes through the tie between Portuguese club CD Santa Clara and Croatian outfit NK Varazdin will be awaiting the winners.
