By Shaun Casey

RIGHT from the very start of the season, when Chris Scullion and Micheal Devlin met up with the Antrim ladies team, they outlined their intentions to reach the latter stages of the Division Four league and they’ve done just that.

Not only did the Saffrons qualify for the league final and guarantee themselves a spot in Division Three for next year, but they did so by winning all seven of their games, finishing top of the table, and beating Leitrim in the semi-final.

Antrim rattled the net five times against their Connacht foes, continuing their fine goal-scoring form, on their way to a 5-8 to 3-10 triumph. Skipper Bronagh Devlin kicked 2-3, while Ana Mulholland, Lara Dahunsi and Nicole Jones also raised green flags.

They have been the in-form team in Division Four this season and head into Sunday’s National League final against Fermanagh at Clones with plenty of momentum behind them, but they won’t be taking anything for granted.

While you could place plenty of praise at the door of Scullion and Devlin for the run Antrim have been on, they insist it is all about the players and how they have bought into their plans right from the very first day.

“At the beginning of the season, we set a clear target of being in the mix at the end of the league,” said Glenavy native Scullion, who took over at the start of the year alongside fellow joint-manager Devlin.

“We believed that we had the squad capable of competing extremely well at this level. It was really about how well we could integrate as a team and how we could get our playing philosophy across to the team.

“But credit to the players, they have been committed, they have put in the hard work, and are always striving to improve. They absolutely deserve to be here on merit, and their promotion is well earned.”

Having already beaten Fermanagh when the two sides locked horns earlier in the league, Antrim will be the favourites to claim the title on Sunday but Scullion is quick to rubbish any notion that it will be in any way straight forward.

When the sides met in round four of the league, at Tempo Maguire’s GAA grounds, one point was all that separated the sides at the end. It was Antrim who came out on the right end of the result, winning 3-10 to 3-9.

An injury time point from Theresa Mellon was the difference between the counties during the six-goal thriller and Antrim haven’t looked back, winning the remainder of their matches. Likewise, Fermanagh have experienced a winning streak of five games on the bounce.

CJ McGourty’s Fermanagh ladies are the reigning All-Ireland Junior champions having climbed the steps of the Hogan Stand last summer, beating Louth in the final, so Scullion and his side are well aware of the quality they will face this weekend at St Tiernach’s Park.

“Fermanagh are an excellent team. While they have been missing a few from their All-Ireland winning squad, they still have some incredibly experienced and talented players,” added Scullion of the challenge posed by the Erne County.

“Our last encounter with them was a game of two halves. In the first half, we had the upper hand, but as we anticipated, Fermanagh came out strong in the second half and pushed us all the way to the final minute.

“It was only a last minute point that got us the win, it was a real battle.

“We know that Fermanagh will come prepared, with CJ and Sean (McCartney), they are doing a fantastic job in getting them ready, so we are expecting another tough, competitive game between two very strong teams.”

Like every management team across the country, Scullion and Devlin are soothing a few knocks and niggles in their squad ahead of Sunday’s showdown, but the pair are expecting a full hand to pick from.

“Looking ahead to the weekend, we’ve had a few injuries and illnesses to contend with,” added Scullion.

“Some players are also balancing their university studies, which adds extra pressure. Also with the club games kicking off again, the girls have a pretty heavy schedule.

“After the tough match against Leitrim it was followed by another full round of (club) league games the next day. Our priority now is managing everyone’s workloads, ensuring we’re giving them the right preparation, and focusing on recovery.

“The aim is to keep them as fresh as possible for the weekend, while also managing the challenges of club commitments.

“It’s all about finding the right balance,” he added.