The only way is up for Antrim

Kevin Ryan accepts Antrim will not progress beyond today’s All-Ireland U21 semi-final.

It is by no means a defeatist attitude, rather the manager’s realistic approach. It is the only currency he knows.

The Saffrons suffered a 28-point hammering by Clare at this stage last year, a slight stretch on Dublin’s 26-point mauling the summer previous and, given preparations for the current campaign have bordered on the shambolic,

Let’s rewind to the beginning of July, two weeks out from Antrim’s Ulster opener against Down. No manager is in place, not a single training session has been called, a squad hasn’t even been assembled.

Ryan couldn’t allow himself sit by and let the matter deteriorate any further.

“When I was appointed senior manager the U21 position wasn’t under my remit. If it was I would have had them started last February or March. I had been inquiring what was going on and a couple of weeks before the Ulster championship I stepped in.”

Seven players showed for the first session and thereafter, Ryan asserted it was a struggle to hit double figures. Challenge games were thus out of the question.

Indeed, Ryan faces losing up to five of his panel for the trek to Thurles given two club football quarter-finals have also been fixed for today.

In essence, it has been one challenge after another.

“Preparations have been going very poorly,” admitted Ryan. “The week before the Ulster championship we got them together. We’ve had ten or twelve of them in for a few nights training, once or twice a week, even that has been hard. Fitness wise, team wise we are going to struggle.

“It took a week to get a panel together and the first week we only had seven there. It is just indicative of the way it is being treated. It is about the mistakes that are there and making sure they don’t happen next year. There is definitely the talent there.”

Ryan claims the fixture represents the first step in the long road Antrim hurling must travel. “The longer we can be in the game, force Wexford’s hand a bit and make a game of it, that is probably the most we can hope for. If we can be competitive and have a serious cut at Wexford, it could act as a catalyst and help us big time with changing things.

“It just needs to be taken way more seriously.”