Antrim boss rejects Wexford’s claims of ‘thuggery’

Antrim football manager Frank Fitzsimons has rejected Wexford’s claims of ‘thuggery’ and insisted: “If anything, we need to toughen up.”

Wexford boss David Power accused the Saffrons of taking physicality “to another extreme” after a fiery Division 4 clash in Corrigan Park two weeks ago.

Speaking for the first time since Power’s outburst, Frank Fitzsimons defended his team and said there is “nothing dirty” about his players. “Ask anybody who was at the game if there was anything in it.

“There was nothing dirty about it. I just don’t see it in our boys. If anything we need to toughen up. If you asked 90% of our supporters they would tell you we’re not physical enough.

“It’s a results business and we’ve made a good start to the league so let’s hope they’re still talking about us on Sunday night.”

Antrim host Leitrim on Sunday hoping to boost their promotion hopes further after opening wins over Carlow and Wexford. The return of quality players like Michael McCann and Kevin Niblock has helped them hit the ground running — and they now have former WBA super-middleweight champion Brian Magee in their corner.

Fitzsimons says Magee is instilling a work ethic, not a fight ethic, in the Antrim players. “Brian is looking after the boys like they’re his own kids, he’s nearly spoiling them.

“He has them in the gym on a Monday after a game doing yoga or a recovery session. Then it’s weights and circuits and all his workouts are different.

“The mentality he’s brought is ‘boys, how could you be tired training a couple of times a week? I trained twice a day’.

“That’s the background he’s coming from and he’s brought a whole new dynamic to the thing.”

Fitzsimons also hailed the impact of his assistant, former Saffron defender Gearoid Adams.

“He has been a big lift, he commands a lot of respect,” added the Antrim manager.

Although they’ve started brightly, Fitzsimons hopes the three-week break in league action doesn’t halt his team’s early season momentum.

“Last year we only had one point from our first two games, but after the break we won four games in a row and almost got promoted.

“So all the teams in the division know they can still get out of it. It’s a dog eat dog division and everyone wants out of it. We have made a good start, but that’s all it is. There’s still a long way to go.”

McCann and Niblock have been hugely influential after opting out last year and Fitzsimons admitted: “We just can’t afford to be without players like that.”

“They have come back refreshed and it’s hard to tell who are the young fellas and who are the older fellas. They all want to be there and they still have great enthusiasm.”