Goal-hungry Antrim enjoy the comforts of home as Leitrim are swept aside
A LOT TO LIKE; Antrim manager Andy McEntee. Pic: Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile
ANTRIM'S eye for goal in the opening period helped them to a comfortable win over Division Three strugglers Leitrim at a sunny Corrigan Park on Saturday.
Andy McEntee's Saffrons were coming off back-to-back defeats on the road, but made the most of home comforts to get back on track as they had built a comfortable lead at the break that was never in any danger of being overturned in the second period.
Dominic McEnhill and Niall Burns hit 1-4 apiece, with Marc Jordan and Fionn Nagle also amongst the goals on a day in which they could have raised double the number of green flags but for some last-ditch defending and fine goalkeeping, with another goal chalked off for a square ball.
Leitrim enjoyed a decent start as a free from Paul Honeyman and Darren Cox score was the reply to Ruairi McCann's opener for the hosts, but McCann was then denied a goal for a square ball infringement which served as a warning to Antrim's goal threat which would soon pay off.
Stephen Poacher's side led 0-3 to 0-2 after 11 minutes, but Antrim would soon find that goal touch as they first major arrived through Marc Jordan who produced a deft finish with the outside of his boot with the help of the far post.
After McEnhill kicked a beauty on the right, Jordan turned provider as he guided a ball across goal at pace with Niall Burns diving to palm home.
The third soon followed as Jordan was taken down by Sean Harkin - an early change for Leitrim in an attempt to deal with Ruairi McCann - with a penalty awarded. Although Dominic McEnhill was denied by Daire O'Shea initially, he tapped home the rebound to make it 3-4 to 0-3 with just 20 minutes gone.
Burns and McEnhill kicked some fine scores with Leitrim hanging in there as Tom Prior, Jack Foley and goalkeeper O'Shea landed as Antrim's seven first-half wides didn't allow them to fully move out of sight by this point.
However, that was soon rectified as their fourth major arrived just before the break as Dermot McAleese slipped Fionn Nagle in to finish and a Jack Lenehan score followed as the Saffrons moved into an unassailable 4-7 to 0-6 advantage at the half.
Lenehan had first of the second as although Prior, Cox and Honeyman landed scores to keep Leitrim ticking, McEnhill, Burns and McCann were on target at the other end, while substitute Ryan McQuillan contributed three scores in the second period.
Another of the subs, Conhuir Johnston was denied by a super save by O'Shea, while at the other end, Leitrim sub Donal Casey sent a rocket of a shot past Mick Byrne for a consolation goal.
But this was all it was as Johnston did get on the board and although Paddy McBride was denied a late goal for the hosts with the ball hacked off the line, Antrim had long since banked the points to heap further pressure on Leitrim who remain without anything to show for the campaign.
D McEnhill 1-4 (0-1f), N Burns 1-4, M Jordan 1-0, F Nagle 1-0, R McQuillan 0-3, R McCann 0-2, J Lenehan 0-2, C Johnston 0-1
D Casey 1-1, P Honeyman 0-3 (1f), D Cox 0-2, T Prior 0-2, J Foley 0-1, D O'Shea 0-1, K Keegan 0-1
M Byrne; E McCabe, E Walsh, J Morgan; J McAuley, J Lenehan, D McAleese; M Jordan, E Quinn; N Burns, P McBride, F Nagle; R Murray, R McCann, D McEnhill.
R McQuillan for R Murray (HT), C Johnston for R McCann (58), J McDonnell for J McAuley (65), P King for E McCabe (70), S O'Callaghan for N Burns (70).
D O'Shea; C McHugh, S Harkin, E McLoughlin; J Rooney, M Diffley, E McNamara; C Quinn, K Keegan; J Flynn, P Honeyman, J Foley; B Guckian, D Cox, T Prior.
K Clancy for C McHugh (12), K Beirne for J Rooney (HT), C McHugh for S Harkin (HT), D Casey for B Guckian (46), K McHugh for E McLoughlin (58)
Mark Dorrian (Donegal)
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