White flags Antrim's spirit

If there was one word to describe Antrim's championship countdown this year then manager Brian White would choose "horrendous".

Almost a year to the day since their shock victory over Down - their first championship win in 18 years - Antrim travel to Celtic Park on Sunday knowing that victory over Derry would require a shock of even greater proportions.

While last summer was a significant step forward, problems since then have taken them two steps back. First of all there were widespread suspensions resulting from the county final, and then came foot-and-mouth.

The league was cut short and training became fragmented. So, instead of building on last year's success, White has found himself more or less starting all over again. "You just can't compare this run-in to that of last year," he says. "It has been horrendous to say the least." Last September, just as White was sitting down to plan another season, the county football final between Cargin and St Paul's broke into a game of fight clubs.

Both clubs were expelled from senior grades until 2002, and some of White's key panel members were given three-month bans. Just days before, White had finalised a panel of 22. After the suspensions he had only 10 left.

Yet he managed to get through the early stages of the league with the flame of potential still flickering, including close contests with Cork and Armagh. But just as the pace gathered further in the second phase of the league, the foot-andmouth problem hit full swing and almost everything had to be put on hold.

"There's no doubt that the club affair did drag us down and it did drag on for a long time. Between appeals to the county board and the Ulster Council and so on it dragged into the new year. And it was a major setback. But I think the foot-and-mouth was even worse."

One consolation was that the Derry game was put back until Sunday from the original date of May 13th, giving White a little more time to redesign his panel.

Five players will make their first championship start, including the six-foot-plus John Barr at midfield. Still in self-imposed exile, however, are the Cargin duo of Shenny McQuillan and Kevin Doyle.

White describes his team as full of "big, young players". "But, overall, I would say that the panel doesn't have the experience of last year. What they do have is the dedication. All these players have shown great commitment. "I keep saying to people that last year is gone and this team will have to write their own history. And they are still an emerging side. The oldest player is 29 and the youngest is 19 but around 75 per cent are under the 26 mark."

Although it took Derry two games to beat Antrim last year (and a last-minute block from Anthony Tohill just to get them a replay) there is still only one team with the favourites tag. "I honestly don't think Derry will have much respect for us," says White.

As if the challenge of playing Derry wasn't daunting enough, having to take them on in Celtic Park adds further weight to the challenge. But Antrim won't be without their share of inspiration.

Star forward Kevin Madden, for example, has been named on the bench just five months after having open heart surgery.

"To have Kevin back in the picture is just awesome. To see him on the sideline is nothing short of miraculous, but I can tell you that he didn't get a sympathy vote. He's quite capable of making an impact on the game on Sunday."

White's long-term plan is to deliver an Ulster title to Antrim. But like his team, White insists that he too is still learning. It's only his second year in charge and his counterpart on Sunday, Eamonn Coleman, has been nearly a decade on the sideline with an All-Ireland under his belt.

The draw for the first round of the new qualifying group of the football championship will take place during Sunday night's broadcast of The Sunday Game on RTE.