Division 4 Offaly v Antrim

[NewEra]

Everyone agrees this is a massive game. Win and we have a run out in Croke Park, a chance of some badly needed silverware and another crack at Longford. Lose and we are condemned to Division 4 for another season.

Any update on the McConway suspension. Did Offaly appeal this red card?

[Hyper]

On what grounds was Paul's red card been appealed?

[hopper82]

Offaly's biggest game under Pat Flanagan to date, No question it would be a major blow for the development of this bunch if we don't progress on Sunday , I have a feeling it aint going to be pretty ,nothing short of a dogfight Sunday with so much at stake.

Head to head there wont be much between us , level on points in the table and results pretty similar :
London 1-2 Offaly 0-9
Offaly0-13 Waterford 1-4
Wicklow 2-6 Offaly 2-18
Offaly 2-13 Leitrim 1-16
Offaly 0-14 Carlow 1-10
Longford 0-13 Offaly 0-10
Antrim 1-12 Carlow 0-15
Longford 0-14 Antrim 0-13
Leitrim 1-13 Antrim 1-18
Antrim1-12 London1-8
Waterford 0-13 Antrim 0-15
Antrim 1-10 Wicklow 0-12

Offaly will be going into this one after hitting a small bubble but by all accounts had the beating of Longford if they got fair play:

Antrim are flying at the minute after winning there last 4 games .

A draw would be enough for us , but if we are on track to beat Longford in a little over a months time in the first round a win here is a must .

Best of luck to all involved I am delighted its in Tullamore but home advantage is of no use if we get out numbered by away support again

Best of luck lads .

I don't want to jump the gun but would you consider meeting Longford twice before the first round an advantage ?

[first_touch]

Just to note that for some reason the match starts at 2pm (not 3pm)

[NewEra]

1. Alan Mulhall (Capt)
2. Brian Darby
3. John Ledwith
4. Daithi Brady
5. Niall Darby
6. Johnny Moloney
7. Joseph O’Connor
8. Graham Guilfoyle
9. Niall Smith
10. Eoin Carroll
11. Niall McNamee
12. Anton Sullivan
13. Bernard Allen
14. Nigel Dunne
15. William Mulhall

Ledwith in for suspended McConway and Alan Mulhall taking over captain as a result also. Change in position for Joey O'Connor at wing back

[Truth as i see it]

Congrats to the Footballers on gaining promotion today, great effort shown by the lads throughout the game especially when Antrim brought it back to 1 point at one point the game, i feared we would revert to type and fall to pieces again but they have shown some much needed steel and resolve in the team this year and that more than anything has got them over the line

Well done to Pat and the lads, enjoy today, they deserve it and hopefully they can set the record straight in the league final vs Longford and this time the ref wont be there to bail them (Longford) out

[ryot]

Well done all, kept the head and pushed on in the last 10,,,,,,,

We missed a fair bit and Alan M saved our bacon twice but what the hell promotion was the aim and they achieved,,,,,,

Have a good run in the Final but please let nobody pick up cards or injuries.

If like last Sunday, Longford target a particular player for off the ball stuff, Pat should use a sub to spoil their plans,,,,,,

[kingscounty]

Well done to Pat and the boys . The final is a tricky one , do we show our hand and play a strong team or do we give a run to some inexperienced players . We already have promotion so I wouldn't be overly concerned with winning the final but then again it's nice for the players to pick up some silverware .

[bare biffo]

Mission accomplished. Well done. Like last week missed a lot of early chances and could have been more comfortable. The only way to go with the division final is to win. Winning is a habbit we need to acquire.

[Bord na Mona man]

Job done. There was always a fear that Antrim could have jammed a goal and turned the game on its head.
Glad Offaly saw it out. 2016 could see us in exotic venues like Dunnes Stores Mullingar and Jurassic Park Newbridge.

[Buttons]

Will be great to play our neighbours Westmeath again and play some better opposition. Will also give the players a chance to play in Croke Park before we play the Dubs after we beat Longford in first round, small steps but going in the right direction.

[NewEra]

Great win. Interesting interview with Flanagan after on Midlands 103. He deliberately built the pressure up on the players for the entire week around this match to see how they could handle it. This would be something this group of players would not have been used to. Although the win and performance were not resounding until say the last 10 minutes, it will bring on this team no end. They were asked to win and they did. Coming from such a low ebb of confidence this will help them. Now they have 3 weeks to prepare for a run out in Croker with nothing to lose and to turn things around on Longford. Longford now have the score at 3-0 from the last 2 years.

Flanagan has now got promotion from every division between both Westmeath and Offaly. Next year's division 3 will be the Leinster Championship!

On a side note, did anybody hear Tom Cribbin's interview? He didn't hide his feelings!

[Buttons]

Division 3 teams next year
Offaly
Kildare
Westmeath
Longford
Tipperary
Clare
Limerick
Sligo

[Lone Shark]

The scoreboard really didn't illustrate how vastly superior Offaly were in that tie yesterday from general play, and yet with twenty minutes to go it looked as if all the momentum was with Antrim. The conversion rate from scoring chances was really poor, and yet they kept their heads, kept doing the right things and eventually they made it count. As was pointed out here, this required excellent mental strength and that, as much as any other attribute, has to be applauded.

There are other drawbacks of course - Niall McNamee was completely out of the game yesterday and it's never good for your best player or your centre forward to be out of the tie - never mind your best player at centre forward. That we won so well without him really contributing is great though. Bernard Allen is proving with every game that he should have been an automatic starter last year, never mind off the panel, and I genuinely can't remember the last time that Willie Mulhall had such a solid, sustained run of decent form. His performance to a certain extent reflected that of the team as a whole - he wasn't quite firing for the first 50 minutes, probably had some poor turnover stats, but kept everything going and eventually came good with three late points.

That's a really nice division for next year. Local derbies against Kildare and Westmeath will be nice occasions regardless of venue, every match has the potential to be a tough test but still is eminently winnable, and there aren't too many long trips to the corners of the country. When you look at the four teams that exited division three this Spring (Armagh, Fermanagh, Louth, Wexford) you wouldn't fancy any of those journeys. Also, we have a bit of momentum now - and that's clearly a big deal. Roscommon have now secured two promotions in a row, while Cavan came close enough as well, and Tipp certainly put their best foot forward after coming up out of division four last year. On the other side, Kildare, Westmeath and Louth have all been relegated two years in a row now.

[Kevin]

Outstanding result.

Another strong finish.

Delighted for all involved.