Derry ease past Antrim to reach Ulster semi-final

FULL-TIME: Derry 2-23 v 1-13 Antrim

Ulster Senior Football Championship Quarter-final | Find Insurance Celtic Park | Saturday, April 18

Derry’s championship season began with a controlled win over Antrim at Celtic Park, the Oak Leafers doing enough across the 70 minutes to secure a place in the Ulster semi-final.

In bright conditions with a swirling breeze, Derry played into the changing rooms end in the first half and settled quickly. They opened with four early points through Paul Cassidy, Shane McGuigan, Niall Loughlin and Ruairí Forbes, building a platform despite Antrim striking first for goal through Niall Burns.

That left the sides tied at 1-01 to 0-04, but Derry responded with a period of steady control. They began to move the ball with more purpose and created a series of openings. The breakthrough came on 24 minutes when Lachlan Murray finished to the net after a solo run through the Saffron defence, pushing Derry into a lead they would not relinquish.

From there, Derry managed the half well. Points continued to come from McGuigan and Loughlin, while Antrim goalkeeper John McNabb kept the margin from stretching further with a number of strong saves, but Derry still led 1-11 to 1-04 at the break.

The pattern continued after half-time. McGuigan opened the scoring within five minutes, and Derry maintained a steady tempo, keeping the scoreboard moving without needing to force the game.

The key moment of the second half came on 47 minutes. A sharp attack saw Loughlin’s effort well saved by McNabb, but Paul Cassidy reacted quickest to the rebound and finished to the net. That pushed Derry ten points clear at 2-15 to 1-08 and effectively settled the contest.

Antrim did respond with a two-pointer from Eoghan McCabe and continued to take their scores when chances arose, but Derry always had an answer. Conor Doherty and Brendan Rogers added points as the home side kept control of possession and territory.

Derry made changes approaching the final quarter, with Patrick McGurk, Shea Downey and Niall Toner introduced, and the tempo dropped slightly as the game moved into its closing stages.

Murray added a point to keep the gap comfortable, while McGuigan hit a two-pointer to complete his tally of 0-9. Although there were missed goal chances that might have added further gloss to the scoreline, there was no sense of urgency required.

For a championship opener, it was a straightforward job completed. Derry move on to the semi-final, where they will face either Monaghan or Cavan, with the opportunity to reach an Ulster Final.

Derry: Shea McGuckin; Diarmuid Baker, Ruairi Forbes (0-1), Conor McCluskey; Conor Doherty (0-3), Gareth McKinless, Padraig McGrogan (0-1); Eoin McEvoy (0-1), Brendan Rogers (0-1); Ethan Doherty, Conor Glass, Paul Cassidy (1-1); Niall Loughlin (0-2), Shane McGuigan (0-9, 1x2p, 1x2pf), 2f), Lachlan Murray (1-3).

Subs: Patrick McGurk for D Baker (53), Shea Downey for E McEvoy (53), Niall Toner for N Loughlin (57), Niall O’Donnell for B Rogers (62), Ruairi O’Mianain (0-1) for R Forbes (64).

Antrim: John McNabb; John Morgan, Eunan Walsh, Kavan Keenan; Eoghan McCabe (0-3, 1x2p), Peter Healy, Marc Jordan; Paddy McAleer (0-1, 1f), Joseph Finnegan; Conor Hand (0-1), Adam Loughran, Ronan Boyle; Niall Burns (1-3), Pat Shivers (0-2), Dominic McEnhill.

Subs: Ryan McQuillan (0-3, 1x2p) for A Loughran (38), Tiernan McCormick for M Jordan (53), Tomas McCann for D McEnhill (53), Benen Kelly for K Keenan (62), Cathal Hynds for N Burns (67).

Referee: David Gough (Meath)