A stray dog came closer to upsetting Brian Mullins's Derry side than Antrim did at Casement Park yesterday. Proving their own worst enemies once again, Antrim wasted an opportunity of at least giving Derry a scare after taking the lead early in the second half.
Antrim trailed by 0-6 to 0-8 at the break but then captain Ciaran O'Neill put the home side in front with a confidently struck penalty. However, the home side failed to build on this and Derry dominated much of the second half though they could not kill off their opponents, recording nine wides.
Derry manager Mullins, however, won't be too concerned in the aftermath of this half-baked performance, as he was without Joe Brolly, Joe Cassidy, Fergal and Damien McCusker and Kieran McKeever.
Full forward Eamonn Burns claimed five points for Derry and was only shaded by Antrim's impressive corner forward Kevin Madden, who scored seven points.
Derry: E McCluskey; K Diamond, N Farren, A Heaney; P Diamond, S Lockhart, J McBride; A Tohill (0-2), D O'Neill; G McGill (0-3), G Cole- man (0-1), K Heaney; C Higgins (0-2), E Burns (0-5), G Diamond. Subs: P MUrphy for K Heaney (half-time), R Rocks (0-1) for G Diamond.
Antrim: D Shannon; T McCrudden, G Adams, L McCurdy; P McCann, C O'Neill (1-0), A Finnegan; J Murphy, C Byrne; J Quinn, D Swail (0-1), J Wilson; F Wilson, E McAtamney, K Madden (0-7). Subs: D McPeake for Adams, C McCabe for F Wilson.
Referee: B Gorman (Armagh).
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