Sheeny McQuillan's free could so easily have nailed Derry in the drawn match, had Anthony Tohill not risen above the bar to save it. It would have been a sensational result. Antrim's performance, just weeks after their breakthrough success, was a big tribute to team manager Brian White's preparation.
Derry must have underrated Antrim, and the underdogs genuinely came into the match in the second half. Joe Quinn and McQuillan took a grip at centrefield, partially facilitated by Tohill's withdrawal to a deeper position as Derry faced the wind. But the main impact was in the forwards, where Kevin Madden's return helped turn possession into scores and Kevin Brady's finishing yielded the two goals which bridged the substantial half-time gap.
Derry won't be as complacent this time, but Antrim may not start so nervously. Derry have the additional handicap of Eamonn Coleman's exile from the sideline. The team should have learned its lesson sufficiently well to cope, for now at least.
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