Antrim could be without the services of vice-captain Dermot McAleese for the remainder of the League after it was confirmed the defender suffered a broken jaw in Saturday’s last-gasp loss to Down in Páirc Esler.
The Portglenone clubman left the field after just six minutes and was temporarily replaced by Cargin’s Sean O’Neill. However, it soon became clear that McAleese would not be returning and the Saffrons could be without one of their top players until the latter stages of their Division Three campaign.
Antrim take on Tipperary in Semple Stadium in round three on Sunday, February 19 and finish their League schedule on Sunday, March 26 with a trip to Pearse Park to face Longford.
Read more: Down sweating on fitness of key forward as Conor Laverty hails Mournemen spirit
The Saffrons will then turn their attention to a daunting Ulster SFC preliminary round meeting with Armagh at the Box-It Athletic Grounds on Easter Saturday, April 8.
McAleese is expected to be sidelined for a period of six to eight weeks and it remains to be seen if he’ll play any further part in Antrim’s League campaign.
Further injuries to Peter Healy and Kevin Small compounded a frustrating night for Andy McEntee’s as they let a five-point lead slip in the closing stages of Saturday’s Ulster derby.
Conor Poland’s late goal and points from Pat Havern and Andrew Gilmore helped Conor Laverty’s men record a dramatic one-point victory for the Mournemen with McEntee bemoaning his side’s failure to close the game out.
“Maybe a little bit of inexperience cost us - we coughed up a couple of soft possessions, our kick-outs, which had been really excellent the whole game, one of them dropped short and we concede a goal from it,” said McEntee.
“It never looked like Down were going to catch us without scoring a goal.
“We were finding it hard to get frees at one end of the field that were being given at the other end.
“It’s a very short League and you get on the wrong end of a couple of results, you can move up and down the table very quickly.
“They’re a good bunch of lads, they’re gutted – I feel for them. They put up a hell of a performance and got nothing out of the game, rightly or wrongly.
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