*Andy McEntee. Photograph: Gerard O’Neill
ANTRIM manager, Andy McEntee left Cusack Park on Saturday afternoon quite frustrated.
Not alone did McEntee’s side record their fourth loss of the 2024 Allianz National Football League campaign but he was annoyed with the standard of officiating that he witnessed in Ennis.
He said there was a sense of annoyance within their dressing room following the three point loss. “Disappointing in a lot of ways, we didn’t play particularly well in the first half. There is a general feeling in there (dressing room) that we didn’t get fair play”.
With thirty two minutes played, Antrim were reduced to fourteen men following the dismissal of midfielder Conor McLarnon on a straight red card after he raised his knee and struck Gavin Murray.
On this call, McEntee remarked, “I’ve no problem with the sending off, the guy lifted his knee fine but why did he left his knee, it’s because he was struck beforehand and all of a sudden every fifty fifty decision out there went against us. There was a ball that was clearly not out over the line, frees, the sending off, everything, it gets worse. The refereeing in this Division gets worse”.
At the sounding of the half-time whistle, the former Meath boss made his way towards referee Derek O’Mahoney. Explaining what happened at this juncture, Andy stated, “I asked him a question, I asked him a simple question, he actually told one of our players to fuck off, give respect, get respect, he told one of our players to fuck off”.
