With the quarter-final line-up now complete, Creggan skipper Kevin Small feels all the teams left standing will feel they’ve a chance of lifting the Padraig McNamee Cup this season.
Speaking after Sunday’s tense 0-9 each draw at St John’s, a result which saw the 2021 winners progress from Group One, Small added that the Kichhams no longer see themselves as county champions.
Gerard McNulty’s side won their first Antrim SFC title since 1954 by beating Aghagallon in last year’s decider, but the slate has been wiped clean as far as Small and his colleagues are concerned and their full focus is now on a Rossa side who caused an upset last weekend by beating Cargin top Group Four.
Read more: Draw not good enough for Johnnies as Creggan progress to quarters
The Toome men now take on Lámh Dhearg with Portglenone facing Gort na Móna while Aghagallon meet St Brigid's in the remaining quarter-final tie.
“We won the Championship last year, we don’t consider ourselves county champions anymore,” said Small.
“It is a brand new year - everyone thinks they’ve a chance of winning the Championship this year. All the teams are pushing.
"We know, if we are going to go again this year, what we did last year won’t be good enough.
“We were disappointed with our second half performance (against St John’s), so the next day out, we need to raise things.
“We came through that group, it was a seriously difficult group with St Gall’s, St John’s and Lámh Dhearg - three very strong teams.
“We’ve momentum now after coming through the group and momentum is a hard thing to stop. We are going to keep trying to build.
"We know Rossa in the next round aren’t going to be a pushover. We had two games in the League and we drew both games with them.
“We know what they bring - it is going to be a seriously tough game.”
Creggan ended Cargin’s reign as Antrim kingpins at the semi-final stage last year and he knows the confidence-boost that Rossa will get from their one-point win last Sunday.
He added: “If you are beating Cargin, what more confidence can you get really?
“Cargin have been dominating the Championship for years there.
“That’s a massive win for Rossa and we’re not in a position to be taking anybody lightly. Last year was our first Championship in 60-something years.
"We know just how serious a test Rossa is gonna be. We'll get our heads down over the next two weeks and we’ll be ready for it.”
Creggan managed to win the county title last season without the services of two of their best forwards - Liam Quinn and Conor Small, Kevin’s brother.
Quinn has returned to the starting 15 while Small is in contention to return to the forward line in the last eight clash with the Shaws Road outfit.
However, another cruciate injury to a key player has undermined McNulty’s squad once again with Antrim hurling star Conor McCann sidelined for the remainder of the year.
Small and McCann were a formidable midfield pairing in 2021, but the Creggan skipper hopes the depth of the panel can absorb another huge injury setback.
“He is a serious loss, not just the way Conor plays football, but his presence and everything,” said the Creggan captain.
“He is a massive loss for us. We’re devastated for him obviously, but knowing Conor, he’ll come back from it bigger and stronger. He is a serious miss.
“We’ve a panel and that’s the thing we have in our favour. We’re lucky that we have a big panel and we’ve boys pushing and ready to come in.
"It is another setback and it is more adversity, but we’ve boys to step in which is a serious asset.”
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