It ranks as one of the most painful defeats by an Antrim team in recent times and marked the beginning of the end of Lenny Harbinson’s tenure as manager.
The eerily-quiet surroundings of Aughrim illustrated that this wasn’t going to be just another day at the office for the Saffrons.
Before the first lockdown of 2020, the Saffrons defeated Limerick in Portglenone to leave their fate in their own hands. Win their final two League games and promotion from Division Four would be sealed.
Wicklow, though, had other ideas and tore up the script with a stunning 25-point win over the Ulster side and subsequently gained promotion along with Limerick.
The winning margin didn’t even flatter the hosts as their 7-11 tally would have been even greater were it not for a handful of fine saves by a besieged Oisin Kerr in the Antrim goals.
Antrim were already 13 points behind at the break when an injury forced defender Ricky Johnston to take a seat in the dugout for the second half. What he witnessed didn’t make for pleasant viewing.
“I remember coming off injured at half-time, the damage was already done,” said Johnston.
“I didn’t think it would get any worse. It did!
“Watching that on the sideline was really difficult and it was tough to take. It was a massive defeat. As players, we've put it behind us.
“It is out of our head. The performance in the Championship against Cavan after that . . . we almost beat them.
“I think sometimes a defeat like that can galvanise a team. It happened to Tyrone last year when they lost to Kerry. I know Tyrone went on and won the All-Ireland, but it can light the fire in your belly and make you more motivated to stop it happening again.
“I think the players have matured and we’ve a new management in. We went unbeaten in the League last year and won promotion which was massive for us.
“It is really important that we hold our own in Division Three and, hopefully, we can push on and challenge for promotion.”
This Saturday, it is Antrim who will enjoy home advantage as the Garden County travel north to Corrigan Park for their Division Three battle.
If their stunning loss to Wicklow sparked a reaction from the Saffrons, then they’ll be hoping their round two defeat to Limerick will have a similar effect.
Enda McGinley’s men opened their League campaign with an impressive nine-point victory over Fermanagh in Brewster Park, but suffered a 2-9 to 0-11 defeat to the Treatymen at Corrigan Park.
“It was a difficult one to take to be honest,” said Johnston.
“We got a win against Fermanagh, which was very good, but Limerick came flying at us and got two goals in the first 10 minutes. We never really recovered from that.
“We felt at half-time that we could pull the game back. Sometimes it doesn’t work out and Limerick were able to keep us at arm’s length and got the scores at the right time.
“They were really disciplined as well and they made it really difficult for us to break them down.
“It was tough to take – that was our first defeat in the League in over a year. Hopefully, we can bounce back this weekend.”
Across the four divisions, this weekend is pivotal as teams jostle for position. One win or one defeat could change the complexion of Division Three for Antrim.
Johnston is adamant that the Saffrons are determined to stay clear of the relegation mire, but he knows there is a big step up in class from Division Four to the third tier.
“That’s something we don’t want, but this League is quite competitive,” added the Creggan clubman.
“It is going to be small margins. Fortunately for us, there were a few draws in the last round too. We are still in the mix, but this weekend is very important and it is a massive two points.
“Wicklow are a big, physical side who have been in Division Three last year as well. They know what it takes to stay up so it is going to be a difficult task.
“Limerick took their chances when they got them, that isn’t always the case against teams in Division Four.
“It is a bit of a step up, but it is where you want to be playing.
“There are fine margins and there is no room for error. Every touch of the ball counts and you have to make the right decision every time.”
