PJ O'Hare's Antrim produced some encouraging displays in the NFL

One thing Antrim football teams can never be accused of is not being accommodating enough to the gentlemen and woman of the press.

Year in year out, Antrim have gained top marks for their press nights which invariably have contained the tastiest of sandwiches and cakes for the always-hungry hacks.

But save for 2000 when Antrim shocked an ageing Down outfit, the Saffron County's Ulster Championship hasn't extended beyond one outing in the last 20 years.

Tuesday's meet the press night at Casement Park was another well-organised affair.

Manager PJ O'Hare couldn't do enough for the small group of reporters who had bothered to turn up.

If only for reasons of practicality, those hacks will surely be secretly hoping for a Saffron victory on Sunday.

As ever, the Antrim players were talking optimistically about the prospects of causing a "shock".

Sean Kelly, rated by many as one of the finest wing-backs in Ulster, spoke of the "good confidence" within the squad.

We're coming into this game with a bit of confidence Sean Kelly

PJ O'Hare's current reign may have got off to a rocky start with many players having initially questioned his appointment, but Kelly insisted that the squad is now fully-united.

"At the start of this season people weren't too happy about the management situation but it's gone very well," said Kelly.

"The league campaign wasn't as bad as some people made out and in fact, we finished with more points than we did in the two previous years.

"We got a few wins at the end of the league and we're coming into this game with a bit of confidence".

Manager O'Hare initially hoped that his side might challenge for a place in the latter stages of the league but a couple of early defeats meant a reappraisal.

"I then decided I would use the next few games to give every player in the squad a chance to prove themselves," said O'Hare.

"Then when it came to the final game of the league against Leitrim, I picked what I felt was our strongest team and I was happy with the way that we played in winning that game.

"The league matches basically backed up what I had felt in terms of what the best team was but I had to give everyone a chance".

Sean Kelly: One of finest Ulster half-backs

The performance of corner-forward Kevin Madden is likely to be crucial to Antrim's prospects.

During the spring, Madden finally began to rediscover the form that he had produced prior to undergoing open heart surgery two years ago.

He himself says that "good league form counts for nothing come the championship" but his recent form will encourage Antrim supporters.

Madden admits that he's hoping for an improvement in the weather over the next couple of days.

The Portglenone man's game relies on speed and a wet pitch could turn the game into more of an attritional battle.

"If the ground was going to soften somewhat, we'd be slightly concerned," acknowledges Madden.

Sean Kelly is also worried that the Casement pitch could be chewed up quite badly in the wake of Saturday's Derry v Tyrone replay and Sunday's minor contest.

"It's a bit soggy around the middle but hopefully over the next few days, the weather will be a bit better".