Antrim see off Clare in squally conditions in Belfast

On a day for rolling up the sleeves and making as few errors as possible, Antrim ground out a hard-fought 1-09 to 1-06 victory over Clare at Corrigan Park to get their Division 3 campaign off on the right foot.

It was a real slog for both sides, who were not only dealing with new rules, but also driving wind and rain which made the basic skills a real challenge as players struggled with their handling and footing.

This was not a day for silky or expansive football as the new rules intended, but simply a case of getting through it, and it was the hosts that perhaps made fewer errors which was winning this game.

Antrim made a superb start, with Conor Hand pointing from their first attack and they had their first two-point chance from a Mick Byrne free which dropped and Fionn Nagle helped it over.

The first two-pointer did come, with Hand taking a shot that took a hop up and over, and their goal came straight after as Paddy McBride made the break, played the ball inside and Nagle tapped home.

Clare were in danger of getting overrun but got a real break with 10 minutes gone as Ciaran Downes shaped for a shot at a point, but the ball seemed to be taken by a strong gust of wind and dipped into the net.

Emmett McManus kicked a free for the Banner, but it was their last score of the half as Antrim made the better of grim conditions, with Conor Stewart, Ryan Murray and McBride kicking points to put them 1-07 to 1-01 up at the break.

Unsurprisingly, it was the visitors on the front foot into the second half as the conditions seemed to deteriorate further and they did begin to carve out opportunities, with Sean McAllister seeing a shot tipped out for a 45, but Clare worked it short and this became a feature as they were reluctant to shoot