Impressive Antrim beat Offaly to stay in Division 1

Antrim secured their Allianz Hurling League Division 1 status with a very impressive 3-24 to 2-17 win over Offaly in the relegation play-off at Navan on Saturday afternoon.

It was a convincing display by Antrim who laid a solid foundation against the wind in the first half, responded superbly when Offaly got on level terms early in the second period and then pulled away as it wore on.

The final scoreline is a fair reflection on their superiority and with Offaly expected to be one of their main contenders in the Joe McDonagh Cup, it was a serious marker of intent by the northerners.

They played with greater cohesion and intensity on the day and it is a indication of how comfortable they were that they had their status secured from the three-quarter way stage.

For Offaly, it was a poor and thought provoking display. They tried hard but didn't perform as they needed to and it brings the curtain down on a hasty year in the top flight.

Antrim did the donkey work here in the first half when playing against a stiff wind. They started well with a James McNaughton goal giving them a 1-1 to 0-2 lead after three minutes.

They attacked at pace and for a while, looked like getting goals every time they went past midfield. Offaly goalkeeper Stephen Corcoran denied them on a couple of occasions and the losers were happy to be level at 0-5 to 1-2 after eleven minutes.

It was nip and tuck from here to the break. Antrim led by 1-9 to 0-8 with five minutes of the half remaining and Offaly then produced their best hurling of the afternoon. Eoghan Cahill, David Nally, Luke O'Connor an Jason Sampson fired over quality points in a spell of sustained pressure to level it at 0-12 to 1-9 in injury time.

Offaly would have taken that considering the way