Gleeson to 'reflect' on Antrim future after win
A relieved Antrim hurling manager Darren Gleeson said he will take time to ponder his future following the Saffrons' 4-22 to 2-22 win over Carlow at Corrigan Park that secured their place in the Leinster SHC for a third straight year.
The Tipperary native agreed to an extension two years ago for an extra two seasons with the option of a third, so he admits he will give it serious consideration in the weeks ahead.
Gleeson has revived Antrim's fortunes in his five-year stint at the helm, taking them from the second tier in League and Championship to become established in the top-flight of both.
There is still much road ahead of Antrim hurling to get to where it wants to be, but the road from Portree is just as long for Gleeson who has a young family and will factor it all in before deciding what he will do.
"Genuinely, we'll give it thought," he said on Sunday.
"It's easy saying you can walk away on a good note or wherever you are. I'll reflect with the lads and see where we are going."
'It would be easy to say job done'
Gleeson gave little away as to what his decision is likely to be.
"The management team behind me have given it a huge time and effort too. When we started this a few years ago and built it on from there, it's a long road.
"It needs reflection and it's easy saying that as an answer, but it needs reflection.
"It would be easy to say 'job done' but I need to give it the right thought. You have ups and downs, but I have to see what's going on in my own life."
It was a day for digging in on Sunday as Antrim simply had to avoid defeat in order to protect their place in the Leinster Championship.
Carlow were much sharper early on, but Antrim seemed to have a cutting edge in front of goal that yielded two goals apiece for Conal Cunning and James McNaughton, while a red card for Carlow's Chris Nolan before the start pf the second half after a flare-up at the half-time whistle was also a big moment.
But with the visitors still in the hunt for the win they needed to avoid the drop late on, Antrim managed to find the scores to see them home.
"We put in some really good spells of hurling, Carlow put in some massive spells as well and had us in all sorts of trouble early on," Gleeson added.
"I looked up at the scoreboard and it was 1-14 to 3-5. We were wasteful and they were clinical although we had a bit of a breeze coming out in the second half a point up having played against it.
"That stood to us and gave us a small bit of confidence coming out, but I always felt there was a gear there we could go up and were stuck between gears at times."
Nolan red card 'the turning point'
Gleeson said the enormity of the occasion had weighed on both sets of players but acknowledged that Nolan's red card at the start of the second had been a huge moment in the contest.
"There's so much peril there in that game for everybody and you could see that on the field.
"We are the two teams that have that peril hanging over them all season and if we don't get out business done early in the year, it's down to that one-game shootout where anything can happen.
"The altercation there at half-time was probably the turning point."
