BY ALAN RODGERS

A.RODGERS@GAELICLIFE.COM

JUST one more win is all that Antrim need now to put the finishing touches on a National League campaign which has brought renewed hope in the county's prospects as the Ulster championship looms.

They are currently joint top of Division Four alongside Offaly. Tipperary are next up in Clonmel on Sunday, but there's no sense of celebration just yet.

On pape it seems unlikely that matters will go terribly wrong at this stage. Nevertheless, the air of caution remains, especially with two games still remaining after this weekend's fixtures.

Sharpshooting attacker Paddy Cunningham is relishing the new confidence in the ranks of the Saffrons. Their efforts to date are providing the ideal preparation for the big challenges ahead later in the season.

""What we have to remember is that Tipperary were more or less the same position as ourselves until they slipped up at Carlow last weekend. They'll be out to regain that ground on Sunday," he said.

"At the moment we need only one more point to see us win promotion. So it's a case of concentrating on getting the win that's required.

"The strange thing is that we've probably done better against the stronger teams in the division. With all due respect to Kilkenny and London, we maybe struggled a bit even though the margin of victory was pretty big.

"I suppose the wins over Wicklow and Clare at the start really set us up. We're playing well at the moment and a good spread of players are taking scores.

"Our only setback was the draw with Offaly, but then conditions were very poor that night in Casement Park. It's all about keeping the bigger picture of promotion and the championsip in mind," he added.

Under the management of Jody Gormley, Antrim have recovered in fine fashion from the substantial blow of losing last year's Tommy Murphy Cup Final in such dramatic circumstances to Wicklow. Since then the progress of that Croke Park appearance has been consolidated with a reasonable Gaelic Life Dr McKenna Cup and a run of good league performances.

Players such as Cunningham himself, Justin Crozier, Joe Quinn, Kevin Niblock and Michael McCann have been at the forefront of the revival.

Now the prospect of a National League title and a good run into the championship is within reach.

"It has been a long time since Antrim have gone through a competition unbeaten. Last year was very much a case of settling in and this year it's a case of trying to improve even more," he continued.

"To get to a National League Final and maybe even win it would be a great achievement. The teams in Division Four are all fairly evenly balanced and the likes of Tipperary and Offaly have made their mark in the championship during the past decade or so.

"It would mean the world for us to win a National League title. You don't get trophies all that often with Antrim and we have to make the most of this opportunity.

"At the moment the championship is also a target for us. We've Cavan in the first round and I would be confident that we'll be ready to give that match our best shot. The bonus is that we'll also have a second chance no matter what happens as well."

For a county starved of footall success it promises to be an interesting couple of months for the Antrim men.