On Sunday, the Antrim footballers will resume what has become a trail of tears. Not since 1982, when they were provincial semi-finalists, have they generally been considered a threat. Since then they have accumulated scarcely more than 25 championship hours, all of which are punctuated by close runs, near misses and horrible collapses. Always the same result. It is quite simply a streak, a miserable history which does not justly reflect the football talent which has emerged in the county over the past two generations. Over the past year, current manager Brian White has stoked the embers of the current brood and guided them to the All-Ireland B championship and they wintered through a fairly steady league campaign in the lower divisions. While the general expectation is that Down, despite their own decline, will win in Casement Park, the feeling around Belfast is that this year would be as good a time as any for Antrim to break the hex.

"If Down play badly and Antrim perform very well, then, yeah, I could see it happen," admitted former manager John O'Haire a little hesitantly.

O'Haire is one of the many who have stood, arms outstretched, willing to bear the weight of Antrim football only to find themselves floored by the impact. Managing the county has proven a frustrating and impassable minefield in recent years, with complex problems.

John Morrison, one of the many who threw their best intentions in the ring, sighs at the thought of them.

"The divisions within the county, with Belfast and the southwest as a football district and the north exclusively a hurling domain hasn't helped.

"The club scene isn't strong enough. When I was playing back in 1982, St Gall's had just won an Ulster club championship," counters O'Haire.

"The county board were reluctant to address the reason why the county side spent so long on the doldrums and tended to equate the effort necessary with club success with that needed for county success. And of course there is a huge chasm," says Morrison.

"I think the Troubles had a fair bit to do with it. There was a fair bit of travel commitment involved and lads were more reluctant to undertake it after a while," remembers O'Haire.

The reasons, like the match scores which underline the lament, meander endlessly. On some Sundays, Antrim teams used do everything except win.

"There has been wretched luck in recent times," O'Haire says. "There has never been a huge gulf in terms of scores. My first year, we ran Donegal to within three points when they were All-Ireland champions. It was the same the following year. I think that there has been a genuine difficulty in finishing games after we fight to put ourselves in positions from which they might have won. As a manager, you tried to ensure that the players weren't conscious of the county history but it probably plays a part."

When Morrison took charge, he attempted to initiate a comprehensive and professional regime for the squad. Training sessions were rigorous and unstinting. A team psychologist was brought in. Prime-time sides were sought out for challenge games.

"I remember we played Meath shortly before the outset of the 1996 championship. Afterwards, Sean Boylan said that he found his 15th player that day. He came into the lads afterwards and spoke for a while and it gave them a real lift. I did fancy us to win the first game against Cavan after that. And as usual we competed, scored 1-11.

"But I think that almost all of that was from play, we couldn't land any of our frees. And in contrast, Ronan Carolan kicked everything for Cavan. They won by four points."

Antrim's unlucky-dip is full of such rueful reflections. And if there is some semblance of optimism about the prospect of Down at home this weekend, it is half-fearful.

"Antrim have played in the last two minor finals and the nucleus of that squad is starting to come through," offers O'Haire.

"The team has a settled look under Brian (White) and if all of Antrim's key players show up on Sunday, you would wonder if Down would have the answer to it. But winning that one game won't solve everything. We still need to redress the problems at root level, as they have begun to in Fermanagh. Winning on Sunday will take away the legacy that's built up over the years but it won't win us an Ulster championship."

Antrim have not left the North for an All-Ireland football semi-final since 1951. Even before Ulster re-emerged with genuine All-Ireland contenders at the beginning of the last decade, Antrim were always the poor relations, an afterthought along with Fermanagh.

"When you look at what Pat King has done there recently, you have to take encouragement from it. Fermanagh have had problems similar to our own and also the added disadvantage of their geographical situation, with a lot of players having to travel for training sessions. With most of our lads working in or around Belfast, that really isn't an issue for us. We ought to be able to get it running properly again," says O'Haire.

John Morrison will be in Casement on Sunday. Although not from the county, he keeps a tight eye on his former charges.

"It's nice to see the likes of Kevin Madden and Joe Quinn and Enda McLarnon coming into their own now. Once you get to know the Antrim football scene, it is impossible not to care for it. Like anywhere, they have great characters, men like Gerry Barry, who really care about the county. Yeah, I have great affection for Antrim football. I'd gladly go back there."