Ian O'Riordan talks to dual player Karl Stewart ahead of today's final in Croke Park

The only problem with a team like St Gall's making the All-Ireland club final is that hardly anyone recognises the players. It's not just that they come from Antrim, one of the least successful counties in club football, but also because their location in west Belfast is heavily populated with rival clubs. Unless you were born and raised on the same streets they're all complete strangers.

Even some of the closest supporters of Antrim football would struggle to identify many of the St Gall's players. And this, of course, totally contrasts with Salthill-Knocknacarra, their opponents in Croke Park this afternoon, who have several players recognisable all over the country.

That was fully evident in Dublin last week, when Karl Stewart was in town to collect his AIB "provincial player of the year" award. Stewart has been top scorer for St Gall's during their impressive run to the final, totalling 1-12 from the likes of Tyrone's Carrickmore, Down's Mayobridge and Derry's Bellaghy. Yet with all the self-proclaimed experts of GAA in the house no one had a clue what he looked like.

There is nothing more embarrassing for these experts than asking a player who he is, especially when he's there to collect a major award. Stewart was more than humble enough to step forward, happy to provide all the necessary background to both his own affiliation with St Gall's and that of his team-mates.

"Sure I'd be realistic to know where that is coming from," he admitted. "Antrim don't feature when it comes to intercounty level at the minute, but there is a lot of work going on behind the scenes. We might be even closer than five years away with the qualifiers. Hopefully, we'll get a better run there this year.

"And I know we've been described as being from the backwaters of football. No one ever gives us a chance. But our manager John Rafferty never lets us believe we can't win a game. So every game we play there is great self-assurance there.

"And John is very good on the psychology element of preparing teams. I think that's one of the main downfalls in Antrim at the minute. People fear other teams. We don't go out fearing anyone. Hopefully, it will pay off for us in the end."

Unlike most clubs, St Gall's wouldn't necessarily have any strict parish lines. Their area of west Belfast was too concentrated to really allow that, and instead the club draws its players based largely on family or schooling background.

"There are about five big clubs very close together. You have St John's, O'Donovan Rossa, St Paul's, Sarsfields and ourselves would be the main clubs. But then there's McDermott's, Mitchels, Davitts, O'Donnell's and a lot of small clubs like that.

"Rossa are just at the top of the lane from us, and John's is nearby, so it's all one big parish really between Andersonstown, Lower Falls, and Poleglass. We draw mostly from the Falls Road, but also the St Gall's School, though it just closed down last year."

For those who do recognise him, Stewart is probably noted as a hurler as much as a footballer, and he's likely to continue his dual role with the county through the summer. It's only this year that his hurling has really been put into the background, and part of that has to do with the newfound dedication instilled by Rafferty, who took over from Mickey Culbert as club manager in November 2004.

"We got beaten in the Ulster final two years ago, but we've been pushing for it for the last five years now, since our first Antrim championship in 2001. It's been a long road with so many of us playing county football and hurling on top of everything.

"But we haven't rested on our laurels, just because we've won the Ulster title. I mean we were down on the beach in Newcastle at nine on New Year's morning. So to win the All-Ireland for Antrim now, well I don't think anything else would mean as much."

Success this afternoon would make them the first Antrim club to win the All-Ireland - and easily mark the brightest point of GAA history in the area. But in many ways that would mirror the success of Armagh champions Crossmaglen, who shared a similarly troubled background to collect the title in 1997 and again in 1999 and 2000.

"Well I don't know if our struggle has been as public as Crossmaglen," said Stewart. "But we're right on the Falls Road beside Milltown Cemetery. One of our committee members, Ben Hughes, was killed by the UVF 10 or 15 years ago so it's been tough enough. And sure the threats were regular.

"But it's the same for every club in Antrim, mainly the clubs in Belfast. There's been a lot of hassle through the Troubles. But St Gall's is a strong club that never really got involved in the Troubles.

"There were a few members behind bars but we never really got involved in it, just kept playing the football because that's what we're good at."