Antrim will contest the Tommy Murphy Cup final at Croke Park on 4 August against Wicklow. It may not rank as the most significant occasion in the annals of Gaelic football, but for Antrim chairman John McSparren the game represents a hugely important forward step in the county's progress.

"We have to be realists in Antrim. To be truthful we have been left with no other choice. But that is a good thing.

We know where we stand and we certainly know where we want to arrive at, no matter how long the journey. Relegation to Division Four was not something we would have chosen at the start of the season.

That's obvious. However, once we did depart the Ulster Championship, we knew the Tommy Murphy Cup was going to be the objective.

"In the past I have been misquoted over the competition.

My criticism was based on the way it was originally organised. But nobody could ever argue against the value of the Tommy Murphy Cup from a participation viewpoint. It allows teams outside the centre of power to still have realistic Croke Park ambitions.

"For lads like Sean McGreevey, Joe Quinn and Kevin Brady it means everything. They have been associated with Antrim for a very long time. In terms of football they are approaching the twilight years of their careers.

"The fact that they are now able to play at Croke Park, with a national title at stake, is a great incentive. I doubt they ever really believed it was going to happen in their lifetime. The same applies to our supporters. For them to be able to go to Croke Park and support their team will be an unbelievable experience. The sales of Antrim shirts are already at an all-time high.

We expect that to continue right up to the final. That alone provides another great physiological lift."

At just 40, McSparren is the modern face of Gaelic games in Antrim. Since taking over two years ago he has had to struggle with more internal divisions than Stalin ever could. Innovative and imaginative, he has made the modernisation of Antrim his priority. It had been a county saddled with a reputation of reluctance to change. Last year Antrim drew up a Five Year Strategic Plan for development in the county. It is something McSparren is determined to see through during his term of office.

Despite the sceptics, that deep determination to fight the odds was underlined last month. The organisation of a Corporate Race Day at Down Royal last month, the first in the county's history, raised more than �150,000. With the original targets at �100,000, the success silenced the cowardly core of internet critics, those that delighted in the scheme's early difficulties.

Through all the early setbacks however, McSparren was convinced Antrim could turn the corner. The same approach that delivered at racecourse level can, he insists, eventually be replicated on the pitch.

"That took a lot of co-operation and hard work from a wide spread of clubs and individuals in the county. All of the money raised has already been ring-fenced to help implement all aspects of the plan.

"The objective in Antrim is to strengthen and develop all aspects of GAA in the county.

All of us that have the best interests of Antrim at heart have a big role to play."

The strategy is one that can be clearly read. The family doctor from the Glens has made the breaking down of suspicion between the various parts of Antrim's playing and administrative base his prescription for a healthier future. He is under no illusions, however, that the longterm health prognosis for Antrim football continues to be dependent on the recovery programme designed by manager Jody Gormley.

The Antrim chairman is convinced they have made the right choice in selecting the 36year-old former Tyrone midfielder. "His intercounty experience was restricted to that of being a member of the coaching staff with Down.

"At colleges level, however, he was able to guide Abbey CBS to both MacRory and Hogan Cup success. The thing that struck us as an interviewing panel was his sheer passion. He wanted to harness the relative strength of the club game in Antrim into the county context. He has always made it clear he expected players to work within the structures he laid down.

From the outset it didn't matter to Jody about reputations or about past baggage.

"During the National League it might have taken some time for his philosophy to get absorbed by all of the squad. New messages can be hard to take on board at the start of a reign. The focus however, and the application, has been there in the Tommy Murphy Cup. We have had to go all around the football map in beating Kilkenny, London and Clare to get to Croke Park.

"But who would have believed that at the start of the season Antrim would be in a position to challenge for a national football title."

Over the years Antrim have had to use their collection of wooden spoons to swallow bitter medicine. A long-term cure rests with a united injection of commitment. There is no alternative therapy.