Allianz National Football League Division Two: Down 1-19 Cork 2-15
From Andy Watters at Pairc Esler
WHAT a turnaround. Down’s Division Two obituary was being written after half-an-hour but Conor Laverty’s men showed they’re up for the fight as they ripped up the script and came roaring back to win a thriller.
A game of football is won by doing thousands of little things right all over the field and the effort of a Down defender to get fingertips on a Cork shot ultimately earned the Mournemen this first win of their season.
The shot in question was by Cork goalkeeper Patrick Doyle. It was from outside the Arc and went over the Down bar but a two-point shot can’t be touched by any other player, so it counted as just one and Down won by one.
Yes, it’s all a bit technical but those are the new rules and practically the complete set was on show at Pairc Esler where the early season score-fests continued.
There were age-old qualities on display as well. Characteristics like guts and pride and Down showed both to turn what seemed certain defeat into victory.
The home side were second best by a distance for the first half-hour. Out-manoeuvred in midfield by a physically bigger Cork side, they were 10 points behind at one stage. Had Cork - cheered on by An Taoiseach Micheal Martin - been more ruthless with their finishing they would surely have gone on to win but they missed eight chances and the advent of the two-point score means that leads that once seemed unassailable are now achievable.
Down kicked five two-pointers in the second half and they, along with Danny Magill’s well-taken goal, a gutsy all-round team performance and a Cork wide at the death, were enough to send an encouraging crowd in Newry home happy.
“They showed great character,” said Down mentor Mickey Donnelly.
“We looked at last week (against Roscommon) and we felt we had done an awful lot of things well, but we came home with a seven-point defeat.
“We have good kickers. There’s a lot of people nationally who are very quick to say all the things that this Down team can’t do but in life you’ve got to focus on the things you can do and maximise them and we did that today.”
Cork had beaten Meath in their opener in two points in Newry would have stoked up their engine for a promotion challenge. Little wonder that manager John Cleary went home disappointed.
“There was a bit of a breeze there and Down had it in the second half,” said Cleary.
“If it was the old rules, you could shut up shop but you just can’t now. We knew they were going to come back at us and unfortunately we let it slip there in the end.
“It went down to the last kick and if it went over, we were going home with the two points but we go home with nothing. Happy with the display but frustrated we didn’t get anything out of today.”
His frustration was understandable because throughout most of the first half – and even in the second when Down had levelled but then fell five points behind again – Cork looked likely winners.
With no short kickouts allowed, the midfield battles are crucial and the Rebels dominated the battle for break-ball and created chance after chance in the first half-hour. Even though they took only 50 per cent of them, they still led by double figures points thanks to a goal from the lively Chris Og Jones and a series of two-pointers including two from Mark Cronin in as many minutes as Down were twice penalised for breaking the 3-v-3 rule.
Cork’s kick-passing was more accurate and two-pointers from Brian O’Driscoll and Sean McDonnell (Cork’s fifth of the first half) left them 1-11 to 0-4 ahead with half-time fast approaching.
Suddenly Down were able to get a foothold in midfield and slowly they dragged themselves back into the game. Pat Havern’s point was followed by a 45 from debutant Ronan Burns, who had replaced John O’Hare in goal.
Down won the next four Cork kickouts and created two goal chances. After Oisin Savage sent a shot whizzing just over the bar, Ryan McEvoy leapt to win the restart and Down could have been right back in it but Daniel Guinness spurned another goal chance when he blazed wide with his right foot.
His brother James finished better early in the second half with Down’s first two-point score and when Havern did the same the Newry crowd began to find their voice.
Havern, Daniel Guinness, Odhran Murdock and McEvoy battled furiously for kickouts and, in a flash, James Guinness reduced the arrears to two points after four action-packed second half minutes.
Sean Walsh and Cronin and then Danny Magill and Murdock traded scores before Havern, continuing his fine form from the opening weekend, converted a nerveless free to level it.
But the game swung Cork’s way again. They dug in and regained their midfield superiority.
Goalkeeper Doyle got forward and cracked in a shot but, crucially as it turned out, a Down defender’s touch meant it counted as one point, not two. Then Caolan Mooney’s pass was intercepted and Cork broke through the centre of Down defence and Sean McDonnell drilled in their second goal.
When Cronin added a free, the Rebels led by five but there was a sense that Down weren’t out of it.
Murdock, pushed up front, swung over his third point and then Daniel Guinness, who put in a tremendous second half shift, played in Danny Magill who stroked the ball into the Cork net to leave Down just one behind (1-17 to 2-15) with six minutes left.
It was nail-biting from there to the finish.
Magill was soon back in his own half to win the ball and Down released the tireless McEvoy. His shot hit both posts and bounced out but referee Barry Cassidy had been playing advantage and so Down had a free.
Havern took it from outside Arc, over it went and Down led by a point with just over a minute remaining.
The four minutes of additional time had been played when Cork forced a free just outside the Arc. A two-pointer would have won it for them but Brian O’Driscoll’s effort drifted wide and Down held on for a thrilling win that will send
Down: R Burns (0-1 45); P Fegan, R McEvoy, P McCarthy; G McKibbin, P Laverty, C Mooney; D Guinness, O Murdock (0-3); C Doherty (0-1), J Guinness (0-3, 0-2 2pt), D Magill (1-1); O Savage (0-2, 0-1 free), P Havern (0-8, 0-6 2pt, 0-1 free), R Magill
Subs: C McCrickard for McKibbin (HT), E Branagan for Mooney (56), A McClements for Savage (56), M Rooney for J Guinness (59)
Cork: P Doyle (0-1); M Shanley, D O’Mahony, N Lordan; B O’Driscoll (0-2, 2pt), R Maguire (0-2, 2pt), M Tailliur; S Walsh (0-1), C O’Callaghan; P Walsh, S Powter, E McSweeney (0-1); M Cronin (0-6, 0-4 2ptf), C Og Jones (1-0), S McDonnell (1-2, 0-2 2pt)
Subs: T Walsh for Powter (30), C O’Mahony for McSweeney (56), C Maguire for S Walsh (62), D Cashman for McDonnell (66)
Yellow card: S Walsh (48)
Referee: B Cassidy (Derry)
