Down battle to the end in thriller against Armagh

22 May 2019

LIONHEARTED Down roared from start to finish of this sizzling showdown at Pairc Esler on Sunday, but bravery and commitment just weren’t enough.

Paddy Tally’s charges ran themselves into the ground and despite being down to 14 men for half the game, somehow staged a dramatic late recovery to send the game to extra-time.

Down’s exertions finally told on them in two tense 10 minute periods as Armagh held on for victory and a place in the last four with the home side looking to regroup and go again in the All-Ireland Qualifiers.

Pairc Esler was as packed as you could get it for this high-octane derby and it was Armagh who got up and away early on with a sublime opening point from championship debutant Rian O’Neill.

Burren marksman Donal O’Hare opened Down’s account soon after with a free, but as Down retreated into their planned defensive shell, Armagh exploited errors and O’Neill again and Jamie Clarke plundered points apiece.

Down really had to work hard for possession and craft even harder for scoring opportunities, but points from Jerome Johnston and Conor Poland had the sides level at 0-3 apiece after 10 minutes.

James Morgan restored Armagh’s slender lead in the 11th minute before Connaire Harrison levelled yet again.

O’Neill edged Armagh into a 0-5 to 0-4 lead, but a typically swashbuckling run from Downpatrick’s Gerard Collins ended with Pat Havern flicking the ball to the net and put Down into the lead for the first time.

O’Hare added a free and Down fans dared to dream with their side 1-5 to 0-5 in front as half-time approached.

However, Armagh were not for rolling over just yet and points from O’Neill and Clarke left a single point between the sides at the break, 1-5 to 0-7.

The final piece of real action saw Down talisman Caolan Mooney receiving a straight red card for a foul on Nugent, leaving his side to face the entire second half with only 14 men.

Nugent registered the first score of the second half to level matters, but despite Harrison putting Down back in front, O’Neill pegged Down back yet again with another free. Johnston then pointed Down into a 1-7 to 0-9 lead after 42 minutes, but further disaster was just around the corner for Tally’s terriers.

Minutes after goalkeeper Rory Burns received a black card, points from O’Neill, Ryan Kennedy and Stefan Campbell were added to by a goal from Mark Shields and suddenly there was daylight between the sides with Armagh rushing into a 1-12 to 1-7 lead.

That should have been curtains for Down, but fortune favours the brave.

Bredagh’s Conor Francis swapped points with O’Neill before Donal O’Hare threw the cat among the pigeons when he netted with a poacher’s strike and leave two points in it with less than five minutes remaining.

Down couldn’t get back on level terms, could they?

Yes they could and did with inspirational scores from Paul Devlin and Carryduff’s James Guinness to leave it all square at 2-10 to 1-13 and so to extra-time.

Down were back to the full compliment for extra time and with Ryan Mallon coming in for dismissed Caolan Mooney they blasted their way to a three-point lead with scores from Devlin, James Guinness and Barry O’Hagan.

A shell shocked Armagh managed to reduce the leeway to two points with a score from Ryan Kennedy, but they still went into the second period of added time trailing by two points.

The atmosphere had been electric throughout this sizzling encounter, but by the time the referee started the second period of extra-time, it had gone ballistic in the stands.

Down players were out on their feet and Armagh took full advantage with Stefan Campbell, super sub Andrew Murnin scoring a goal and a point inside two minutes and O’Neill tagging on another point, Armagh, were in seventh heaven with time practically up.

Hold on — Down just refused to lie down and a goal from Devlin sent both sets of supporters into a nervous frenzy.

With just a point separating the sides, Down tried desperately to get the ball off Armagh, who were running g the clock down, but Kieran McGeeney’s side improved dramatically on their game management operations this time and closed the tie out with the minimum of fuss.

Down: Rory Burns, Ruairi Wells, Kevin McKernan, Gerard Collins, Conor Francis (0-1), Darren O’Hagan, Ryan McAleenan, Caolan Mooney, Conor Poland (0-1), Connaire Harrison (0-1), Conor Maginn, Daniel Guinness, Jerome Johnston (0-2, 1f), Pat Havern (1-1), Donal O’Hare (1-2, 2f). Subs: James Guinness (0-2) for Wells, Owen McCabe for Poland (blood), Barry O’Hagan (0-1) for Maginn, Mark Hynes for Burns (black card), Paul Devlin (1-2, 2f) for Johnston, Corey Quinn for Havern, Owen McCabe for Poland, Poland for J Guinness, Havern for Mallon, Johnston for O’Hare.

Armagh: Blaine Hughes, Patrick Burns, Brendan Donaghy, Paul Hughes, Ryan Kennedy (0-2), Aaron McKay, Aidan Forker, Charlie Vernon, Jarlath Og Burns, Jemar Hall, Ethan Rafferty, Aidan Nugent (0-1), Rory Grugan, Rian O’Neill (0-8, 4f), Jamie Clarke(0-2). Subs: James Morgan (0-1) for Burns, Mark Shields (1-0) for Vernon, Joe McIlroy for Hughes, Stefan Campbell (0-2) for Rafferty, Stephen Sheridan for Kennedy, Greg McCabe for Hall, Vernon for Forker, Kennedy for Nugent, Ben Crealey for Sheridan, Andrew Murnin (1-1) for McCabe, Rafferty for Grugan.

Down 3-13

Armagh 2-17

ULSTER SFC QUARTER-FINAL

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