Down hoping for flying start

Down hoping for flying start

23 May 2018

DOWN’S quest for Ulster Senior Football Championship glory starts on Saturday.

That’s when Eamon Burns’ side sets out on their journey for the Anglo Celt Cup with a quarter-final tie at Pairc Esler against Antrim.

The Saffrons are not expected to provide serious opposition to Down’s progression, but stranger things have happened at sea.

New manager Lenny Harbinson, who guided St Gall’s to All-Ireland Club glory in 2010, is a shrewd tactician and knows exactly how to throw a spanner in Down’s works.

It has been almost 25 years since Down last won an Ulster title and Burns was in that all-conquering team that went on to lift the Sam Maguire Cup.

It’s a different matter for Down these days and relegation into Division 3 of the Allianz NFL back in April was a hard pill to swallow.

Down have managed to get to five Ulster finals since last winning the Ulster title, but they have come up short on each occasion and only the most optimistic supporter believes that this will be the year to take the Anglo Celt Cup back to the Mournes.

Down’s bid to make a good start to the campaign has suffered a devastating blow ahead of the big showdown with news that Darragh O’Hanlon, the side’s martinet, could be ruled out with a back injury.

There are even fears that the wing back from Kilcoo, one of the most consistent performers in the Down camp over the past few years, could miss the entire season with what is believed to be a slipped disc. 

To make matters even worse, Kilcoo’s Aaron Morgan and Jerome Johnston are also ruled out with injury.

Antrim also have a few injury worries and Harbinson looks likely to be without St Gall’s pair CJ McGourty and Sean Burke.

The talismanic McGourty has apparently not trained with the Saffrons since their final league outing against Limerick on March 25 and the game against Down could be coming too soon for him.

A groin injury looks set to rule out midfielder Burke from the trip to Newry, but there is some good news for Antrim supporters in that captain Kevin O’Boyle looks set to recover from a recent knock he picked up on club duty.

Antrim will not be able to spring any surprises on Down come 7pm on Saturday as former manager and Downpatrick De La Salle High School teacher Gearoid Adams is now part of the Down management team.

He knows the Antrim players inside out and that knowledge should be invaluable to Burns who is expected to stick with the players who performed in the recent NFL games, despite being relegated.

Bryansford’s Marc Reid is favourite to get the number one shirt ahead of Glasdrumman’s Shane Harrison, but it is then anyone’s guess as who will start in the full back line.

Castlewellan’s Colm Flanagan, who impressed in the league campaign, Benny McArdle and former skipper Darren O’Hagan should also be handed starts with Caolan Mooney, Niall Donnelly and Anthony Doherty manning the half back positions, while Davy McKibben, Kevin McKernan and Ruari Wells are ready to step up to the plate if required.

Downpatrick’s Peter Turley, still one of the best fielders in the game, is expected to start in the middle of the field alongside Niall McParland. Consideration will be given to including McKibben and McKernan in the starting 15.

The Down attack came in for criticism during the NFL campaign and Burns will be mindful of the profligacy in three or four games that actually cost his side their tenure in Division 2.

The six forwards should be led by Bryansford’s Conor Maginn, the team’s playmaker. He could be joined in the half forward line by Shane Millar, McKernan and Ryan Johnston.

Up top, Burren marksman Donal O’Hare should team up with Connaire Harrison, the undoubted star of last year’s campaign, with Sean Dornan or Johnston filling the number 15 shirt. 

Antrim will start with either Chris Kerr or Andrew Hassan in goal. They could be fronted by a combination of Niall Delargy, Mark Sweeney, Conall Lennon, Declan Lynch and James Laverty with Niall McKeever, Sean Burke and Sean McVeigh tasked with negating Turley’s influence on the game.

Antrim will look to Matt Fitzpatrick, Odhran Eastwood, Peter Healy, Ryan Murray and Ruairi McCann for scores, but they will find that hard against Down’s defensive system.

Nothing less than an win will do if Down harbour any thoughts of going the distance this year — here’s hoping. 

Down’s last Ulster Championship game against Antrim was in 2000 at Casement park when the Saffrons upset the odds with a 0-13 to 1-7 — a first Ulster SFC win for  Brian White’s side in 18 years. 

Down’s last Ulster SFC home game against Antrim was in Newry in 1999 and Down won by 1-15 to 0-14 with Mickey Linden scoring the only goal of the game.

This championship game was the first meeting between the two counties for 23 years since 1976 when Willie Walsh and Peter Rooney ruled the roost up from for Down.

The sides have met on 27 occasions in the Ulster Championship and Antrim lead with 14 wins to Down’s 13. Antrim have won 10 Ulster titles, mostly between 1900 and 1950, while Down have won 12 Ulster titles — all between 1950 and 2000.

The sides met in the All-Ireland Qualifiers in 2011 when Down won by 3-13 to 0-10. The Down goals were scored by Caolan Mooney, Martin Clarke, Conor Laverty, while Mark Poland scored 0-4. 

Of the 25 Down players on the match programme that day seven years ago, there are five in the current panel — Brendan McArdle, Kevin McKernan, Darren O’Hagan, Conor Maginn, and Caolan Mooney.