Heartbreak for young Mourne men

11 August 2021

DOWN U-20 footballers had their hopes of All-Ireland glory dashed by a late Roscommon rally at Kingspan Breffni Park on Saturday.

Despite narrowly leading at the interval thanks to a goal from skipper Shealan Johnston and being ahead on the scoreline with just the final quarter to play, the Mourne county couldn’t get over the line and had no reply to numerous late Roscommon scores.

In what was a fast paced encounter from the first whistle, both sides started sharply out of the starting blocks and treated their respective travelling fans to a real footballing spectacle.

Down’s Danny Magill opened the scoring with a confidently taken point with just three minutes played, before possession was shared throughout the park with both teams seeking out their teammates to settle any early nerves.

John McGovern doubled his side’s tally six minutes later before James Fitzpatrick broke through on goal and fired past ‘keeper Charlie Smyth into the net to give the Rossies a one-point lead.

Roscommon extended their lead after the water break with a point from Ben O’Carroll and a double from Daire Cregg before Saul clubman Ruairí O’Hare answered back for Conor Laverty’s men.

Down’s midfield duo of Tom Close and Ordhán Murdock showed their toughness and never let the game slip away as a contest.

Down keeper Charlie Smyth fired a free over the opposing crossbar before Paddy Gavin replied for the Connacht champions.

Downpatrick’s Tom Smyth then added his name to the scoreline just before the halfway mark, with Down still trailing by two as they continued to close the gap.

Another local lad made his presence known was St John’s player Andrew Gilmore, who knocked over a point to cut the deficit by half before Kilcoo’s Johnston rattled the net in additional time of the first half to swing the tie in the Mourne side’s favour.

Down now had their tails up but it was clear a spot in the All-Ireland final was not secure by any stretch of the imagination. Halftime: Down 1-7 Roscommon 1-5.

Roscommon returned to the pitch with intent, which was evident when O’Carroll found the space between the posts just a minute after.

Captain Johnston replied for Down before Roscommon manager Liam Tully made a pivotal decision, subbing on Charlie Carthy for Darragh Heneghan in the 41st minute.

Two Roscommon scores meant there was a mere point splitting the sides at the second waterbreak before Smyth converted a free to give Down a bit of breathing space.

With five minutes remaining of regulation time, Down were desperately trying to stop the relentless attack of the opposition, as a sea of yellow bodies attacked in waves at the Mourne defence.

The impressive Cregg knocked over a free before Gavin levelled the tie with 27 minutes of the second half played.

Adam McDermott edged Roscommon in front before officials announced there would be six additional minutes left to play.

The travelling Down fans played every bit of their part and tried to inject some life back into the tiring Mourne legs as Roscommon goal scorer Fitzpatrick saw his effort sail over the bar with three minutes left to play.

Substitute Carthy made sure manager Tully made the right decision bringing him off the bench, scoring a crucial point from play.

Now three points adrift, Down had to throw caution to the wind and commit every able body they had forward, including ‘keeper Smyth as they desperately searched for a goal.

McDermott capitalised on this vulnerability and managed to carry the ball 40 metres up the pitch before firing into the empty net to break Down hearts.

In the midst of the madness, Down’s defence had disintegrated in their final charge forward and goal scorer Johnston was shown a red card by referee David Murnane before teammate Close suffered a similar fate with one minute remaining.

Roscommon now advance to the All-Ireland final where they will meet Offaly in Croke Park to see who will be crowned U-20 champions for this season.

Down: C Smyth (0-2, 2f); T Fettes, L Toal, R Magill; T Smyth (0-1), P McCarthy, A Morgan; O Murdock, T Close; R O’Hare (0-2, 1f), S Johnston (1-0), J McGovern (0-1); A Gilmore (0-2, 1f), E Brown, D Magill (0-2).

Subs: P McMullan for T Fettes (20), S Óg McCusker for D Magill (44), S Croskery for Brown (48), J Clarke for J McGovern (54), J Murtagh for R O’Hare (59).

Roscommon: C Carroll; C Lohan, C Walsh, D Gaughan; P Gavin (0-2), R Fallon, T Crean; E Crawley, K Doyle; D Heneghan, J Fitzpatrick (1-1), D Cregg (0-5, 1f) ; B O’Carroll (0-2, 1f), A McDermott (1-1), R Dolan (0-1).

Subs: C Carthy for D Heneghan (19-21, temp) S Trundle for E Crawley (41), C Carthy (0-1) for D Heneghan (41), J Lohan for T Crean (44), D Wynne for R Dolan (45), J Doory for D Gaughan (53).

Referee: David Murnane (Cork).

Down 1-10

Roscommon 2-13

U-20 ALL-IRELAND SEMI-FINAL

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