Down Ladies fall short in terrific battle with Tyrone

Down Ladies fall short in terrific battle with Tyrone

11 June 2025

DO or die was the message coming out of the Down camp last week as they faced Tyrone at Pairc Esler.

Despite having the chances to win last time out against Westmeath, the painful loss meant they had to avoid defeat against Tyrone to have any chance of progression in the All-Ireland Intermediate Championship. 

This was always going to be incredibly tight game, as a single, extra-time point in Down’s favour was the difference when these teams last met in the Ulster semi-final, and it proved to be exactly that.

Tyrone were stronger in the opening few minutes, with Aoibhinn McHugh, Niamh O’Neill, Aoife Horisk and centre forward Sorcha Gormley all shining for the visitors.

O’Neill opened the scoring for Tyrone and but for wayward shooting, the visitors should have added another two scores to that single point. 

The early Tyrone pressure was turned on its head with seven minutes on the clock. A nice interchange of hand-passing between Meghan Doherty and Niamh King fed Niamh Rice through on goal. 

As the Rostrevor forward was about to pull the trigger, she was bundled over by a lunge from Tyrone’s Michaela Moore and referee Antony Marron had no hesitation in awarding the spot kick. 

Burren’s Eimear Fitzpatrick showed no sign of pressure after last week’s saved penalty, confidently blasting the ball into the corner of the net for a vital Down goal.

Fitzpatrick followed up with two converted frees in quick succession, extending the Down lead.

Tyrone almost hit back with a goal of their own when Horisk unleashed a powerful drive that was heading into the top corner, but Down goalkeeper Cara Bradley stuck out an outstretched hand to tip the ball over for a single.

Horisk was denied another goal chance when good work from Clara Mulvenna closed down the Errigal Ciaran forward. 

However, play was pulled back for Tyrone to convert the free and leave Down with 1-02 to Tyrone 0-3 advantage.

Down pressed forward again and as the Tyrone defence opened up in front of Ciara McCreaner, the Bredagh defender gladly accepted the invitation to shoot and cleared the bar. 

Tyrone reeled Down back in with three late converted frees, with the last one, on the stroke of half-time, sending the teams in level. 

Fitzpatrick has been deadly from frees all season, and she opened the second half scoring with another long-range dead ball.

Tyrone began to step up the pressure, with Aoibhinn McHugh’s powerful run and clever hand pass providing Sorcha Gormley with the space she needed to bury the ball into the net.

Down hit back with yet another Fitzpatrick free, but that was cancelled out by Tyrone’s O’Neill, who must have one of the best left foots in ladies football.

Player of the match Gormley got another point as she raced through the middle. The Tyrone forward’s pace and work-rate gave the Down defence no respite throughout the game.

Down were working incredibly hard and a patient build-up paid dividends when King found a touch of space and cleared the black spot to bring Down to within two of the visitors.

Fitzpatrick and Horisk exchanged frees, before danger woman Gormley pointed again. Castlewellan’s King did well getting a shot off at full pace and keep Down in touch, but three unanswered Tyrone points followed.

It looked like the game had slipped away from Down, however, a bit of magic from Rice got Down a much-needed penalty and a lifeline back into the game. 

Rice weaved her way past several Tyrone defenders and was brought down. Substitute Aine Smyth dispatched the penalty to reduce the gap to two.

With time running low, Down pushed bodies forward and left gaps in defence, which Aoife McGahan exploited this to slot over for the visitors.

A few scrambled balls into the Tyrone square in added time were well dealt with, denying Down the goal they so desperately needed. 

It was not to be for the hosts, as Tyrone held to win by three points in this highly entertaining battle. 

The large crowd, although disappointed, were well entertained by two cracking teams. Tyrone now face Westmeath in a group decider, while Down face a relegation play-off to stay in next year’s Intermediate Championship.

Down: C Bradley, A Greene, N McGrath, N McClory, C Mulvenna, A Brogan, E Sands, M Doherty, A Laverty, E Fitzpatrick, L Duffy, N Burns, N.King, N Rice, V McCormack, C McCreanor, A Smyth.

Tyrone: A Coyle, J Lyons, G McKenna, E Quinn, S McCarroll, M Moore, C Canavan, A McHugh, M Mallon, E McNamee, S Gormley, A Horisk, N O’Neill, C McCrossan, C Coulton, A McGahan.