Down survive in battle

Down survive in battle

5 April 2017

DOWN live to fight another day in Division 2 after Jerome Johnston’s last gasp point secured a draw and their status in the second tier for 2018.

With Derry beating Fermanagh and Clare suffering a defeat, Down finished level on five points with the Banner County and the Oak Leafers. However, their superior score difference ensured that Damien Barton’s Derry side would go down with Fermanagh.

Down can now look forward to games with Cavan, Roscommon, Tipperary, Louth, Clare, Cork and Meath next year.

Mourne manager Eamonn Burns was visibly elated with his team after their last gasp heroics.

“Cork got a goal and gave themselves a bit of breathing space,” he said. “But we talked at half-time about battling it out and I have to say that we couldn’t have asked any more of the team.”

Survival will put Down in better stead for the Ulster Championship clash with Armagh in June.

Jerome Johnston and his brother, Ryan, proved to be the real heroes for the Mourne men, combining for three points in the closing stages.

Cork looked to have done enough after hitting the net in the first half and then holding off an early second half rally from their opponents, but Down’s sheer resolve remained high until the very end.

Three Colm O’Neill frees and a John O’Rourke point nudged the Leesiders ahead by 0-4 to 0-1 early on, with Jerome Johnston having pointed the first score of the afternoon for the visitors.

Caolan Mooney and Darragh O’Hanlon (free) cut the gap to one before O’Neill made it a two-point game again.

The Mourne men looked to be in some trouble when Ruairí Deane hit their net after latching on to a superb pass from Paul Kerrigan.

A pointed long range free from Down ‘keeper Michael Cunningham left it at 1-6 to 0-5 at half-time.

Down flew out of the traps at the start of the second half. Scores from Barry O’Hagan, Mooney and Shea Millar looked like making it a whole new game but an equaliser was hard to come by and the pendulum swung back the way of the Rebels via points from Kerrigan and Keane.

Down boss Burns sent on Mark Poland to sharpen things up a bit in attack, with salient scores from Jerome Johnston (2) and Ryan Johnston to follow, making it 1-10 to 0-10 after Kerrigan and O’Rourke had struck Cork’s last two scores.

It left Down needing three points in the closing 10 minutes for survival and after Ryan Johnston’s second, brother Jerome nailed a pressure ‘45’ a minute from regulation.

Jerone got the opportunity for his fifth score of the afternoon with a difficult free from the right flank and he made no mistake in sending it over to make sure Down would still be operating in Division 2 in 2018.

Cork: K O’Halloran; M Shields, Tom Clancy, K Crowley; C O’Driscoll, J Loughrey, S Cronin; A O’Connor, R Deane (1-1); K O’Driscoll, J O’Rourke (0-1), I Maguire; C O’Neill (0-6, 4f), P Kelleher, P Kerrigan (0-2). Subs: A Walsh for O’Connor, D Og Hodnett for Kelleher, B O’Driscoll for Maguire, J O’Sullivan for Clancy, J McLoughlin for Shields, D O’Connor for O’Rourke.

Down: M Cunningham (0-1f); D O’Hagan, B McArdle, R McAleenan; D O’Hanlon (0-1f), C McGovern, J Flynn; C Mooney (0-2), P Turley; K McKernan, C Maginn, R Johnston (0-2); B O’Hagan (0-1), J Johnston (0-5, 4f, 1’45), S Millar (0-1). Subs: S Dornan for D O’Hagan, J Murphy for Flynn, M Poland for Maginn, A Davidson for Millar.

Cork 1-10

Down 0-13

NFL DIVISION 2