Mourne men are on top

Mourne men are on top

18 March 2015

A DRAW against Meath in their penultimate league game will see Down return to the top table of league football.

Goals early in the second half from Arthur McConville and Donal O’Hare helped  Jim McCorry’s emerging side to a facile win over a disappointing Westmeath side in Mullingar.

Down led by 0-9 to 0-4 at the interval, having dominated long periods of the first half, playing some delightful football on the counterattack.  

Down were never troubled in the final quarter, adding a range of quality points after a demoralised home side, for whom Kevin Maguire was sent off in the 56th minute after picking up a second yellow card, faded away.

A point apiece from lively forwards Mark Poland and McConville in the opening three minutes set the tone for the first half.

Callum McCormack halved the deficit with a great score in the tenth minute, but the Down forwards were carving through the home defence with a swagger and deservedly led by 0-9 to 0-2 with 30 minutes gone.

Impressive Westmeath substitute Shane Dempsey opened his account in the 33rd minute before both sides missed glorious goal chances approaching the interval, McConville slapping the ball against the crossbar with a goal at his mercy, then Ray Connellan fumbling at the other end following a Westmeath counterattack.

Westmeath were made to pay a heavy price for their profligacy at the start of the second half when Down pounced for 2-1 between the 43rd and 45th minutes, courtesy of well-taken goals by McConville and Donal O’Hare, either side of a neat point from the ever-dangerous Conor Laverty.

This scoring blitz ended the game as a contest and it took a great save by Gary Connaughton from McConville to prevent a rampant side in red and black from raising a third green flag.

Three players went for early showers in a lifeless closing quarter. The respective number 11s, Ger Egan (Westmeath) and Kevin McKernan (Down) were shown black cards and the losers’ hard-working full back Kevin Maguire was red-carded in the 56th minute having picked up a second yellow.

In the closing stages, Dempsey increased his tally to three points for a well-beaten Westmeath side, who have now been dragged into a relegation dogfight following two heavy defeats on successive weekends. 

Down were well worth their victory as Westmeath just couldn’t cope with their attacking onslaught. McCorry’s men are on the charge and it will take something special to stop them in their tracks.

Down: S. Kane, G. Collins, L. Howard, D. Turley, P. Devlin (0-1, f), B. O’Hagan (0-2), C. Maginn, P. Turley, R. Mallon, C. McGovern, K. McKernan (0-1), M. Poland (0-3), C. Laverty (0-4), A. McConville (1-2), D. O’Hare (1-4, 0-1f). Subs: M. Magee for Mallon (59 mins), A. Carr for Poland (61 mins), C. Mooney for McKernan (BC, 61 mins), J. Johnston for McConville (63 mins), P. Downey for P. Turley (64 mins), R. McGarry for Laverty (70 mins).

Westmeath: G. Connaughton, M. McCallon, K. Maguire, K. Daly, P. Sharry, K. Martin, P. Holloway, D. Daly, R. Connellan (0-1, f), C. McCormack (0-2, 0-01‘45’), G. Egan, J. Gonoud, D. Glennon, J. Heslin (0-4, 0-3f, 0-1s/l), L. Smyth. Subs: D. McCormack for D. Daly, S. Dempsey (0-3) for Smyth (28 mins), F. Boyle for Holloway (35 mins), J. Gilligan for Egan (BC, 55 mins), J. Connellan for C. McCormack (58 mins).

Westmeath 0-10

Down 2-17

NFL DIVISION 2