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Glen were only going to win the game if Glass dominated midfield. He hit one fine free, and got a brilliant point from play, but was otherwise crowded out of it and seldom managed a forward run. Even if Kilcoo had not come up with the goal, their pace and calmness in possession would have got them over the line.

The fact that Leeds fans were celebrating so enthusiastically today after a narrow win over the worst team in the division shows what a tough season it has been so far. It was still a crucial result, as we could otherwise have been in the bottom three after ten games. Injuries and loss of form have hit a small squad very hard and we have to hope that Bamford in particular is back shortly. The next three games, at home to Leicester and away to Spurs and Brighton, were all lost last season so there is a long way to go. However, Raphinha is playing out of his skin, and, if he stays fit, we have a chance of edging up the table. It is likely that he will be on his way in the summer and the transfer fee should be the biggest the club has ever received by a huge margin.

From the 05 team, Colgan, Rogers, Laverty, Carr, Mark Poland, McGovern and Clarke all went on play senior championship football. The 09 team produced Turley, Hanna, Fitzpatrick, Murphy, Maginn, O'Reilly, Devlin, McComiskey and Conor Poland who did likewise. Those are excellent returns from underage squads, and both sides were full of quality.

It was a big result at Elland Road on Saturday, and should have steadied the ship after going the first six games without a win. Leeds were not playing badly but the combination of wasting chances at one end, conceding sloppy goals at the other and missing key players can easily lead to a relegation struggle. Although Watford were poor, it all seemed very similar to the last couple of seasons in the championship when Leeds would dominate matches, fail to put opponents away and drop crucial points. It would be a relief if Rodrigo managed to get on the scoreboard soon as it looks like it could be a while before Bamford is back, and, apart from Raphina, we have few other reliable finishers. However, the next run of fixtures should offer the potential for at least some further progress.

It's a little surprising that Truth Hurts is absolutely convinced Conor Deegan is going to be the new Down manager but does not know how to spell his name.

Both sides missed plenty of chances, but the points from relatively easy positions which went astray when we were three up in the final quarter were crucial. Our discipline was excellent in Ulster so it is a pity that it disappeared in the closing stages today. However, a provincial championship is a rare achievement for Down at any level so congratulations to everyone involved in a great run which for the first time in quite a while has provided us with some excellent senior prospects. The fact that Roscommon had two weeks to prepare, while we were taken to extra time a week ago, was pretty clearly a factor. Our generally poor record on heavy pitches is a debate for another day, so good luck in the final to a fine Roscommon team.

While there is a strong case for not responding to the likes of Befair, it should still be pointed out that our present u20s probably include a wider range  of clubs than any other Down squad in recent years. When Befair refers to the demise of east Down, he must have forgotten about Kilcoo. Walter asks about under age representation from Bredagh and Carryduff, so Lorcan Toal started for Down last night, and got better and better as the game went on. Our minors had a bad night against Tyrone but both midfielders and the full forward were from the Belfast neighbours.

Quite a performance tonight from what is clearly the best underage team we have produced since the 2005 AI minor champions. They were a brilliantly organised side, with every player comfortable on the ball and confident in the system. Monaghan put in a massive effort in the most difficult of circumstances, but just a little more calmness by our forwards would have finished the contest comfortably in normal time. However, extra time was a clinical exercise with our ability to retain possession and use our pace hugely impressive. O'Hare was a well deserved man of the match, and his interview afterwards was also exceptional, but there were plenty of other fine performances and Gilmore coming off the bench was a game changer. While the AI semi against Roscommon is only a week away, we have a serious management unit and the squad will be well up for it.

Big surprise to see Murdoch on the bench tomorrow, as he would have been regarded as an almost certain starter if fit. However, Tally deserves credit for a bold move in giving championship debuts to the Liatroim pair of McCrickard and Middleton. They will bring the physical presence we need to be competitive, although the possibility of a couple of late switches can never be ruled out.

Smurfy's bitter disappointment that Down were not relegated to D3 must have affected this memory when he said we were comfortable when we were in D1 `not too long ago.'
We have only been in D1 for one season out of the last eight, back in 2016, when we managed to lose all seven of our games.
Tally inherited a squad which had just been relegated to D3, and has since managed to get us back to D2 and then consolidate our position there for another year.
The season before he came in, we were demolished by Donegal in the USC, even though we had an extra man for practically the entire match.
Our USC record since then is that we lost to Armagh by a point after extra time in 2019, and then beat Fermanagh before losing to Cavan by a point last year.
We have a long way to go, and there have been plenty of setbacks along the way, but the suggestion that `we have not improved one bit' since the 2018 collapse against Donegal is ludicrous.
The reality is that division two is our optimum level at the moment. We have a decent group of committed young players who are capable of further progress next year, but we are not close to being among the top ten sides in the country, regardless of who is in charge, and criticising the team for failing to get to the top division makes no sense.

That was a decent performance from Down in hugely pressurised circumstances so full credit to the squad and management. We managed to give away two poor goals, but Laois effectively handed two back to us, and Down were good value for the win in the end. We still could have lost, if it had not been for three brilliant saves from Burns, while Kerr was outstanding and Barry O'Hagan was excellent from both frees and open play. Our second goal was pretty bizarre, with Mooney making a mess of an attempt to fist a point and the Laois keeper somehow fumbling the ball into the net. We have nothing to lose against Donegal, who are likely to be at a different level, but today was a day when the only thing that mattered was the result.

Burns was our man of the match by some distance in an absolutely crazy match. We were eight up in the third quarter and completely dominating, after Westmeath got a black card, and it should have been just a question of game management. However, the wind seemed to get stronger, the familiar gaps started to appear in our defence and a brilliant Westmeath goal gave them all the momentum. The excellent penalty save from Burns gave us some respite, but he had to make another couple of fine stops, there was another shot blocked on the line and a Westmeath forward palmed the ball on to the crossbar. At the other end, Kerr overcarried the ball when a goal seemed certain and Darren O'Hagan missed an equally good chance. Eight minutes of injury time was announced and the referee actually managed to play ten, but we just about got over the line. There were some outstanding blocks and tackles in the dying stages as well as some panicky mistakes, and a relegation playoff against Laois is probably the outcome we wanted. If we stay up, we will have done it the hard way.

Suggestions that Leeds might run out of steam have been well and truly dispelled, as we are finishing the season on a brilliant run of form with a top ten position guaranteed and, depending on other results, eighth still a possibility. It was not a great performance at Southampton, but the level of confidence in the squad eventually produced the win. Roberts has been unlucky not to score in the Premiership but deserved his injury time goal, and the highlight for most Leeds fans would have been Berardi returning a year after his cruciate injury. He was a warrior during many of the bad years in the championship, and, with his contract up as his 33rd birthday approaches, it was great to see him proving he is capable of playing at the top level. Bielsa has done an incredible job and all the indication are that he will extend his contract.

Today was very disappointing but not particularly surprising. We have struggled to deal with kick outs under successive managers and we are not producing midfielders who have either the size or the technique needed in the modern game. It would be wrong to completely blame Burns, who frequently had little to aim at, but the leading keepers are capable of organising their teammates and putting the ball into areas where we have a decent chance of retaining possession. Our related statistics from Castlebar could only be embarrassing, and we are heading back to D3 if there are not addressed. While Mayo are realistically a level or two above us, and Meath next week will be a better test of where we really stand, the indications are not good. Donegal's display tonight was also pretty ominous for the USC.

It's called the Tailteann Cup and the director general, Tom Ryan, has been unable to say when it may ever be launched. However, Lotto, as a self proclaimed proud Down man, is still plainly hoping that we lose every game this season and get relegated anyway. Paddy Tally has admitted to an error of judgment during the covid restrictions and he was certainly not the only manager in the same position. He has a huge game on Saturday and every true Down supporter will be wishing him well.