Down Club Hurling & Football

[general]

Football Championship Predictions

POWERADE SENIOR FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP
Droichead Mhaigh Eo

AROUND-A-POUND
INTERMEDIATE FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP
Droim Gath

JUNIOR FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP
Gleann

PREMIER RESERVE FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP
Cluain Daimh

RESERVE FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP
An Riocht

[amallon]

Bryansford V Castlewellan  Ford
Ballymartin V Downpatrick  Downpatrick
Ballyholland V Saval Ballyholland
Clonduff V Mayobridge Bridge
Burren V Atticall Burren
Longstone V Leitrim Stone
Loughinisland V Rostrevor Loughinisland
Killcoo V An Roicht An Riocht

The above are all fairly tight pairings, the only formality in the round is Burren to beat Attical and maybe the Stone to overcome Leitrim.  The Bridge should be too good for Clonduff but it will be no formality. Kilcoo v the Kingdom, Ballyholland v Saval, Ballymartin v Downpatrick, Bryansford v Castlewellan and Loughinisland v Rostrevor are all toss ups.  The Bridge Clonduff game is supposed to be the weekend after the game in Omagh.  Anyone confirm?

Bosco V Glasdrumond Glasdumond
Drumgath V Carryduff Drumgath
Annaclone V Tullylish Clone
Banbridge V Warrenpoint Point
Daraghcross V Ardglass Cross
Dundrum V Bredagh Dundrum
Shamrocks V Saul Shamrocks

[umpire]

Bryansford V Castlewellan  Bryansford
Ballymartin V Downpatrick  Downpatrick
Ballyholland V Saval Saval
Clonduff V Mayobridge Bridge
Burren V Atticall Burren
Longstone V Liatriom Liatriom
Loughinisland V Rostrevor Loughinisland
Killcoo V An Roicht An Riocht

I expect Bryansford to biggest danger to Bridge's crown.

Bosco V Glasdrumond Glasdumond
Drumgath V Carryduff Drumgath
Annaclone V Tullylish Clone
Banbridge V Warrenpoint Point
Daraghcross V Ardglass  Ardglass
Dundrum V Bredagh Bredagh
Shamrocks V Saul Shamrocks

Drumgath and Annaclone have a good chance to win Intermediate

[Mourne Rover]

Downredblack's team looks the right one to me, and I hope the days of releasing misleading line-ups will soon be over. We are obviously getting closer to the championship side, but it is difficult to see Sexton as a CHF. McKernan may benefit from a rest, and still looks our best bet for the position. The indications are that, barring injuries, Walsh will not feature this year. This is a pity, but his performances have generally not reflected his potential so he cannot really complain.

[Square Ball]

I will wait and see closer to the dats of the championships to see who is doing what.

[thewobbler]

Umpire, whilst the Bryansford squad on paper is certainly as good as anyone else's in the SFC, playing Division II football will blunt their edge severly and I'd be surprised if they get within 5 points of Castlewelllan in the first round, let alone challenge for the title. They just won't have the intensity required. Longstone, Loughinisland and Burren are the only clubs with a smell of a chance of dethroning the 'Bridge, and they would all need a lot of luck with regards injuries and travelling students to take that chance.

In the Intermediate, to even mention Drumgath and Annaclone in the same breath represents a serious injustice to the latter. Annaclone are head and shoulders above everyone else in this competition. They're a senior team playing in a weaker than average intermediate championship. If Shamrocks can revitalise some of their older guard (that's a big if), they would at least make a competition of it, but them apart, only a full-strength Darragh Cross meeting a travels-weakened Annaclone in one of the earlier rounds could stop the cup going to Gaelic Park. 'Clone minus their five best players would still be too strong for over half the competitors.

[Our Nail Loney]

Eoin is still recovering from a bad operation, was on crutches for quite a while

Not so sure about Dan but would think he is injured as well.

[umpire]

According to 5FM the Down team is as follow

1 McVeigh; 

17 Howard,    3 G McArdle,    4 M Cole; 
19 P Turley,    6 L Doyle,                   5 R Murtagh;   

      7 D Rooney,    9 A Rogers,;   

10 J Fegan,    15 R Sexton,    12 D Hughes;   
13 J Clarke,    22 B Coulter,    23 P Mc Comiskey

[umpire]

6 Mins
McComisky fouled
John Fegan free
Down 0.1 Longford 0.1

10 mins
Daniel Hughes P
11 Mins
Daniel Hughes P
Down 0.3 Longford 0.1
12 Mins
Kevin Mulligan P
Down 0.3 Longford 0.2
13 Mins
Ronan Murtagh P
Down 0.4 Longford 0.2
14 Mins
Ronan Sexton P
Down 0.5 Longford 0.2
16 Mins
Yellow Card  Ronan Murtagh
16 Mins
Longford p
Down 0.5 Longford 0.3
17 Mins
Daniel Hughes P
Down 0.6 Longford 0.3

[umpire]

22 Mins
Ronan Murtagh P
Down 0.7 Longford 0.3
24 Mins
Benny Coulter P
Down 0.8 Longford 0.3
25 Mins
Longford P
Down 0.8 Longford 0.4
29 Mins
John Fegan P
Down 0.9 Longford 0.4
30 Mins
Yellow card Luke Howard
32 Mins
Longford P
Down 0.9 Longford 0.5
33 Mins
John Fegan P
Down 0.10 Longford 0.5
35 Mins
Longford P
Down 0.10 Longford 0.6
HALF TIME

[umpire]

36 Mins
Longford P
Down 0.10 Longford 0.7
37 Mins
Longford P
Down 0.10 Longford 0.8
37 Mins
Longford P
Down 0.10 Longford 0.9
39 Mins
Longford P
Down 0.10 Longford 0.10
40 Mins
McComisky P
Down 0.11 Longford 0.10
41 Mins
Sub Damian Rafferty for Luke Howard
42 Mins
Longford P
Down 0.11 Longford 0.11
43 Mins
Sub Daniel McCartan for Gary McArdle
44 Mins
Longford P
Down 0.11 Longford 0.12
45 Mins
Rafferty (Not sure)  P
Down 0 .12 Longford 0.12
50 Mins
Benny Coulter P
Down 0.13 Longford 0.12
51 Mins
Benny Coulter P
Down 0.14 Longford 0.12
55 Mins
Longford P
Down 0.14 Longford 0.13
58 Mins
Benny Coulter P
Down 0.15 Longford 0.13
59 Mins
Yellow Card Benny Coulter
60 Mins
Kevin McKernan for Peter Turley
Dan Gordon for Ambrose Rodgers
61 Mins
Longford P
Down 0.15 Longford 0.14
62 Mins
Longford P
Down 0.15 Longford 0.15
63 Mins
Paul McCumisky P
Down 0.16 Longford 0.15
64 Mins
John Clarke P
Down 0.17 Longford 0.15
65 Mins
Benny Coulter P
Down 0.18 Longford 0.15
65 Mins
Stephen Kearney for John Fegan
67 Mins
Longford P
Down 0.18  Longford 0.16
68 Mins
Benny Coulter P
Down 0.19 Longford 0.16
70 Mins
Final Score
Down 0.19  Longford 0.16

[thewobbler]

Many thanks for that Umpire, it's much appreciated. Good to see the likes of Rafferty and Kearney returning from injury. Good to hear Coulter is rattling over the points too.

[amallon]

Down lived dangerously at the back tonight but came good in the last 5 mins to close the game out.  The looked in control at half time but Longford really put it up to them at the start of the second half and dominated the first 15 odd minutes.  It was nip and tuck until the last 5 when Down either upped it a gear or Longford ran out of puff.  I felt sorry for Luke Howard he had a good enough first 20 but went to peices in the last 10 of the first half and continued this form in the second until he was taken off.  Dan McCartan looked good when he came on, as did Gordan. Ambrose did well but was taken off, maybe just not 100% fit.  Why do we persit in kicking frees back to the keeper when the ball is in our centre half back position? Keckel and Hyde again.

[Mourne Rover]

The game turned on the moment midway through the second half when Longford, who were dominating at the time, scrambled a shot against the underside of our crossbar. From where I was sitting, it looked to have bounced a foot over the line. However, the umpires were out of position and the referee was unsighted, so the Down defence cleared the ball and we got out of jail.

It was a patchy performance, but we at least finished strongly, showed some self-belief and yet again relied on our fitness to see us through. It was such a dreadful night for football that we should not be too hard on the players, although our full-back line throughout and our full-forwards, apart from the last five minutes, struggled.

McVeigh made two crucial saves but his kick-outs lacked variety and usually ended up going straight down the middle to the giant Longford no 8.

McArdle had could not cope with a stronger and faster opponent, and there was an improvement when he was replaced by McCartan. However, McCartan is not big enough for a central position and McArdle remains our best option at full back. Howard had a brilliant start but completely lost his way when the pressure was on. Cole, as usual, was steady rather than outstanding.

While Doyle made more mistakes than you would expect, he was still a class act and the second half block was out of the top drawer. Playing Murtagh alongside him is questionable, as neither is a natural defender, and switching Murtagh to the other end, where he scored two fine overlapping points, looks on the cards. Turley did reasonably well until he tired and was subbed by Rafferty, who was excellent after his long period of injury.

The midfield started fairly well but became a disaster area as Rooney, who tried hard but ran out of steam, and Ambrose, who had a bad night, collapsed against the more physical Longford pair.

Fegan and Hughes got through a huge amount of work and took their scores well, but Sexton was out of position and it showed. McKernan only came on late and is still learning at this level but is the closest we have to a CHB at this stage.

The full forwards had a difficult time, and Benny looked short on fitness and confidence until he came good in the closing minutes. Clarke also finished strongly after barely touching the ball for most of the game and McComiskey's quality was only seen in flashes.

It was a question of grinding out a result, in a game we would have lost last year, but we are capable of beating Leitrim and Limerick to set up what could be a promotion decider against Fermanagh in the last match.

[downredblack]

I thought we were coasting going in at half time but Longford came out well after half time and really put it up to Down . Their number 13 kicked some fine frees especially the one over on the touch line in the first half .
Benny and Ronan Sexton switch with 10 to go worked well and we got the scores we needed to get over the line . Great to see Dee Rafferty back and Dan McCartan did rightly as well . 19-16 in them conditions people that weren't there might ask was there a tackle made all night by either team . At least we had no goals against (just about).

What about Ronny's dummy and chip into the hand ??