FERMANAGH V DOWN Preliminary Round USFC

[armaghniac]

I'm a Down man living in Tyrone (not too many of us)

In these hard times it is always good to be reminded that there are always more unfortunate people in the world.

[western exile]

How come Lynch is not on he panel?

That was the "news" doing the rounds.  But it appears to be inaccurate as the 2009 championship panel has just been posted on An Dún website today and he is included in the 36

http://www.sportsmanager.ie/t11.php?countyid=10&sportid=1&clubid=&club_id=&userid=10&newsstory=9159

[wanderer]

What is Downs scoring average per game in championship/league compared to Fermanaghs?

Does anyone have comparisons on where they finished/got knocked out in these competitions over past few years also?

Interested to know what the two records look like side by side 

[western exile]

Cannot answer your question wanderer.  However a glance at their league stats in their respective divisions shows up a big discrepancy in goals scored and conceded.   

Position                    P    W    D    L    F                 A    +/-     Pts
7th     Fermanagh     7     1     1     5     7-66     2-100     -19     3
1st     Down             7     5     0     2     4-97     5-72     22     10

[mylestheslasher]

I fancy Fermanagh strongly. Don't think Down have the stomach for the war of attrition fermanagh will throw at them. Can only get 3/2 on them to win with paddy power.

[Caid]

3/2 ain't bad on for the home team in such a tight game imo

[western exile]

while you are at it, have a bet on the score!

Fear Manach 1-09
An Dún        0-13

[Pangurban]

If Mourne Rover and a few other posters wish to dispute my views, they could at least do me the courtesy of quoting me accurately. I never said that Down had improved from the Tipp game, or that Fermanagh opr Cavans Deterioration dated from end of league campaign. I was judging them all in the round , based on whole league campaign and happening within their respective camps. Sunday will prove me correct, this is no contest, a Down win is assured, Fermanagh will as always resist bravely , but they lack the man power and fire power to sneak a result

[western exile]

I would not like to see any poster quoted inaccurately. So for the record....

If Mourne Rover and a few other posters wish to dispute my views, they could at least do me the courtesy of quoting me accurately. I never said that Down had improved from the Tipp game, or that Fermanagh opr Cavans Deterioration dated from end of league campaign. I was judging them all in the round , based on whole league campaign and happening within their respective camps. Sunday will prove me correct, this is no contest, a Down win is assured, Fermanagh will as always resist bravely , but they lack the man power and fire power to sneak a result

... I still believe this squad has potential, but they will never realise it while Ross and DJ remain in charge. Expect an early exit from championship

So if Down win, you were proven correct.   And if Down lose, you were proven correct.  Better hope it is not a draw 

[amallon]

The Down team will be announced live on BBC Newsline tomorrow night from the Club Down golf day in Warrenpoint.  It will appear on the Down website simultaneously.

[SQUAREBALL]

I'd go for

McVeigh
Cole
Garvey
Howard
Carr
Rooney
Murphy
Lynch
Gordon
Kearney
Coulter
Rodgers
McComiskey
Fitzpatrick
Hughes


Lynch played at midfield in a challenge game on saturday with Fitzpatrick at full forward.

[FermGael]

Who is the Down minor manager??
He gave an interview to our local paper at home(The Fermanangh Herald).
If the fermanagh players read it, they will need no more motivation

Down management confident of the win


BY GARETH MCCULLOUGH

After a less than inspiring Ulster Minor League where Down only managed one win from five outings to finish bottom of their section, manager Dessie Kennedy is remaining confident ahead of Sunday's Ulster Championship opener against Fermanagh in Brewster Park (throw-in 1.45pm).

A win for Kennedy's side in this preliminary round tie will set up a clash with Cavan in Armagh on May 30th but Kennedy is naturally not looking that far ahead.

In fact, while Kennedy is confident that his side can do the business at the weekend, he wishes that he had more time to spend with the players; a gripe that all Minor managers would appear to have.

"The powers that be at Croke Park didn't permit us to train collectively prior to the first of March," explained Kennedy.

"With Minor, you only get three or four months with them. It's not like the Senior panel where you have them for three, four, five or six years. When you're not allowed to train collectively, it makes things very difficult for you.

"We were like a lot of other counties in that we used the league as a trial basis.

"Everybody was the same in that we don't know who is strong and we don't know a lot about other counties.

"We don't know anything about Fermanagh but anyone you meet in the Ulster Championship is going to be formidable opposition."

The unpredictability of the Ulster Minor Championship means that it's an extremely hard level to predict at this early stage but Kennedy feels that, despite the short time that the squad has been training together, he knows that Down can make the most of the talent they have at their disposal.

MINEFIELD

"It's a total minefield out there, anybody can win on any given day," he said.

"If you look at any records for the Ulster Championship, you will see that there are only usually a few points between the two sides," he said.

"We have to go and play in the Preliminary round, which makes it that bit more difficult. It's psychological getting through the first one but all we can do is prepare the lads physically and mentally on the day and I think we're getting there.

"We had maybe over a hundred players to look at in a very short space of time in the league, so hopefully we've got the right blend and the right guys."

Kennedy, who has pinpointed Ryan Doran, Ross McGarry and Mattie Bagnall as his men to watch, knows what his side is capable.

"You have to be confident (as a management team). If we're not confident then that will run off on the players. We've every confident in the players we have picked and we're confident that the players can do the job," the Down manager said.

"No disrespect to Fermanagh, but if you had looked at the draw on paper, the team we probably would have wanted would have been them. Now that we've got that draw,we have to go out and do the business of beating them.

"No Ulster Championship match is easy but we'll prepare the lads and hope on the day that everything goes right. After that, who knows what could happen."

[haranguerer]

with a fairly miserable day forecast and the game being on the box, d'ya think will there be many spare tickets floating around in Enniskillen on Sunday?

should be a VERY tight encounter, the 7/1 on the draw could be a good bet imo as both teams will be fighting tooth and nail to get through as Cavan and Donegal will hold no fear for either of them (sorry for dismissing Antrim but they won't be Donegal in a month of Sundays)

Was thinking would be close, but now you've tipped a draw sammy i know for certain not to back it - i've seen your tips on the horse racing thread...  

[sammymaguire]

Its a 7/1 shot haranguerer - hardly a nailed on cert

as for the horses, I'm taking a break from the thread, thankfully I've been having some winners amongst the "triers" I have been given which have flopped so no need for the dig 

[Our Nail Loney]

The Down team for Sunday is really anyones guess and i'm sure ross is still chopping and changing. I imagine he'll announce it tonight though! I think Down will have this team out.

McVeigh
Howard
Peter Turley
Monk
Carr
Conor Garvey
Rooney
Dan
Kearney
Carr
Benny
Fegan
Danny
Murtagh
McComiskey

Has Ross declared himself available