Allianz Football League Division Two, round three: Down v Meath (Saturday, Pairc Esler, 6pm, live on BBC iPlayer)
HALF-an-hour into Down’s recent meeting with Cork and it seemed the sky was about to fall in on Newry.
It was all gloom and doom. The Mournemen were taking a beating, there was little or no atmosphere, the stadium looked like it needed an upgrade, the weather was cold and dark clouds of relegation were building.
But five minutes can be a long time in football.
Between the half-hour mark and the interval, the whole picture brightened up. Down got back into the game and what was actually a decent crowd at what is a perfectly good Pairc Esler found their voice in the second half and cheered their county to a one-point win in a terrific tussle.
It was an important victory. Losing would have made it two defeats out of two for Conor Laverty’s men and left them stuck at the bottom of the table. Beating a good Cork side, and coming back from 10 points adrift to do so, was a vital confidence boost going into this round three meeting with Meath.
The Royals, now managed by Robbie Brennan who took Kilmacud Croke’s the brink of a four in-a-row in Dublin, lost a competitive opener in Cork but showcased their quality by racking up 3-21 against Cavan in Navan to win by 10 points last time out.
It was James Guinness who set the tone for Down’s second half rally against Cork with an early two-pointer and the Carryduff clubman hopes his county bring that same spirit to bear this weekend.
“We were disappointed with how the first half went against Cork,” he said.
“They came out very quickly, they kicked well and we just weren’t at the pitch of it. But with the two-pointers, a lead is never as big now. We kept chipping away, we started getting our hands on more ball and backed ourselves down the stretch.”
James’s brother Daniel also put in a terrific shift to turn the furious midfield battle the home side’s way. Back-to-back leaps won vital ball as Down kept a physical Cork side pinned into their own half.
“We train hard and we’ll always back ourselves that down the stretch in the second half we can get back into any game,” said James.
“The two-pointer has added a new dimension because if you kick a couple of those you’re right back in the game very quickly. We needed early scores to get a bit of momentum and I got a bit of space and kicked it in and thankfully it went over.”
These new rules will take time to bed in. Players, officials and supporters need to adjust to them but Guinness has seen positive signs so far.
“Everybody in Newry enjoyed the Cork game,” he said.
“The games are higher-scoring, there’s excitement in them. Maybe there could be wee tweaks made here and there – you’d like to get a short kickout away occasionally because there’s a skill in that and it’s different to just lumping everything out long.
“But the new rules have had a positive impact for the viewer and all the players are getting used to them now. They’re here to stay and it’s all about who is going to adapt best and what team is best equipped to play them.”
Saturday’s clash with old rivals Meath is one of only three home games Down have in the League this season. After this weekend, they have three challenging road trips and a home fixture (round six) against Westmeath.
It’s vital that they make home advantage count.
“In any League, you need to win at home,” said Guinness.
“If you’re losing home games you’re automatically on the back foot. Against Roscommon, which is a tough place to go, we put ourselves in a good position but conceded a couple of goals that were a bit soft from our point of view.
“Meath is another difficult game against a good team but hopefully we get a good crowd in Newry and we bring that same energy and get another result.”
Down: R Burns; P Fegan, P Laverty, C Doherty; R Magill, D Guinness, P McCarthy; C Mooney, R McEvoy; D Magill, O Murdock, J Guinness; O Savage, P Havern, C McCrickard
Subs: J O’Hare, HP McGeary, E Branagan, M Rooney, S Millar, A Crimmins, A McClements, C Francis, G McKibben, P Brooks, J McGeough
