Ulster Senior Football Championship quarter-final
Down 0-13 Antrim 0-9

IN the end, Down made their way into the semi-finals of the Ulster Senior Football Championship, but their four-point win over a dogged Antrim was far from convincing in a game that won't live long in the memory.

The Mournemen never trailed and aside from a three-minute spell midway through the first half when Antrim drew level, they had their noses in front.

The Saffrons were within striking distance for the most part, but just weren't ever able to fully turn up the heat on the hosts as they passed up some opportunities to really make it interesting as Down got the job done in solid, if unspectacular fashion.

It was far from a thriller with Antrim failing to use the wind to their advantage in the first half and then Down unable to put them away in the second, much to the disappointment of Mourne boss, Conor Laverty.

"People talked about the Derry and Dublin match (League final) but there won't have been too many neutrals impressed with the game," he said.

"It was a poor standard and that's not acceptable for the talent in this team.

"Antrim set up with a deep block, defended narrow and we knew they would come with that so we put a lot of practice into dealing with that, but as a group and me as manager, we have to found better ways to deal with it.

"It was a derby match and we've already played Antrim numerous times over the past couple of years, so it was very cagey and difficult conditions, but we wouldn't be happy with that.

“It just wasn’t the level of performance that this team aspires to get to and it’s not the reason I took the job. I feel that there’s quality in Down, I feel we have a talented bunch of players and we were well below our standard there. 

“But we’re still in the hat. If you had have said that we’d come away with a win (before the start) I would have took it. The next day out is going to be a colossal battle."

The teams wasted little time in getting to know one another as when Down broke from the parade, a flare-up ensued with Down's Odhran Murdock and Antrim's Jospeh Finnegan singled out for yellow cards, but this bit of heat quickly died and didn't translate into a riproaring affair on the pitch.

“Well it looked to me like Down went to run through our players," said Antrim manager Andy McEntee.

"We were on the inside, I don’t think we did anything, our lads stood their ground. What were they going to do, let Down walk through them? I saw a bit of pushing and shoving - the band was in front of me so I didn’t get to see most of it to tell the truth. I’m only assuming Down tried to walk through our lads and I think anyone with a bit of balls at all isn’t going to let that happen.”

When the game began, it was the Mournemen who were quickly into stride as Ryan McEvoy slung over within 42 seconds and then Antrim would lose Conor Hand to a black card for a bodycheck with just over two gone.

A Pat Havern free extended the Down lead, but Antrim grew into it as Michael Byrne nailed a 45 and Ryan McQuillan curled over after Hand returned to the field.

Antrim had settled, but were not using the strong wind at their backs, opting not to go long as Down were letting them off the hook at the other end.

Eventually, the hosts found their range with the next three points through Miceal Rooney, Odhran Murdock and an Oisin Savage free.

Hand hit back, but the score of the game came from Ryan Johnston as from a mark, he sliced beautifully with the outside of the boot to help his side into a 0-6 to 0-3 lead at the half.

The teams get up close and personal before the game
3Gallery

The teams get up close and personal before the game

They stretched the lead through Savage and man-of-the-match Daniel Guinness early in the second period, but Antrim were hanging in as they hit back with two of their own - one a free from McQuillan after Ruairi McCann was trailed Down just about outside the penalty area - and Marc Jordan replied to another from Guinness.

Liam Kerr and Eoghan McCabe then traded, but Antrim spurned some chances to get closer with a Savage free easing own nerves.

They pushed on with Shane Annett and Ceilum Doherty on target and although McQuillan and Ruairi McCann landed frees for Antrim, it was goals they needed but the door was shut as Down saw it out.

“We knew coming into the game we’d need to take the vast majority of the chances we were presented with. Unfortunately, we didn’t do that," said a rueful Antrim manager, Andy McEntee.

“We had one very good goal chance at the start and we’d a couple of half chances in the second half. Any one of those might have made a difference, but we just couldn’t close that gap. 

“We got it down to three a couple of times and then it went back up to four and we missed a couple of frees in that stage as well. That’s life.”

Antrim's Niall Burns tackles Miceal Rooney of Down
3Gallery

Antrim's Niall Burns tackles Miceal Rooney of Down

It was also life that Antrim were missing a host of players including Aghagallon's Ruairi McCan who may have thrived under the high ball, especially in the first half, but Antrim were missing that target man that perhaps forced their hand in how they approached the game.

They didn't use that wind advantage and three down at the break, it was always a tall order playing into the elements.

“Yeah, I think we talked about that at half-time - we were a bit slow coming out of defence," McEntee accepted.

“We gave Down too much time to get set up. We didn’t inject pace into it when we had the opportunity. That’s probably why we were disappointed with our first half performance. In all fairness, the lads fairly dug in in that second half.”

“There is (a long summer ahead) if we perform and the lads definitely embraced the Tailteann Cup last year and there’s no reason why we wouldn’t do the same this year.”

DOWN: J O'Hare; P Fegan, R McEvoy (0-1), C Doherty (0-1); M Rooney (0-1), P Laverty, D Guinness (0-2); S Johnston, O Murdock (0-1); C McCrickard, L Kerr (0-1), R Johnston (0-1m); B O'Hagan, P Havern (0-1f), D Magill.
Subs: O Savage (0-3, 2f, 1m) for P Havern (25), E Brown for C McCrickard (48), S Annett (0-1) for B O'Hagan (53), R Magill for S Johnston (62), R Mason for D Magill (70+5)

ANTRIM: M Byrne; R Boyle, E Walsh, K Keenan; D Lynch, J Finnegan, D McAleese; C Hynds, M Jordan (0-1); C Hand (0-1), P McBride (0-1f), E McCabe (0-1); R McQuillan (0-3, 2f), R McCann (Creggan, 0-1f), D McEnhill.
Subs: N Burns for D McEnhill (HT), P McAleer for R Boyle (53), E Hynds for E Walsh (67), P Shivers for R McQuillan (70+7)

REFEREE: B Cassidy (Derry)