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Down
Senior Team to face Monaghan - 03/06/03
2003
Ulster Football Championship - 1st Round
Down
v Monaghan 
@ 3.30 p.m. Casement Park, Sunday 8th June 2003
 All
Ulster eyes will be focused on Casement Park, Belfast, on
Sunday 8th June for the meeting of Monaghan and Down in
the last of the quarter-finals of the Ulster senior football
championship, the winners going through to a semi-final
date with Fermanagh in Clones on June 22nd the losers meeting
the loser of the Meath/Westmeath match.
Monaghan have already thrown the Ulster
championship race wide open and confounded most of the critics
and experts by virtue of their victory over Armagh in the
preliminary round, an achievement that sees them move up
the ratings as championship contenders.
 Monaghan
will start the game as favourities due to defeating Armagh
but Down will fancy their change of getting into the Ulster
semi finals. One advantage that may stand in Downs favour
is that their team manager, Paddy O'Rourke, spent some time
as manager with the Castleblayney club in Monaghan and would
have quite a detailed knowledge of the Monaghan players,
something that would help him in his championship preparations.
Down by and large is quite a young team but they still have
experienced players in Gregory McCarten, Brian Burns, and
Sean Ward in the starting line up. Down will also be able
to call on players such as the ever youthful Mickey Linden,
James McCartan and Ciaran Byrne from the bench.
 In
the forward line Down have players such as Ballyholland's
Ronan Murtagh, Brendan Coulter and Dan Gordon who can all
provide pace and experience. In midfield the partnership
of Sean Ward and Castlewellan's Gregory McCartan will be
hoping to gain advantage over the Monaghan midfield partnership
which will include the emerging Eoin Lennon. The partnership
of Ward and McCartan showed some promise in the National
Football League and this is an area in which Paddy O'Rourke
will be hoping to have an advantage on Monaghan.
In defence Brian Burns at full-back will
be flanked by John Clarke and Brendan Grant, Alan Molloy
at center back will have An Riocht's John Lavery and Rostrevor's
Martin Cole on either side.
All in all it is an intriguing game that
has the potential to produce a stirring contest. Down will
be hoping for a similar result when the side last met in
the Ulster Championship in 1996. For the record Down won
that game 0-14 to 0-09.
Down Team for Sunday:
1. MICHAEL McVEIGH M.MAC an BHEATHA CASTLEWELLAN
2. JOHN CLARKE S.Ó CLÉIRIGH AN RIOCHT
3. BRIAN BURNS B. Ó BROIN BRYANSFORD
4. BRENDAN GRANT B. GRANT MAYOBRIDGE
5. JOHN LAVERY S. MAC LABHRAÍ AN RIOCHT
6. ALAN MOLLOY A. MAOLMHUAIDH LOUGHINISLAND
7. MARTIN COLE M. MAC COMHAILL ROSTREVOR
8. SEAN WARD (Capt.) S MAC AN BHAIRD BURREN
9. GREGORY McCARTAN G. MAC ARTÁIN CASTLEWELLAN
10. LIAM DOYLE L. Ó DÚGHAILL LIATROIM
11. BRENDAN COULTER B. Ó COLTAIR MAYOBRIDGE
12. COLM McCRICKARD C.MAC RIOCAIRD LIATROIM
13. MICHAEL WALSH M. BREATNACH MAYOBRIDGE
14. DAN GORDON D. MAG MHUIRNEACHÁIN L'INISLAND
15. RONAN MURTAGH R. MAC MUIREARTAIGH BALLYHOLLAND
PREVIOUS MEETINGS
Up to Sunday’s game in Belfast Monaghan and Down have
met on 21 occasions in the Ulster championship, with four
of those meetings going to replays.
Down just shade the averages with eleven wins to Monaghan’s
ten.
1926 Monaghan 0-4 Down 0-1 Hilltown
1927 Monaghan 2-5 Down 1-2 Newry
1928 Monaghan 3-5 Down 1-3 Carrickmacross
1930 Monaghan 7-8 Down 1-6
1934 Monaghan 4-7 Down 2-6 Newry
1936 Monaghan 4-8 Down 0-4 (replay, 3-5 to 2-8)
1940 Monaghan 1-3 Down 0-8 Replay, 2-3, 2-3.
1944 Monaghan 1-5 Down 1-4 Belfast (Corrigan Park)
1960 Monaghan 0-7 Down 2-11
1963 Monaghan 1-3 Down 6-11
1964 Monaghan 1-6 Down 2-9
1969 Monaghan 1-7 Down 2-15
1979 Monaghan 0-14 Down 0-9
1980 Monaghan 0-13 Down 1-4 Newry
1981 Monaghan 1-9 Down 3-4 (replay 0-10, 0-10)
1986 Monaghan 0-11 Down 2-11 Newcastle (replay) 0-13 to
1-10).
1988 Monaghan 1-11 Down 0-9 Cavan
1989 Monaghan 0-9 Down 1-14
1990 Monaghan 1-12 Down 3-11
1994 Monaghan 0-8 Down 0-14 Armagh
1996 Monaghan 0-9 Down 0-14 Clones.
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