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Down
over come Wicklow - 26/01/03
Senior
Friendly - Down 3-17 v Wicklow 0-09 - Sunday 26th Jan 2003
@
Warrenpoint
By
Jerry Quinn
Wicklow manager John O'Leary took his charges
up north for an overnight stay on Saturday and a game against
Paddy ORourke's new look Down at Warrenpoint on Sunday morning.
O'Leary and his selectors might have been taken in by the
publicity after an Armagh second string had beaten Down
in the McKenna cup recently but after this performance the
message from the former Dubs man will be "don't underestimate
Down".
In their last outing before the opening round of the Allianz
national Football league both sets of players were anxious
to impress their respective managers and it was the Down
players who most reason to be satisfied with their days
work.
In near perfect conditions and in the sunshine at the seaside
ORourke's charges produced a performance that was in many
ways the hallmark of Down football. With the former All
Ireland captain and his all star colleague Greg Blaney urging
them on Down played some delightful attacking football but
as you would expect from any ORourke team they also worked
very hard at defending.
A number of Down player's had been involved in a third level
game on Saturday which went to extra time and after starting
the game it was not surprising that they were replaced as
the game progressed.
Wing half back Declan Rooney opened the Down scoring when
he pointed after three minutes and with like scores from
his Mayobridge colleagues Walsh and Coulter followed by
a brace from PPMcCartan Down raced into a six point lead
after twenty minutes. The visitors had not raised a flag
when Down midfielder Sean Ward raced through the middle
to take a pass from Coulter and shoot past the Wicklow keeper.
It was indicative of Wicklow's lack of penetration that
their first score did not come until the twenty seventh
minute and that was a point from full back Brendan OHannaigh.
Substitute Shane King netted the second Down goal after
thirty two minutes to put the home side 2-06 to 0-02 in
front at the interval. Both managers used their subs ad
lib in the second half but Down were always in control and
Aidan OPrey got their third goal in the final quarter.
DOWN V WICKLOW; Mickey McVeigh Martin Cole Brian
Burns John Clarke, Alan Malloy Aidan OPrey Declan Rooney,
Sean Ward and Gregory McCartan, Liam Doyle PPMcCartan Brendan
Coulter, Shane Ward Michael Walsh Anthony Devlin.
Subs used, Michael Higgins for Brian Burns, John
Fegan for Michael Walsh, Shane King for Doyle, John Lavery
for Clarke, Chris ONeill for Coulter, Ciaran Byrne for Fegan,
Brendan McVeigh for M McVeigh, Bernard McAleenan for Cole,
Colin McCrickard for G McCartan.
Down scorers PPMcCartan 0-04 Shane Ward 0-03 Shane
King 1-01 Sean Ward 1-00 Aidan OPrey 1-00 Michael Walsh
0-02 Brendan Coulter 0-02 Chris ONeill 0-02 John Lavery
0-01 Declan Rooney 0-01.
WICKLOW v DOWN Robert Hollingsworth Aidan Byrne
Brendan OHannaigh Clive Davis, Vincent Quigley Aidan Foley
Con Murphy, David Dillon and Barry Sheehan, Barry Meenagh
Derek Jameson John Slattery, Tommy Gill Donal McGillicuddy
Anthony Dolan.
Subs used Gary Duffy, Ritchie Gemmell Paul Doherty.
Wicklow scorers Tommy Gill 0-04, Brendan OHannaigh
0-01 D McGillicuddy 0-01 Barry Sheehan 0-01 Ritchie Gemmell
0-02
From Jerry Quinn
50 Spelga Park
Hilltown Co Down BT 34 5UU
Tel/fax 406 30062
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