The Down Ladies team bowed
out of the Ulster Championship on Sunday at
Pairc an Easler, despite a stunning second half
performance against Tyrone. Going into the game
as favourites, Tyrone’s goal prowess saw
them amass an eight point lead by half time.
But a second half onslaught by the mourne girls
saw them give the All Ireland semi finalists
a scare in what was probably Down’s best
performance at senior level to date.
Tyrone had the better of the
opening possession but weren’t able to
convert their chances, with wides from Ann Dooher
and an excellent high ball clearance from Down
‘keeper Elaine McCourt. It was Down who
finally got the game off to a bang on eight
minutes with a goal from Kyla Trainor. A long
ball through the middle from Michaela Downey
found Grainne McClean, whose offload to Orla
Fegan put the Shamrocks player through on goal
but when she was bundled over in the square,
Kyla Trainor stepped up to take the kick. The
Tyrone ‘keeper Sinead McVeigh did well
to block the shot but Trainor captured the rebound
to fire home. Down followed this swiftly with
two frees from Aileen Pyers after fouls on Downey
and the Annaclone player herself. Eilish Gormley
finally got Tyrone onto the scoreboard after
twelve minutes. A long ball over the top left
the Carrickmore star with a chase on goal, and
with the Down keeper advancing, Gormley kicked
the ball off the ground and over the bar. With
their shooting boots now firmly on, Tyrone started
to show some of the firepower they possess in
the forward line. A neat interplay between Cathy
Donnelly and Jolene Donnelly saw Cathy fire
a bullet of a shot to the top right corner of
the Down net, giving ‘keeper Elaine McCourt
no chance. All star Gemma Begley got onto the
score sheet with ten minutes of the half remaining
as she hit the net through a penalty, following
a Down foul in the square. The scores continued
to flow from both sides, with Down free taker
Aileen Pyers having a great game. However, as
Tyrone packed their defence, Down had to be
content with taking their points while Tyrone’s
power coming forward continued to reap rewards
on the goal front. Ulster captain, Neamh Woods
was central to Tyrone’s counterattacks
as they fired in three goals in quick succession
to dampen Down hopes. Down continued to hit
their own scores, with points from Michaela
Downey, Orla Fegan and Grainne McClean to keep
them in touch, but the goals for Tyrone gave
them a sizeable eight point lead at half time.
Half time score, Down 1-6, Tyrone 5-2.
The second half for Tyrone
looked as if it would be a continuation of the
first as Cathy Donnelly pointed after just two
minutes of the half. An important milestone
of the game came after the 38th minute when
Tyrone were awarded their second penalty of
the game. Gemma Begley stepped up to take it
but her spotkick was saved by Elaine McCourt
and cleared by the Down defence. With the team’s
fighting for every ball, Down continued to fight
their way back into the game. A foul on Michaela
Downey in front of goal allowed Lisa Morgan
to fire over. The Clonduff player was again
pulled down from the resulting kickout, with
Aileen Pyers hitting an excellent score. Substitute
Sonya McGaw continued the fightback on the half
way mark with a superb score to bring the gap
down to five points. The Bryansford player,
stormed down the left wing before cutting inside
her player and pointing. With the vocal Down
support cheering the team on, a major upset
started to look like a possibility. The dominance
showed by Tyrone in the first half was replaced
by a sustained Down onslaught. Eliza Downey
and Jenna Connell were immense in defence and
the team’s support play and workrate going
forward was outstanding as they strove forward.
Tyrone, determined not to give goals away, continued
to foul Down’s players around the thirty
yard line, but with Aileen Pyers fautless from
frees, the scoreboard continued to tick over.
A free from Pyers was followed by a point from
Kyla Trainor from the penalty spot after Tyrone
footblock in the square. The Downpatrick player
was then harshly sin binned with ten to go for
charging, putting her out of the game. With
Down nerves jangling, the team’s persistence
paid off when a further Pyers point put the
team within two points of Tyrone with minutes
remaining. However, with time not on their side,
they just couldn’t get the final scores
needed to cause an upset. Three points from
Tyrone in the final two minutes provided some
shine to the scoreboard but it belied what was
a second half Down domination. Final score Down
1-13 Tyrone 5-6.
Down managers Sean O’Hare
and Paul McShane were full of praise for their
team at the final whistle. McShane commented,
“the team’s performance, particularly
in the second half was outstanding. We fought
for every ball, moved it well at speed and never
gave up. We have showed that we can compete
against one of the best teams in the country
and while the result didn’t go our way,
the players should be very proud of their performance
today.” Looking to the backdoor game at
the end of July, Sean O’Hare forecasted,
“based on our performance today, we are
looking forward to the draw. With our fitness,
skill and teamwork, we will be very hard to
beat, and we now have a qualifier win in our
sights”
In what was an excellent demonstration
of ladies football, Down will be disappointed
that they didn’t cause an upset. But the
manner of their performance bodes well for future
games. While Down had by far the more scores
of the two teams, Tyrone’s firepower was
clinical and critical to their success, with
Gemma Begley simply a superb talent. They will
fancy themselves for All Ireland success this
year and with the array of talent they can call
on, they will be very hard to beat.
Down team: Elaine McCourt,
Eliza Downey, Niamh McGowan, Jenna Connell Emma
Mulhern, Aoibheann Downey, Sinead Fegan, Sinead
Murphy, Kyla Trainor (1-1), Orla Fegan (0-1),
Lisa Morgan (0-1), Grainne McClean (0-1), Karen
Gribben, Michaela Downey, Aileen Pyers (0-8).
Subs Used: Sonya McGaw (0-1).
