Down Senior Football Championship losers’ side
Liatroim 0-15 Downpatrick 3-5 (AET)
IT TOOK extra time but, on Friday evening in Kilcoo, Liatroim turned in a gargantuan performance which produced the desired result as they sent favoured Downpatrick tumbling out of the Championship.
Liatroim got off to the perfect start with a Conor McCrickard free a minute in and built on that with further points from Chris Kelly McEvoy (free) and Daire Morgan who punted over.
It took Downpatrick ten minutes to open their account, but when they did it was in a stylish manner with Caolan Mooney sailing a point over the bar from well out the field.
Mooney had a hand in the attack which created the chance for John Shields to score Downpatrick’s second point of the evening shortly afterwards.
Conor McCrickard was able to respond with his second free of the night after young corner forward DJ Farrell was fouled.
Joe McCrickard almost got the first goal of the game but Darren Ross proved equal to his effort and made a fine save to prevent Liatroim catapulting to what would have been a very commanding lead.
The first goal did come in the very next attack as Gerard Collins made a driving burst at the heart of the Liatroim defence and slipped it over to Caolan Mooney who was able to rise and palm to the net.
The cheering had barely died down when Tim Prenter fisted across the square and Mooney was again there to flick to the net. So, in the space of a couple of minutes the game had turned on its head as Downpatrick led by four.
A combination of defender and goalkeeper were on hand to block a Conor McCrickard daisy-cutter aimed at the Downpatrick goal and the Hoops held on to their lead at the interval.
Read what happened in the second half in the full report in the current issue.