Down 2-22 Offaly 3-13
By Peter McGrath Junior
DOWN kept their 100 per cent Tailteann Cup record alive despite making a large number of changes to their starting line up and, at one point in the second half, being pegged back to a draw by a gallant Offaly side who finally put some pride into the football they played in this group, a group from which they were already eliminated even before throw in.
The Faithful got off to a great start as Daire McDaid hit the roof of the Down net from six yards out inside the opening couple of minutes but Down’s point scoring was impeccable early on and, led by their red haired talismen Danny Magill and Gareth McKibben, Paul Quinn, James Guinness and Conor McCrickard among others also tagged on scores.
Down would end an impressive first half with a total of 0-16, the scoring load shared across 11 men.
Offaly didn’t offer much in retort, a fisted David Dempsey point that was a half chance for a goal their only other moment of real threat.
It seemed Offaly were in big trouble when they picked up a red card right after throw in at the resumption of play when Eoin Carroll was dismissed. They didn’t throw the towel in by any means though and two goals in eight minutes from Cormac Egan and John Furlong had them level entering the last 20.
Having set up Egan for his goal, Furlong found the bottom corner in style with his own low drive and Offaly hopes would have peaked when Down joined them on 14 players after Johnny Flynn’s dismissal with five minutes to go and the sides still all square.
What Down had though was strength in depth and their bench helped get them over the line. Jack McCartan pointed as the game entered the home straight but the decisive scores were goals apiece from Oisin Savage and Ryan Magill.
Savage managed to get in behind as the Offaly defence switched off and he buried the ball home from point blank range while Ryan Magill was awarded for his persistence, eventually stabbing a shot to the net having plundered his way down the centre of the Offaly penalty area.
In the end, though in one sense the win was unimportant, Down will be glad to have maintained their winning form and can now look forward to a home quarter final in a fortnight against one of the sides who comes out of the preliminary quarter finals.
Down: John O’Hare; Finn Murdock, Ryan Magill 1-0, Paddy McCarthy 0-1; Gareth McKibben 0-2, Danny Magill 0-2, Shealan Johnston 0-1; James Guinness 0-2, Johnny Flynn; Rory Mason 0-1, Shane Annett 0-2, Ben McConville 0-1; Paul Quinn 0-4, Conor McCrickard 0-3, Miceal Rooney 0-1.
Subs: Caolan Mooney 0-1 for F Murdock (39), Jamie Doran for B McConville (46), Eamon Brown for D Magill (46), Oisin Savage 1-0 for P Quinn (51), Jack McCartan 0-1 for R Mason (57).
OFFALY: Ian Duffy; Diarmuid Finneran, David Dempsey 0-1, John Furlong 1-0; Cormac Egan 1-0, Peter Cunningham, Lee Pearson 0-1; Eoin Carroll, Cathal Donoghue; Daire McDaid 1-1, Cathal Flynn 0-1, Jordan Hayes 0–1; Nigel Dunne 0-4, Keith O’Neill 0-2, Jack Bryant 0-2.
Subs: K McDermott for O’Donoghue (HT), J McEvoy for Bryant (55), A Sullivan for Dunne (60).
Referee: Kieran Eannatta (Tyrone).