Athlone suffer setback

Staring relegation in the face and without a win in the Championship so far, The Downs rose almost phoenix like from the flames to restart their season and defeat a fancied Athlone side in Cusack Park on Sunday evening last. After three poor performances and no points, few gave The Downs any chance of victory against an Athlone side that were going pretty well in this year's Championship, but there is nothing more dangerous than a wounded animal and, when they needed it most, The Downs pulled out all the stops and thoroughly deserved their win. They did so with a wholehearted committed display, talents alas sadly lacking in their opponents and in truth should possibly have won by more. That being said, Athlone did hit 13 wides, some of them quite awful and their forward line was poor in finding the posts while the Downs made use of all their scoring chances and eased home in the end as Athlone gave up the ghost quite easily. The Downs defence was excellent throughout and gave their opponents little time or space on the ball at all, and the Athlone attack panicked time and again when it looked easier to score than to miss. In attack, John Smyth pulled the strings for the black and ambers and he set up most of their attacking plays and they were enhanced greatly when Shane Power came in as a sub at half-time. His two second-half points were superb and went a long way to setting his side up for this win. Add to that the midfield dominance of Luke Folan and Brendan Murtagh and these were the tenets that saw The Downs home. Athlone, for their part, will rue their myriad of missed chances and will wonder how they did not get something out of the game, but they lacked the passion and spirit of their opponents and that more than anything was their downfall. It was the Shannonsiders that started the better and they had two points on the board in 5 minutes from Mickey Greene and Tom Stuart-Trainor as their all action style had the Downs at sixes and sevens. But Athlone then started their large wide tally as chance after chance was wasted and the Downs got one back when Luke Folan combined with Declan Lynam for the former to score a handsome point. Richie Daly in the Athlone goal then denied Barry Conroy a goal at point blank range and from the break John Connellan won and pointed an easy free. Stuart-Trainor then set up Connellan for another super score to put Athlone 3 clear and at this stage they were rampant, but David Smith stopped the rot when he scored after some super work by Barry Conroy. Both teams then hit some truly awful wides and there was no score for 8 minutes until Luke Flan pounced on some poor defending from Athlone and, seconds later, David Smith levelled matters after a wonderful move involving Murtagh, Loughlin and John Smyth. Connellan should have levelled for Athlone but his effort came off the post and on the break Lynam was fouled and Barry Conroy put the Downs into the lead. That looked like it was the final action of the half but then Noel Molloy fielded a super ball at midfield, shipped it on to Murtagh who found Smyth on the edge of the square and the county star made no mistake and a green flag was raised just at the right time for The Downs as the whistle went for half-time with the black and amber side leading 1-5 to 0-4. Joe Fallon replaced the ineffectual Rory O'Connell at the break while Shane Power replaced the injured Noel Molloy for the Downs. The second half was barley a minute old when Luke Folan extended The Downs' lead with a fine individual score. Connellan pointed a free to narrow the gap and then Alan Gaughan was on the end of a superb move involving Stuart-Trainor and Enda Haughey to bring his side right back into it, but Barry Conroy scored from a very easily conceded free to put 4 between the sides again. Micky Greene then profited from some poor defending by The Downs and again there was just the one score between the sides and they could have levelled when a hanging Connellan free was fisted by Stuart Trainor but somehow Jack Hogan got a fist on it and the ball was cleared. Athlone did get their break, though, when sub Dermot McManus looked clean through on goal and was hauled down unceremoniously and referee Damian Maher had no choice but to award a penalty which Joe Fallon consummately dispatched to the net and the sides were level again. McManus then put Athlone ahead with a well taken point, but it was to be Athlone's last score for 10 minutes as The Downs then displayed their battling qualities and never-say-die spirit. Power pulled them level and then put them ahead with two sublime scores from great work by Smyth and Folan and at this stage the Downs looked far hungrier than their opponents. Barry Conroy added another as the Downs began to open Athlone up with ease and then Declan Lynam kicked the score of the match from an almost impossible angle to pull his side three ahead with only a minute to go. It was then that The Downs defence came into their own and defended as if their lives depended on it and the only chance Athlone had was a pointed free from Connellan which seemed strange when they needed a goal and seconds later the referee blew the final whistle to the whops of delight of the large Downs faithful who have suffered greatly this year. Smyth, Folan, Murtagh and Loughlin gave everything for the black and ambers, while Jack Hogan was immense at full-back. Lynam and Barry Conroy were a constant threat up front while sub Power was a thorn on his introduction but it was their spirit and passion that was most impressive and they simply were not going to lose another game. Athlone were poor and but for the brilliance of Connellan and cameos from Stuart-Trainor and Damian Kelly then they could have been walloped. As it was they were still in the game as the end approached but they lacked any kind of finesse or ruthlessness when in the ascendancy and lay down rather tamely when the pressure came on and this loss now really opens up this group considerably and it could now go any way at all. SCORERS - The Downs: L Folan and B Conroy (2f) 0-3 each, J Smyth 1-0, D Smith and S Power 0-2 each, D Lynam 0-1. Athlone: J Connellan 0-4 (3f), J Fallon 1-0pen, M Greene 0-2, A Gaughan, T Stuart Trainor and D McManus 0-1 each. THE DOWNS: Kieran McCormack, Niall Nolan, Jack Hogan, David McDermott, Greg Crowley, Mark Dalton, Sean Loughlin, Luke Folan, Brendan Murtagh, David Smith, John Smyth, Barry Conroy, Declan Lynam, Noel Molloy, James Conroy. Subs: Shane Power for Molloy (injured, h-t), Mark Conroy for J Conroy (50 mins), Paul Shanley for Smith (54), Joe Corroon for Lynam (59). ATHLONE: Richie Daly, Paddy Dunning, Paul Mullen, Fergal Murray, Davy O'Neill, Damian Kelly, Enda Haughey, Paul Bannon, James Tobin, John Egan, Alan Gaughan, Rory O'Connell, John Connellan, Tom Stuart-Trainor, Mickey Greene. Subs: Joe Fallon for O'Connell (H/T), Noel Mulligan for O'Neill (45 mins), Dermot McManus for Egan (45). REFEREE: Damian Maher (Ballynacargy).