Down’s goals prove key as brave Maroons run out of steam

Down 4-13 Westmeath 1-18

With a total of 36 scores, partisans and neutrals alike were treated to an exciting All-Ireland MFC tier 3 final at Kingspan Breffni Park, Cavan on Saturday evening last, with Down’s talent for finding the net, including a crucial late penalty, the key factor in settling this affair.

After a provincial campaign that ended sooner than they’d have liked, Eoghan Kevlihan’s Westmeath charges were hungry for silverware but unfortunately came up short in the face of a powerful and pacy Down vanguard.

Westmeath were in control of this game until the last quarter, with prodigious corner forward James McHugh kicking some sublime scores and finishing with a haul of 0-11.

The Lake County led 0-12 to 2-5 at the break, and despite conceding a third goal they were four points clear in the 45th minute after William Scahill raised a timely green flag.

However, Westmeath began to tire in the final 15 minutes, in which time Down – bolstered by some shrewd substitutions – outscored them 1-7 to 0-2, including that penalty, to claim the Seamus Heaney Cup.

With both sides sporting away kits, Westmeath opened the scoring in the third minute courtesy of a McHugh free, but on the counter Barra McEvoy teed up Paul McGovern after selling a would-be marker a dummy. McGovern was impeded, allowing McEvoy to equalise from a free.

Liam Blaney put Down’s noses in front a minute later from another dead-ball effort after McEvoy was fouled, but from there Westmeath settled down and kicked six points in a row, all bar one of them from McHugh.

The Garrycastle man levelled matters from a free before clubmate Andrew Henson made it 0-3 to 0-2 after a slick Westmeath move, at the end of which his shot at goal was tipped over the bar by Down netminder Callum Travers.

McHugh then imposed himself on proceedings with an exhibition in accuracy, converting three more frees and scoring a lovely curled effort to ensure that Westmeath led 0-7 to 0-2, despite playing against the breeze.

However, on 16 minutes, Down launched their first successful sortie in ten minutes when Liam Blaney set Paul McGovern on his way to goal. After his initial shot was saved by Westmeath’s Adam Buckley, McGovern pounced on the rebound and smashed to the corner of the net.

To their credit, Westmeath didn’t dwell on this setback and responded with three points on the trot, Daire O’Brien kicking a fine score after a well-worked move before McHugh added a brace of frees to take his tally to eight points.

Crucially for Down, they had the best of the remaining minutes of the half, with captain Barra McEvoy the catalyst. He fired a fine score off his left and after another blistering counter-attack, Blaney and McEvoy were instrumental in setting up a point for McGovern, who could have had a goal.

Daire O’Brien kept Westmeath ticking over with a left-footed free from a tight angle, but Down continued to generate chances at the other end.

There was high drama on 25 minutes when a low shot from McGovern was blocked on the line by the shin of Westmeath’s Cian Whitney, and a minute later Blaney, on the terrace side, fired a superb long-range free out of his hands.

Darragh Lough replied for Westmeath by showing tremendous skill to scythe through the Down defence and point superbly. However, Down won the subsequent kickout and Westmeath were caught out badly at the back.

Again, McGovern and McEvoy were involved, with the latter storming towards goal and faking a pass before firing low to the Westmeath net, to leave the Mournemen adrift by the minimum at the interval.

After the restart, Down posted a couple of wides before normal service resumed for the Lake County by way of fine scores from McHugh (from play) and Daire O’Brien. Down sub Adam McCann-Gibbs then divided the posts with a route-one punt down the middle.

At the other end, Westmeath’s Ty Masterson soloed his way through the Down defence and was brought down but before the whistle sounded, Andrew Henson booted his second point of the game to leave Westmeath three ahead (0-15 to 2-6).

On 42 minutes, the Ulstermen made amends for their earlier profligacy by rattling their third goal.

Again, Westmeath’s defensive frailties were ruthlessly exposed and Daniel Carr got in behind the full-back line before getting two bites at the cherry – both superbly saved by Adam Buckley. Unfortunately for Westmeath, Barra McEvoy was on hand to net the third attempt.

Once more, Westmeath weren’t fazed and responded in ideal fashion. William Scahill and Cormac McKeogh worked hard to dispossess Down’s Liam Blaney before Scahill took off with the ball and drilled a low shot to the Down net. Moments later, Andrew Henson outwitted a would-be marker on the left wing to fire his third point, and Westmeath were four ahead again.

From there however, it all started to go wrong for the Maroons. James O’Hanlon, Barra McEvoy (0-2) and Paul McGovern (a ‘45’) all found their range to level matters for Down by the 52nd minute, shortly after which another free from James McHugh kept Westmeath’s noses in front.

However, a fatal setback followed three minutes later when, after a quick move, McGovern was bundled to the ground and Down were awarded a penalty, which the wing forward converted with a low shot.

Down were in their pomp now, and as the clock wound down, two handpassed efforts from Darragh Poland, both on the tail end of some fine build-up play, gave the Northerners a four-point lead.

James McHugh, still battling away for the Lake County, tacked on his 11th point with a terrific curled effort on the 60-minute mark, but Westmeath badly needed a goal.

Down were on the crest of wave though, and a stoppage-time free from McGovern proved the insurance score for the Mournemen.

At full-time, James McHugh – unlucky to be on the losing side – deservedly received the Electric Ireland player of the match award, but the bragging rights went to Down and captain Barra McEvoy, who received the Seamus Heaney Cup from Ulster GAA vice-president Michael Geoghegan.

Scorers - Down: B McEvoy 2-4 (0-1f), P McGovern 2-3 (1-0 pen, 0-1f, 0-1 ‘45’), L Blaney (frees) and D Poland 0-2 each, A McCann-Gibbs and J O’Hanlon 0-1 each. Westmeath: J McHugh 0-11 (8f), D O’Brien 0-3 (1f), A Henson 0-3, W Scahill 1-0, D Lough 0-1.

Down: Callum Travers; Shane McParland, Oisín Murphy, Aaron McClelland; Cormac Small, Jon Rodgers, Lorcan Lynch; Dan McKernan, Liam Blaney; Conor Ward, Darragh Poland, Paul McGovern; Daniel Carr, Barra McEvoy (capt), Charlie McGrath. Subs used: Adam McCann-Gibbs for McParland (29), James O’Hanlon for McKernan (42), Lorcan Murray for McGrath (42), Eoghan Convie for Rodgers (50), Eoin McCaffrey for Murphy (inj., 53).

Westmeath: Adam Buckley; Ben Sheerin, Cian Whitney (capt), Daire Burke; Ty Masterson, Adam Smyth, Jack Carroll; Mikey Weir, Daire O’Brien; Andrew Henson, Darragh Lough, Cormac McKeogh; James McHugh, Ryan Flynn, William Scahill. Subs used: Michael Moloney for Masterson (49), Paul Keating for McKeogh (53), Rory O’Brien for Flynn (59).

Ref: Diarmuid Boylan (Monaghan).