Hard to see where vital points will come from

Dangerous

THE final scoreline of 1-14 to 0-11 would suggest that Down sailed through this opening Division 2 fixture at the Gaelic Grounds with a comfortable victory, however that was far from the full story.

Louth dominated the game for long periods, particularly in the first half and will be disappointed to come away with nothing.

Straight from the throw-in, Pete McGrath’s side gained a firm grip on proceedings around the middle of the park, a grip which was maintained for the entire 70 minutes.

Tommy Durnin and Andy McDonnell were ably assisted by Bevan Duffy and Derek Maguire in the half back line but too many others, most notably in the forward line, failed to impress.

Both sides put men behind the ball and the defensive shape of each team created the platform for a modern day chess match with an abundance of lateral hand passing.

The visitors were much more economical in front of goal with six of their first half scores coming from play and most from long distance. Louth on the other hand struggled in the final third of the pitch and lacked any real threat in front of the posts.

Although William Woods kicked his frees, he was isolated for long periods and lacked support against a well marshalled Down rearguard.

With the wind at his back Tommy Durnin kicked the opening score of the second half to narrow the gap to two but Down then reeled off four points in a row during this period thanks to the introduction of fresh legs from the subs bench.

Six points down, I felt we needed to change our approach and the introduction of Conor Grimes seemed to suggest that intent. However at no stage during the final quarter did our tactics change. After a long period away from the game Grimes appeared unsure as to his role and without a few long balls being played into him, was completely redundant.

Jim McEneaney was another who may have benefitted from being sited closer to the target during this period when a goal was needed to get us back in the contest. But it was Down who finished the strongest as full forward Charlie Harrison exploited the gaps at the back to hit 1-02 in the closing minutes and seal the win.

Overall it wasn’t a bad team performance and encouragement can be taken from many individual displays. Debutants Emmet Carolan and James Craven looked comfortable at this level and will have learned plenty from the experience. Half back and midfield were our strongest lines but we were too predictable in our attacking approach which was recognised early on by the Down defence.

Even at this early stage its difficult to see where the five or points are going to come from to stay in the division. These were two points that were badly needed. There will be more tough tests ahead none more so than the trip to Breffni Park next Saturday evening.

Cavan gained a valuable point away to Clare in their opening game and will fancy their chances of adding to that tally this weekend. Elsewhere in the division Meath also secured a point away to Roscommon while Tipperary had two goals to spare over Cork at Pairc Ui Chaomh. AND finally, unfortunately I have to break my New Years resolution. Conditions on the bank in Drogheda were shocking.

The recent heavy rain, allied to the long grass meant that underfoot condition on the slippery bank turned to mud. And at the final whistle as the crowd where corralled like sheep through a narrow makeshift gap to exit the bank - it was dangerous and embarrassing.

I apologised to a couple of female Down supporters for the Third World conditions as they removed mud from their shoes in the car park.

The absence of young kids at the game was also striking. We’re reaping what we’ve sowed.