Tricky day at the office for defending champions Down in repeat of U20 Ulster final against Derry

Defending Under-20 Ulster Champions Down had a bad day at the office on Saturday losing out to Derry by eight points in their opening group game.

It was a repeat of last year’s final where Down triumphed, but the heat wasn’t on either side in this fixture given the new round-robin format, and the sparse crowd in Pairc Esler reflected that.

Derry dominated from start to finish and had four points on the board before Down got their first. The Mourne side did come back and level the game but a point and a goal late in the half saw Derry lead 1-5 to 0-4 at the break and they pushed on in the second period.

Down corner-back Dan Rafferty was sent off with a second yellow 10 minutes before the finish, and while the game was gone for them by then, the first booking early in the first half seemed harsh.

Derry came at Down from throw-in, but they were unable to break down a strong defence, forced to recycle around the D until Niall O’Donnell found a gap and finished over the bar, and a converted free and a mark from Oisin Doherty followed.

Down had a chance to get their side of the scoreboard moving when Clonduff’s Senan Carr burst forward at speed and passed to Rafferty, but the latter’s pointed effort fell short and Conleth McGrogan replied with one at the other end to put Derry four to the good.

A couple of wides for the visitors preceded Down’s first point of the afternoon midway through the half, with sub Dara Mussen setting up his Burren teammate Eoin Loughran who sent the ball between the sticks.

Derry were reduced to 10 men on 19 minutes when McGrogan was black carded for a challenge on Loughran and after the restart Luke Quinn narrowed the margin to two points with Carr converting a free and Mussen a well-taken point to square the match at 0-4 each with 25 minutes on the clock.

Doherty made sure Derry would restore a four-point lead at the break however, when he sent a free over the bar and in the second of the four minutes stoppage time a good team move saw Eoin Higgins lay off to Doherty for a fine finish to the net.

Derry began the second half in the ascendency once more, with Higgins pointing in the first minute and after Mussen was off target with his reply, Doherty was on song, giving Derry a 1-7 to 0-4 lead.

Traded scores between McGrogan and Loughran kept the six point margin intact but a brace of frees from Higgins doubled Derry’s point tally difference and while Loughran cancelled those scores out, time was ticking on and it increasingly looked like there was no way back for Down.

That looked even more likely on 46 minutes when Johnny McGuckian cut through the Down defence with ease and stroked into the net and another Doherty point gave Derry an insurmountable 2-11 to 0-7 lead.

Cunningham was sent off with a second yellow, leaving Down with 14 men for the last 10 minutes, but it mattered little at that stage. Derry continued to take their points and could have had another stoppage time goal.

Before that, a high pointed effort by Down’s Ryan Quinn dropped short where David Ruddy picked it up and hit the net.

It was too little too late for the home side and it was Derry who ended the game with a bit of drama when Higgins hit the right hand post with a point effort. The rebound fell to Doherty who went for goal but hit the other post and Ronan Walls latched onto that rebound, his shot pounding off the crossbar.

It made no odds in any case, as Derry were already 2-14 to 1-9 winners.

Read reaction to the game inside this week’s Newry Reporter.