ALL-IRELAND SFC QUALIFIER ROUND THREE/Wicklow 1-15 Down 0-17:Tony Hannon kept his cool to send over a '45' with the last kick of the game to continue Mick O'Dwyer's dream run with the Garden County at Fortress Aughrim today.
Wicklow have now made it to the last 12 of the All-Ireland series and they were good value for their win over Down, who had their own chances to win the game as time ticked away.
Having drawn level in the 66th minute, Ross Carr’s side squandered two chances from Ambrose Rogers and Aidan Carr before Wicklow launched one last attempt to win the game in regulation play.
A fine ball in from JP Dalton on the right broke to James Stafford, who decided to go for a goal when a fisted point was enough as the three minutes of injury time had ended.
Brendan McVeigh pulled off a fine save in the Down goal, with Hannon handed the responsibility with the placed ball. His strike was pure, and put out on the breeze, it curled beautifully in to set off joyous scenes amongst a big crowd in Aughrim.
O’Dwyer heaped praise on Hannon after his off-target display against Westmeath in the Leinster quarter-final against Westmeath.
“I’m delighted for Tony Hannon, he was under a lot of pressure after missing that ‘45’ against Westmeath in Tullamore, but today he hit that ball exceptionally well,” said O’Dwyer
“It was a marvellous kick at a vital stage in the game. Tony’s a great man for pressure and he showed that today. A lot of people would say it was a lack of pressure in Tullamore but when we needed to make the kick today he got it,” he added.
Leighton Glynn’s opportunist goal in the first-half was the difference between the sides at the break as the scoreline stood at 1-9 to 0-9.
Slowly but surely, the Ulster side worked their way back into the game, drawing level in the 66th minute when Benny Coulter pointed from wide on the left.
O’Dwyer admitted afterwards that he thought his side’s chances were gone, but yet again his players upped their efforts to seal a pace in the last 12.
“At that stage it looked like Down were going to go on and win, but our fellas kept on battling all the way. In the three games we’ve never used a sub, that must be a record in Gaelic football. The 15 players that started each game finished and they finished again today and finished well I tell you,” said O’Dwyer, who is looking forward to tomorrow night’s draw.
“We don’t mind now, we’ll play whatever team is put in front of us. Let’s hope it will be one of the big ones.”
Meanwhile, Donie Shine shone brightest at Dr Hyde Park as he kicked nine points in Roscommon’s 0-11 to 0-8 victory over Wexford in the round two replay.
Six of those came in the first half to give the Connacht side a one-point advantage (0-7 to 0-6) at the break.
Points from Ciarán Lyng and Brendan Doyle levelled matters at eight points apiece but the Model County were guilty of some poor shooting as the Rossies booked a third-round clash with Meath.