Ulster SFC Semi-final/Fermanagh ... 2-10 Down ... 0-11: League respectability and a creditable championship victory already under their belt, Fermanagh collided with a member of Ulster's traditional hierarchy at Clones yesterday. For the first time in four years, Down's bandwagon has acquired a vaguely menacing rumble and that appeared enough to spook the opposition in this Bank of Ireland Ulster semi-final. Seán Moran reprts from Clones.
It wasn't as if the match wasn't there for Fermanagh's taking but they ran out of steam towards the end of each half and Down efficiently turned the screw to run out comfortable winners.
Turning points aren't always easily identified but when a team needs the sort of reassurance Fermanagh obviously lacked, the third-quarter lack of conviction has to be looked back on regretfully.
Having recovered a sizeable deficit to lead by one - on the field as well as on the scoreboard after the 39th minute dismissal of Brian Burns for a second yellow card - Fermanagh went on a spree of squandered opportunity. In fact, they went over 20 minutes at the end of the match without scoring.
Down themselves had gone 26 minutes without scoring by the 55th minute. But like a snooker player granted a lifeline by an opponent's error, they popped up opportunistically as soon as Fermanagh had left the table and cleared up.
The moment that settled the matter came from replacement James McCartan. As in the previous round's win over Monaghan he came into a match that was on the line and pulled an inspirational score out of the hat.
Greg McCartan had just equalised with a free when the energetic Michael Walsh cut a swathe through Fermanagh's defence. A one-two with Shane King and he was off again before appearing to be taken down.
Referee Michael Monahan tentatively spread his arms but changed his mind and waved play on. The ball ran for McCartan and he squeezed in the goal from a narrow angle. Now trailing by three, 0-11 to 2-8, Fermanagh could almost be heard cracking.
As Down players said afterwards it's a lot easier to dictate a match when you're protecting a lead and they added a couple of frees while Fermanagh wilted.
It was very much a match of phases. Down started slowly. Their re-arranged attack moved Walsh to centre forward and he had initial difficulty making an impact on the rampant Kieran Gallagher.
Dan Gordon presented an inviting target for early ball but even though he won possession the full forward wasn't able to shake Barry Owens.
It was different at the other end where Stephen Maguire continually beat Brian Burns. Some of the blame lay with the amount of quality ball being sprayed around the Down goalmouth but the full back was in trouble. Ryan Keenan was another lively presence and his constant sniping earned him two early points.
But the thought occurred that for all the dangerous looking attacks little enough had come of them. Down, on the other hand, made their attacks pay. Walsh began to find ways around Gallagher and Benny Coulter was beginning to make life awkward for Ryan McCluskey.
Greg McCartan and Seán Ward gradually got the upper hand on Paul Brewster and Marty McGrath and the early indications now looking discredited. Walsh's ball into Gordon in the 27th minute was well won by the full forward and although he was fouled he managed to steer the ball slowly past Ronan Gallagher, off a post and into the net.
A penalty had been awarded, however, and McCartan struck it precisely inside the goalkeeper's left-hand post. He added a free within a couple of minutes and from then until the 55th minute Down inexplicably slipped into stand-by mode.
Fermanagh showed a lot of spirit in coming back from a six-point deficit. Two points before half time, when they trailed 0-6 to 1-7, and five after it turned the match around. But as so often happens the sending-off had unforeseen consequences for the apparently advantaged team.
For a start, the impressive Alan Molloy had more success on Maguire than Burns had managed and the extra space up front gave the Down forwards a bit more room for manoeuvre. There was also the increased urgency of the remaining 14 players with Liam Doyle - re-deployed to wing back - and Greg McCartan covering oceans of ground.
Down manager Paddy O'Rourke introduced Shane King, the former Fermanagh player, to a predictable cacophony of boos and he, too, ran himself ragged as Down raised the tempo. Even James McCartan stayed up front just long enough to get his goal before withdrawing to deeper waters in order to shut the gate on any chance of conceding a goal.
In return Fermanagh failed to make the most of Ronan McCabe as the spare man. And in the 63rd minute he was no longer spare, as after an incident with King McCluskey - already yellow-carded minutes previously - was shown a straight red.
Fermanagh threw everything at Down but not with any great conviction. A few wild wides and one painful one from a McCabe free was the sum total of the resistance. So the county's unique wait for an Ulster title goes on. And Down, for whom 40-year old Mickey Linden made an appearance 21 years after his championship debut, return to meet Tyrone in next month's final.
FERMANAGH: 1 Ronan Gallagher; 2 M Lilly, 3 B Owens, 4 R McCloskey; 5 S McDermott, 6 K Gallagher, 7 N Cox; 8 P Brewster, 9 M McGrath; 10 T Brewster, 11 Ray Gallagher (0-4, 3fs), 12 R Keenan (0-2); 13 R McCabe (0-3, fs), 14 S Maguire (0-1), 15 C Bradley (0-1). Subs: 21 H Brady for Lilly (32 mins), 23 S Doherty for T Brewster (65 mins), 17 R Johnston for Bradley (66 mins).
DOWN: 1 M McVeigh; 2 J Clarke, 3 B Burns, 4 B Grant; 6 A Molloy, 7 M Cole, 5 J Lavery; 8 S Ward, 9 G McCartan (1-4, pen, 4fs); 10 L Doyle (0-3, fs), 13 M Walsh, 12 C McCrickard (0-1); 11 B Coulter (0-1), 14 D Gordon, 15 R Murtagh (0-1). Subs: 27 S King for McCrickard (47 mins), 21 J McCartan (1-0) for Grant (53 mins), 24 R Sexton for Murtagh (62 mins), 23 M Linden for Walsh (68 mins), 22 PP McCartan for Molloy (70 mins).
Referee: M Monahan (Kildare).
