County Down Outlook - Sports - Injury worries as Down to seek to kick start championship

Sports

Injury worries as Down to seek to kick start championship

Wednesday, 7 July 2010

Down manager James McCartan might still not be a year into his county managerial career but I suspect that he is probably getting used to the cliché about the next game being the "most important" of his short managerial career.
He will nevertheless be as aware as the players that their next game against Longford in the All Ireland qualifiers on Saturday evening is indeed an important game.
McCartan had left us in no doubt from the start of the season that his primary aim was to get promotion to the first division of the league and to build on that for next season.
But that promotion did bring its own pressures for Down. Their achievement in securing promotion did suggest this was a team with some championship pedigree and the win in Ballybofey only served to heighten expectations, not just within the county but without as well.
It was not just the win in Ballybofey, but the nature of that performance, especially the display from Benny Coulter, had the national pundits suggesting this Down team did have championship credentials.
But all of the expectations generated by the win in Ballybofey evaporated after the defeat and the performance in Casement Park against Tyrone, so much so that Down now need at least a couple of wins in the qualifiers to restore credibility both inside the county and at National level.
James McCartan himself was actually in the team that last time these two met in the championship, that was eight years ago, on June 8 2002, when the midlanders won 1-16 to 0-14, a result which marked the end of the Peter McGrath era as the Down manager.
Of the Down team beaten that day, John Clarke, Dan Gordon and Benny Coulter remain and all three will be hoping they can avenge that defeat in Pairc Esler on Saturday evening.
Down could have got a worse draw but that being said Longford should not be taken lightly. After going out rather easily to Louth in the first round of the Leinster championship, the manager got his players focused for the qualifiers and after a series of impressive performances in challenge games against Wicklow, Roscommon and Derry they were ready for the qualifiers.
Their opponents at Pearse Park were a Mayo side of whom much was expected following their shock exit from the Connaught championship. But Longford had prepared well and shocked the westerners, winning by a single point. Now their team captain, Paul Barden, who scored six points in that 2002 meeting is being quoted as saying his team have no fears about coming to Pairc Esler.
Down have had three weeks to come to terms with the defeat in Casement Park and I am sure the Down manager would have been in a mind to make some changes following what was a poor performance for three quarters of the game in Belfast.
Time has not been on the side of Aidan Branagan and Paul Duffin, neither of whom have seen any club action yet, and the manager could have further defensive problems following an injury to Damian Rafferty after the Shamrocks club man picked up an injury in a club game on Friday night. Also out of the equation is Stephen Kearney, apparently neither the Saval clubman nor Ronan Murtagh have trained since the Tyrone game.
Down did have a good run out against Roscommon in a challenge game at Clones on Wednesday evening, beating the Connaught finalists 0-17 to 2-07, a match which saw impressive performances from John Clarke and newcomer Darren O'Hagan, both of whom could be in the starting fifteen against Longford.
The An Riocht man seemed to be the sacrificial lamb for the poor first half performance in Ballybofey but his performance has to be judged on the service. It was, I believe, a tactical blunder not to have introduced him at half time in Casement Park.
The most disappointing feature of the defeat against Tyrone was how easily Down lost the tactical battle on and off the field. While they did defend in numbers, under pressure Down players resorted to a short passing cross the field game failing completely to get players into the Tyrone half of the field. Not enough of the six Down forwards who started against Tyrone were prepared to do the travelling that is required in the present Down game plan.
After a decent league campaign Down now seem to have problems deciding on what is the best position for Martin Clarke and I do not believe we've seen the best of him since he returned to the county team. The An Riocht man is beat when on the ball, he does not like to be tied to one position, he likes to move about and perhaps needs the freedom that he gets when wearing the number eleven jersey.
Ambrose Rodgers and Kalum King are still the best midfield starting pair, if Dan Gordon and John Clarke are up front and Benny Coulter is in the three quarter line with Martin Clarke, the other two places might go to Danny Hughes and Conor Maginn.
This is a must win game for Down football. The credibility gained from the victory over Donegal gained the players a credibility at national level but that has gone.
The players as individuals need at least two wins in the qualifiers to reestablish credibility at national level, Down football needs two wins for the same reason. However ambitious a Croke Park date might seem, the quest for championship honours begins in Newry on Saturday evening.