Down live to fight another day with an incredible comeback in Brewster Park

Down don't like to do things easily and that certainly was the case in a thrilling Ulster Championship quarter-final at Brewster Park.

To say the Mournemen snatched victory from the jaws of defeat would be a vast understatement. They squandered a five-point first half lead to trail by seven midway through the second half.

Never-say-die is the motto of this Down team however, as they battled back with a two-point score and a goal from Daniel Guinness, a brace from Pat Havern levelling the game and a brilliant last-minute goal putting Down into a three-point lead.

Fermanagh still had time to score a goal from a '45 but the ball played into the square finished over the bar and despite looking dead and buried 15 minutes earlier, the Mourmemen prevailed to book their place in the semi-finals next week.

The kick-outs played a big part in this game, with Down superior in the first half but unable to get their hands on the ball in the second with Joe McDade winning most - until when it counted at the end when Odhran Murdock leaped up and gathered out of the sky numerous times.

The goalkeepers too, with Ronan Burns pulling off some magnificent saves and his opposite number Sean McNally doing likewise.

Fermanagh nabbed the first two points of the game with Darragh McGurn opening the scoring in the first minute and the second from a '45 converted by their keeper McNally.

That second score could have been a goal were it not for a super block by Peter Fegan as Garvan Jones shot for goal, with the ball then deflecting off Pierce Laverty.

Murdock registered Down's first point in the third minute and Havern squared the match at 0-2 apiece from a free in the sixth.

The sides were level three more times in the half, with traded points between Danny Magill and Jones but Burns was called into action for the first time saving Conor Love's point-blank shot for another '45 that McNally sent over the bar.

A lovely move between John McGeough, who was a late change on the Down programme, and Eugene Branagan, saw the latter make it 0-4 each on 13 minutes but Burns denied Ryan Lyons a maximum with another brilliant save.

Points from McGurn and Branagan kept the match square at 0-5 each but Down pulled away in the second quarter with Daniel Guinness pointing off the crossbar and further scores from Murdock, Ceilum Doherty and Burns converting a '45 that stemmed from a double shot on goal - The first by McGeough parried away by the keeper and the rebound by Murdock put out by Che Cullan.

Danny Magill put Down into double digits with a fist-pump making it 0-5 to 0-10 and they would welcome that advantage as Laverty was black carded nine minutes before the break and Fermanagh scored three points during that spell courtesy of Fionnan O'Brien from the resulting free, Jones and Josh Largo Elis. McGeough stopped the rot with a point as the hooter blew, with Down's lead reduced to three 0-8 to 0-11.

Branagan increased the lead to four with the first point of the second half but despite Laverty returning to the field, Fermanagh turned the game on its head after that.

They scored the next four points – the first from another '45 by McNally after another superb diving fingertip save by Burns.

Points from Jones (free), Ryan Lyons and Conor Love followed before Havern converted a free at the other end.

The onslaught continued however as Love hit two more to put Fermanagh into a 0-14 to 0-13 lead and things went from bad to worse for Down who were at sixes and sevens and just couldn't get their hands on the ball. Fermanagh defender Lee Cullen hit the first two-pointer of the game and four more points followed before Shay Millar put the ball over the bar for Down with what could have been a goal.

Traded scores between Ronan McCaffrey and McEvoy made it 0-21 to 0-15 and after an injury delay that Down hoped would halt Fermanagh's momentum, Declan McCusker increased the lead to seven after the restart.

That was when the tide turned however, as Laverty nailed a two-pointer and moments later, on 64 minutes hit the net. Suddenly it was a two-point game and hope was restored.

Down's tails were up and the aforementioned brilliant finish with Havern converting point and a free to level and McEvoy's goal completed an incredible comeback for Down who live to fight another day.

MATCH STATS

Fermanagh: Sean McNally (0-3,3'45); Che Cullan, Lee Cullan (0-2, 1tp), Oisin Smyth; Jonathan Cassidy (0-2), Declan McCusker (0-1), Fionan O'Brien (0-1,1f); Joe McDade, Darragh McGurn (0-2); Conor McGee, Ryan Lyons (0-1), Paul Breen; Josh Largo Elis (0-1), Garvan Jones (0-5,1f), Conor Love (0-4)

Subs: Shane McGullion for Breen (13mins), Ronan McCaffrey (0-1) for Lyons (53mins), Sean Cassidy for Magee (57mins)

Down: Ronan Burns (0-1, 1'45); Patrick McCarthy, Peter Fegan, Ceilum Doherty (0-1); Ryan Magill, Pierce Laverty, Miceal Rooney; Daniel Guinness (1-3, 1tp), Ryan McEvoy (1-1); Danny Magill (0-2), Odhran Murdock (0-2), |Eugene Branagan (0-3); James Guinness, Pat Havern (0-4,3f), |John McGeough (0-1)

Subs: Aaron McClements for Rooney (47mins), Shay Millar (0-1) for Magill (48mins), Caolan Mooney for Branagan (45mins), Conor McCrickard for J Guinness 948mins), Patrick Brooks for McGeough (61mins)

Referee: Jerome Henry (Mayo)