Perfect six for Down and promotion with a game to spare

Down are the only team across all divisions with full points in this year’s National League campaign, and victory over Sligo at Markieicz Park guaranteed Conor Laverty’s men promotion and a place in the Division 3 final with a game to spare.

Sligo, who are in danger of relegation, certainly put it up to the Mournemen, who didn’t pull away until late in the game, but the sixth victory on the trot was well warranted after another superb team display.

It was nip and tuck in the first half. with the Yeats county leading by a point 0-11 to 0-10 at the break.

While Down looked to be pulling away in the second half, Sligo kept coming back at them but a Ceilum Doherty goal heralded a strong fourth quarter and there were 10 points in it when the hooter sounded.

"We don't lose a lot of matches at home, so we knew that the challenge was going to be in the fact that they still were pushing hard to create that wee bit of separation from the bottom. And they played with great spirit. I thought Sligo performed really well," said Down manager Conor Laverty after the game. "The last time that we played here. It was 2006, maybe, and it wasn't such a good day for Down, so it's brilliant to get promotion today." A strong wind swirled around the ground making for misses from frees at both ends – more-so for Sligo in the second half. And while goals were missed too, with Miceal Rooney denied by the crossbar and Adam Crimmins coming close, Down found the net twice.

Laverty’s men got off to a promising start with a brace of points from Ceilum Doherty before David Quinn got the scoreboard moving for the hosts. Lee Deignan put Sligo 0-3 to 0-2 in front from a free, and thus began a tit-for-tat pattern, with Down’s leading scorer Pat Havern sending his the first point of his excellent 1-10 tally over the bar from a free and Quinn pointing after a goalmouth scramble in the tenth minute. Havern replied with a terrific point from beyond the arc But Luke Towey pointed in response and a brace of frees from Alan McLoughlin gave Sligo an 0-7 to 0-5 lead. Traded points followed but Down nailed the next four via Mayobridge player Adam Crimmins and three in a row from Havern. Crimmins could have had the ball in the net following a good team move, with the game level again, but his effort across the face of goal at the finish was poked away by Sligo defender Evan Lyons. A McLoughlin free gave Sligo their narrow lead at the break, but as they did in the first half, Down began the second well, with points from Crimmins and Havern before Odhran Murdock sent his first of the game between the sticks.

But that didn’t signal a pattern change yet, as Sligo responded to level proceedings at 0-13 apiece. Again Down seemed to be pulling away when Daniel Guinness scored the first of his 0-6 tally and Havern converted two for an 0-16 to 0-13 advantage with 10 minutes of the half played. But there was no shaking Sligo who battled back once again with four of the next five scores including a two-point free from McLoughlin, giving his side an 0-18 to 0-17 lead. But then the first Down goal bundled into the net by Doherty on 56 minutes had them on the front foot once more and this time Sligo’s race was run and they just couldn’t come back against the better team. The superb Guinness nailed four more scores one a two-pointer, and Havern netted after being set up well by Murdock in the middle of the field. Frees from Havern and Murdock added to Down’s score, with Doherty nabbing the last of the game when the hooter sounded.

MATCH STATS

Sligo: K Harte; E Lyons, N Mullen, L Casserly; C Sheridan, J Lavin (0-1), C Mulligan; L Towey (0-1), G Gorman; L Deignan (0-4, 1tpf), A McLoughlin (0-6, 3f, 1tpf), D O'Boyle (0-1); D Quinn (0-4) , C Lally (0-1), N Murphy (0-3, 3f), P Kilcoyne for Sheridan (65) Subs: D Cummins for Gorman (49), T Ross for Mullen (49), P Spillane for Lally (57), M McDaniel for Quinn (60)

Down: R Burns; P Fegan, R McEvoy (0-1), P Laverty; C Rogers, S Annett, D Guinness (0-6, 1tp); M Rooney, O Murdock (0-2, 1f); R Magill, C Doherty (1-3), A Crimmins (0-2); D Scullion (0-1). P Havern (1-10, 1tp, 5f), J McGeough Subs: P Brooks for Magill (19), Liam Kerr for McGeough (41), P McCarthy for Rooney (49), B O'Hagan for Scullion (49), E Brown for Crimmins (66)

Referee: Jonathan Hayes (Limerick)