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Unfancied Fermanagh send Down back to drawing board

February 17, 2011

By Staff Reporter

Having gone into the game as favorites, Down appeared to be on course when they held a two-point lead early in the second half despite the fact that Benny Coulter was clearly not match fit, but somehow they failed to score again in the remaining 25 minutes as Fermanagh kept their nerve.
It was level 0-10 apiece on the hour mark and as Down were treading water, Fermanagh pushed on to victory with a Ciaran McElroy point and two frees from Ryan Carson. “I’d say the last thing the lads want to think about now is the qualifiers,” said a bitterly disappointed Down manager, Ross Carr. “How do you pick up the pieces after a defeat like that? We’ll have to have some breathing space and a few home truths.”
As for Fermanagh, who had been generally written off following their relegation from Division Two of the league, they now progress to meet Cavan in the quarter-final on 6 June.
“We came into the championship under a wee bit of a cloud,” admitted coach, Malachy O’Rourke, “but I know these lads and there’s great character there.”
If the rainy conditions didn’t help in Enniskillen, they were a liability at Parnell Park where Louth edged out Carlow by 1-13 to 1-11 in the first round of the Leinster championship.
With the playing surface reduced to a skating rink, Louth definitely deserved their victory as Carlow’s goal by Simon Rea came in the closing minutes. Raymond Finnegan had a first-half goal for the winners, who now meet Laois on 14 June, while Darren Clarke added four points.
Reduced to 14 men in the last quarter when Derek Hayden was shown a second yellow card for dissent, Carlow gave it their best shot but were still short of the necessary class to mount a serious challenge.

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