16 July 2011
Antrim’s involvement in this year’s All Ireland Football qualifiers were ended by Down at Casement Park as last season’s All Ireland finalists produced a three goal second-half salvo to crush the Saffron’s dream.
Antrim had survived a Down onslaught for much of the opening half, but they fought back well to trail by just a single point at the break 0-5 to 0-6
Buoyed by their strong finish to the first-half the Saffrons then took the lead on the resumption, with points from Terry O’Neill and Gerard O’Boyle.
A shock looked to be on the cards but the Mourne men began to find their feet and when Conor Laverty finished a brilliant individual run to the Antrim net in the 43rd minute the tables turned once again.
With Benny Coulter, Martin Clarke and Caolan Mooney causing the Saffrons’ defence no end of trouble the visitors moved through the gears and when martin Clarke and Mooney added further goals there was no way back for a gallant Antrim side.
Scorers:
Down: M Clarke 1-4 (3f, 1 '45), M Poland 0-4 (4f), C Laverty, C Mooney both 1-0, B Coulter 0-2, A Branagan, K McKernan, P McComiskey 0-1
Antrim: B Herron, K Niblock, P Cunninghan (2f) 0-2, G O'Boyle, D O'Hagan, J Crozier, T McCann ('45) 0-1
Down: B McVeigh; A Branagan, D Gordon, A McArdle; C Garvey, K McKernan, G McCartan; D Rooney, K King; C Maginn, M Poland, L Doyle; C Laverty, B Coulter, M Clarke. Subs: D Hughes for L Doyle (40), C Mooney for C Maginn (44), P McComiskey for D Rooney (48), D O'Hagan for A Healy (55), P Fitzpatrick for K King (52), A Carr for B Coulter (65)
Antrim: W McSorley; C Brady, R Johnson, J Crozier; T Sucllion, T O'Neill, A Healy; B Herron, A Gallagher; C Murray, T McCann, J Loughrey; G O'Boyle, K Niblock, P Cunningham. Subs: M Dougan for G O'Boyle (47), A Douglas for T O'Neill (51), M McCann for B Herron (53), K Brady for T McCann (65)
Ref: P Hughes (Armagh)
