Coulter hails Down’s new found self-belief

IN 12 senior seasons in Down colours, Benny Coulter has no difficulty counting the number of Ulster SFC wins he’s enjoyed, but the captain insists the provincial title is within the reach of his team this year.

The Mayobridge man has never known so much optimism surrounding a Down team going into a provincial championship. There was expectation prior to the 2004 Ulster campaign after going into a replay in the previous year’s provincial final. But there’s been nothing like this. Nothing.

“Definitely not, no way,” he enthused. “Down through the years, we’ve been coming into the Ulster championship off the back of a bad year. This year we’re following on from a decent season so we’re going in with a lot of positivity.