Clare miss out on Division 3 promotion after loss to Down
Liam Kerr of Down scores a point against Clare.
The 230-kilometre trip from Ennis to Newry was always going to be a stretch for Mark Fitzgerald’s Clare as they chased an immediate return to Division 3 and, sure enough, it proved to be a step too far.
The visitors knew that a win would take them back to a second tier they had graced for seven seasons until relegation this time 12 month ago, but Down had been the form team on this rung of the ladder and they were intent on moving on up instead.
This was the Ulster county’s 13th win on the trot at Pairc Esler if we discount a McGrath Cup loss on penalties and the manner of the win that sealed their promotion delighted their manager Conor Laverty. They were excellent.
In situ since 2022, the Kilcoo man sensed the weight of pressure on his players’ shoulders last Monday night after a draw and a disappointing display against Westmeath. He responded by turning the dial down and scrapping training for a game of basketball instead.
Everyone else would have been telling them how big a game this was anyway while the memory of last year’s Division Three campaign, when they were out of contention come the final day, was to the forefront of his own mind as well. They needed this.
“We learned a lot of things from last week. We wouldn’t have been happy with that performance at all. Listen, this was a big moment for this Down team. Two years in and if you had another year in Division 3, what were you trying to tell these boys?
“The question was put to them this week: was this going to be the moment? Was this going to be the end of the journey? Did they want to stay Division 3 footballers all the time? I’m delighted with how they answered it. That was a very mature performance there.”
The ambition is to be competing with the best teams in Ireland, to bring them to Pairc Esler where they enjoy such home comforts, and this is clearly a young squad that has a bright future ahead of it as they approach a league final against Westmeath next week.
They hit 1-2 early doors before Clare found their feet, but that goal from the excellent Ceilum Doherty was cancelled out by a calm Aron Griffin finish not long after and this allowed Clare to cling to their coattails through the first-half.
Down were clearly the better side but took the interval with just a three-point, 1-7 to 1-4, advantage that should have been more and, weirdly, might have been less if Clare’s Emmet McMahon had managed a more productive day from dead balls.
It wasn’t without its controversies with the black card shown to John McGovern after 22 minutes deemed harsh in some quarters and a second-half Daniel Guinness goal for the hosts allowed then disallowed after Clare players heard the whistle and stopped playing.
That latter incident seemed to be a crucial let-off with ten minutes of the second-half played but shipping two goals back-to-back midway through the half ultimately did for Clare, Odhran Murdock scoring from the spot and Danny Magill following up with a tap-in.
The last 20 or so minutes were academic with Clare manager Mark Fitzgerald left to lament the fact that his side had let slip the chance of what would have been an unexpected promotion on the back of a performance that gives them little succour.
“Not to take away from Down, an absolutely really good side, but we didn’t play well. Whether that was because Down didn’t let us or not I don’t know, but we were flat in the first-half and even when we got the goal it gave us no momentum or impetus at that stage.”
Clare had made it this far with a side that had managed to transition brilliantly from defence to attack but they were unable to do it in numbers here. Fitzgerald had warned last week that it would be harder to pull off against better opposition. Maybe that was it.
“It’s part of the learning curve,” he said. “We spoke about Down’s running power, their physicality, their record up here in Newry, but what do you do? You try and plan for it but, as Mike Tyson said, everyone has a plan until they get a punch in the mouth.”
The irony is that Clare’s immediate future is more clearcut despite the defeat. See off the winners of Tipperary and Waterford in a Munster semi-final and they will secure a place in the Sam Maguire. Down’s possible path is far more complicated.
“All we can do as a squad is put our best foot forward and then be satisfied that we have done everything possible to play Sam Maguire football this year,” said Laverty. “If that is winning next week that’s we will be wanting to do. There’s a lot of permutations.”
P Havern (0-5, 0-3 frees); C Doherty (1-2); D Magill (1-2); L Kerr (0-3). O Murdock (1-0); M Rooney, D Guinness, R Johnston (all 0-1).
A Griffin (1-0); C Downes (0-3, 0-2 frees); E McMahon (0-2 frees); M McInerney (0-2, 0-1 free); S Ryan, D Coughlan, D O’Donnell (all 0-1).
J O’Hare; P Fegan, R McEvoy, C Doherty; M Rooney, P Laverty, D Guinness; J Flynn, O Murdock; D Magill, L Kerr, R Johnston; F McElroy, P Havern, J Guinness.
J McGovern for J Guinness (19); O Savage for McGovern (39); S Ainnett for McElroy (58); C Francis for Rooney (65); R Magill for Kerr (64).
S Ryan; M Doherty, R Lanigan, M Garry; I Ugweru, A Sweeney, D Walsh; B McNamara, G Murray; E McMahon, C Downes, D Coughlan; C Rouine, A Griffin, C Murray.
J McGann for Murray (HT); M McInerney for Murray (54); T Kelly for Sweeney (59); D O’Donnell for McMahon (62); S Griffin for A Griffin (65).
D Coldrick (Meath).
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