The Downs and Tyrrellspass reach SFC quarter-finals
Athlone and Mullingar Shamrocks await
The Downs’ manager Johnny Murray felt his side were worthy winners over a strong Killucan outfit in Sunday’s crucial SFC encounter at TEG Cusack Park. They will now take on Athlone in next weekend's quarter-final for the right to meet Coralstown/Kinnegad in the last four.
“I thought we were probably slightly the better team throughout. In terms of fouls, and ratio, we didn’t get an awful lot. I thought when Niall Mitchell was dragged down, it should have been been a black card, but that’s neither here nor there. We stood up, were counted, and won the game. A derby game is never an easy one to win,” observed Murray.
Breezy conditions presented their own challenges on the day.
“It was a terrible crosswind in the first half, very tough to score from either end. Killucan didn’t score much in the second half either.
“It was particularly difficult scoring into the Dunnes Stores end. But even when Killucan drew level just after half-time, we went ahead by two again and maintained that lead throughout. We had a goal chance that could have put the game to bed, but I thought we controlled the game for long periods. Only two of their forwards scored and we had five who scored. That probably shows we had more (quality) up front,” said Murray.
He admitted his side were stung by the six-point defeat against Mullingar Shamrocks in the previous round.
“We set up well today. We got caught on the hop against Shamrocks, and we were disappointed about that. But we came back with a bit of bite today. Killucan, every year, get to the semi-finals every year. St Loman’s, for the last few years, have beaten them by a point or two. No one ever beats them by much—they’re a tough team to break down. Fair play to them, they play good football, and they’ve got a lot of young lads in their squad. They’re a good team, but I think we had more up front today.”
The Downs’ supporters will be delighted to see Niall Mitchell back in the side and his physical presence and skill will be key factors in the knockout stages. Luke Loughlin is another key player and they certainly have the quality to kick on and mount a serious challenge now.
“Niall is just getting back into it. He hasn’t played football for two years, basically. You can see it in him. He’s a hard man to mark.
Sometimes when you’re a big man like that, you don’t get the benefit of the referee. He was pulled and dragged around a fair bit, but he’s able to stand up to it and look after himself,” said Murray.
“Luke didn’t score today, but the work he put in was phenomenal. He was all over the place, getting onto the ball.”
Meanwhile Tyrrellspass meet Mullingar Shamrocks and, like The Downs, will be fancied to reach the last four. Manager Eddie Kinsella said he is a big fan of the system in Westmeath and feels it's immaterial who his side play in the quarter-final.
“Whether it's Mullingar Shamrocks, Killucan or The Downs doesn't matter; they're all good teams. We'll be ready. I love this format.
“Every game is all-out, and every game is close. We're only disappointed with two games, today’s loss and the game against Kinnegad where we didn't perform well. But apart from that, I really enjoyed it," he said.
Kinsella has had to cope without some key players like Ger Egan, Tommy Ryan and Peter Clarke, while Denis and David Glennon are other notable absentees. He is pleased with the side's strength in depth, however.
"We just have to get on with it and give it our best shot next week. We've got a nice panel building here with some younger lads, so we will look forward to the quarter-final," he said.