Down fight back
Down 1-10 Donegal 1-9
Substitute Dermot Molloy was narrowly off target with a free in the fourth minute of stoppage time that would have given Donegal a deserved draw at Pairc Esler last night.
Down raced into a 1-3 to 0-1 lead after just seven minutes, with wing-back Aidan Carr giving them a perfect start with a point in just 27 seconds.
Benny Coulter and a Liam Doyle free from the right saw them go three to the good after as many minutes. Doyle then burst forward to blast home a goal from 13 metres.
But Karl Lacey and McBreaty hit back for Donegal to leave the minimum between them before Aidan Carr pointed a free to leave Down ahead by 1-5 to 0-6 at the interval.
Donegal hit the front when Martin Reilly and Neil Gallagher combined to send Martin McElhinney through for a goal on 51 minutes. But they managed just one point after that as Down responded with four points in-a-row with Doyle getting two more frees and Conor Garvey and Brannigan also finding the range.
Scorers -- Down: L Doyle 1-4, (0-2f), A Brannigan 0-2, B Coulter, C Garvey, A Carr (1f), D Gordon 0-1 each. Donegal: M McElhinney 1-0, M McHugh, P McBrearty (2f), S Griffin (2f) 0-2 each, D Molloy, K Lacey, A Thompson 0-1 each
Down: B McVeigh; O Costello, D McCartan, K Quinn; A Brannigan, L Doyle, D Turley; P Turley, D Gordon; G McCartan, A Carr, M Poland; M Miskelly, C Laverty, B Coulter. Subs: R Brady for Miskelly (32), C Garvey for Coulter (49), N McParland for Quinn (52), A Rogers for Brannigan (52), E McCartan for Poland (68)
Donegal: P Durkan; F McGlynn, N McGee, P McGrath; A Thompson, K Lacey, L MacLoone; R Kavanagh, N Gallagher; D Walsh, M McHugh, C Classon; R Bradley, P McBrearty, S Griffin. Subs: M McElhinney for Classon (25), M Reilly for Walsh (35), D Molloy for Griffin (49), A Hanlon for MacLoone (67)
Referee: J McQuillan (Cavan)
- JOHN FALLON
