Derry 0-13
Down 1-5
DERRY GAINED REVENGE for their Ulster championship loss to Down when they triumphed in this evening’s All-Ireland senior football round 2 qualifier in Celtic Park.
Down finished the game with 13 men after Brendan McArdle and Kevin McKernan were sent-off in the second-half with Ryan Bell kicking 0-6 for the winning Derry team.
Donal O’Hare fired 1-5 for Down but they only managed one point in the second-half as they exited the championship.
The Burren forward O’Hara fired home a goal before the break and followed it up by converting a free to wipe out the four-point lead that Derry had possessed before that.
It was O’Hare who got Down off to a bright start by converting two early frees before Derry took over. Bell impressed in the scoring stakes as he shot over 0-3 for Brian McIver’s side while James Kielt, Eoin Bradley and Lee Kennedy were also on target.
Derry moved 0-4 to 0-2 clear by the 24th minute and had extended the lead to 0-7 to 0-3 approaching the interval. Yet O’Hare’s input tied the teams and ensured it was all square at half-time between two counties who previously met this summer in the Ulster championship when Down prevailed by five points.
Yet Derry controlled the second-half with Bell, Bradley and Emmet McGuckin all impressing as they ran out five-point winners on a hugely disappointing night for Down football.
Scorers for Derry: Ryan Bell 0-6 (0-1 ’45, 0-1f), James Kielt (0-2f), Eoin Bradley, Emmet McGuckin 0-2 each, Lee Kennedy 0-1.
Scorers for Down: Donal O’Hare 1-4 (0-4f), Ambrose Rogers 0-1.
DERRY: Eoin McNicholl; Aidan McAlynn, Chrissy McKaigue, Dermot McBride; Charlie Kielt, Mark Lynch, Sean Leo McGoldrick; Patsy Bradley, PJ McCloskey; Conor McAtamney, James Kielt, Enda Lynn; Lee Kennedy, Eoin Bradley, Ryan Bell.
Subs: Benny Heron for McAtamney
DOWN: Brendan McVeigh; Daniel McCartan, Brendan McArdle, Keith Quinn; Owen Costello, Peter Turley, Ryan Boyle; Kalum King, Kevin McKernan; Ambrose Rogers, Mark Poland, Niall Madine; Conor Laverty, Jerome Johnston, Donal O’Hare.
Subs: Brendan Coulter for Madine.
Referee: Cormac Reilly (Meath)
