Football

Down player ratings: Mournemen produce strong team performance despite defeat

There were plenty of positive displays as Down fell just short of an Ulster final

Down star Finn McElroy returned to the Longstone fold towards the end of their league campaign having spent the summer playing for Westmeath in New York. Picture by Philip Walsh
Finn McElroy produced a hard-working performance for Conor Laverty's side Picture by Philip Walsh
By Shaun Casey

John O’Hare Didn’t have much to do in terms of shot-stopping but played his role as an extra man superbly well when Down were in trouble. 7

Peter Fegan Picked up Rory Grugan from the start and shadowed the Armagh playmaker throughout, holding him scoreless from play. 6

Ryan McEvoy A real leader. He was responsible for a number of man-marking duties and attacked well at times too. 7

Ceilum Doherty Found pockets of space in the Armagh defence and seemed to pop up everywhere.Created the first goal, whether he’ll claim it or not is a never matter. 7

Miceal Rooney Worked his socks off for the cause but was replaced in the second period by Barry O’Hagan. 6

Pierce Laverty The Down skipper set up his side first major. Missed a marked free near the end that could have stolen it before Armagh’s winner. 6

Shealan Johnston Missed a first-half mark and worked up and down the field but perhaps didn’t have the impact that Down wanted. 6

Jonny Flynn Continually drifted into the full-forward position but Down never once opted for the long-ball option. Replaced by Danny Magee at the start of the second half. 6

Odhran Murdock Got caught in possession for Armagh’s first score but did have brighter moments throughout the game as Down ran the favourites right to the wire. 7

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Armagh's Peter McGrane gives chase and Down's Daniel Guinness goes on the attack. Pic Philip Walsh

Daniel Guinness Really threw himself around and won Down’s first two restarts. Took a great score early in the second half. 7

Ryan Magill Wasn’t named to start but the Sigerson Cup winning captain had a great day, scoring 1-1. 7

Ryan Johnston Fired over a huge score after Down’s second goal that got great reaction from the crowd but didn’t drive his side on as much as expected. 6

Finn McElroy An outstanding individual display highlighted by a number of timely interventions. His performance at the back was exactly what Conor Laverty built his game plan around. 8

Pat Havern An off-day for the usually accurate Saval man. Missed his first three free shots at goal but did land two after. 6

James Guinness Like a lot of the Down forwards, spent a lot of his time tracking back and hassling the Armagh attackers and did so to good effect. 6

SUBSTITUTES

Liam Kerr Made an immediate impact when introduced for the second half and it was his pace through the heart of the Armagh rearguard that created the second goal. 7

Danny Magill Got on the scoresheet straight after entering the fray and was the punch that Down wanted from the bench. 7

Barry O’Hagan A horrible day for the Clonduff man who limped off the field with a knee injury of play 14 minutes after coming on. 5

Oisin Savage Had a chance to swing over an equaliser but it was almost an impossible angle for the young sharpshooter. 5

Shane Annett Not on long enough to be rated