STORY OF THE SEASON...
THE 2015 season began with much promise for Down. A new manager in Jim McCorry oversaw promotion to the top table of the National League before three defeats in succession saw things take a turn for the worse and eventually lead to McCorry’s resignation.
Down now find themselves in almost the exact same position as 12 months ago – managerless, but with Division One to contend with in 2016 and a big job for whoever is appointed as McCorry’s successor.
After narrowly missing out on the last four of the Dr McKenna Cup on scoring average, Down went into the National League with most feeling that the Mourne men’s ambition should be to maintain their Division Two status. That feeling changed when McCorry’s new-look side scored 2-1 in the space of 90 seconds at the death in Newbridge to see off Kildare in their opener.
Coming back from losing positions would become a feature of Down’s NFL campaign and, while a few chose to see it as mere luck, the general consensus was that McCorry had instilled a new
never-say-die attitude into his panel. Kilcoo goalkeeper Stephen Kane saved a penalty in that match after replacing the black-carded Michael Cunningham between the posts and he would stay there for the remainder of the campaign, while Kane’s club-mate Paul Devlin took his chance to shine as he and Donal O’Hare hit 1-12 between them on the day.
The return of Caolan Mooney from Australia boosted Down hopes but, after hitting a trademark pace-infused goal in Kildare, the Rostrevor youngster limped out of the action the next time out with a hamstring injury in the 1-11 to 1-15 home defeat to Roscommon – a side that would come back to haunt Down in the division final.
A gutsy win in awful conditions in Cavan followed before they produced another stirring comeback to edge out Galway at Páirc Esler, 1-17 to 1-16, as things looked on the up again. The 2-17 to 0-10 dismantling of Westmeath at Cusack Park made it three wins from three on the road for McCorry’s men and, while another home loss, this time to Meath, temporarily threatened to derail their promotion bid, a 3-12 to 1-15 victory in Newry on the last day against Laois sent them up.
That was on April 5 and Down wouldn’t win again under, McCorry with their next two matches hingeing on two red card decisions that were both poor calls by the officials and, ultimately, pivotal in the longer-term future of McCorry. Brendan McArdle was dismissed by Maurice Deegan at the end of the first half of the Division Two final loss to Roscommon.
Things went from bad to worse at the start of June when Down were edged out 0-12 to 0-11 by Derry in the Ulster SFC quarter-final at Celtic Park. This time, it was Conaill McGovern who was the unlucky recipient of a red card, with the officials deeming he had struck Enda Lynn at the start of the second half. To most observers, a Down side with 15 men would have, at least, forced a replay given their domination for the remainder of the match.
Then came the nadir – a Championship exit at the hands of Wexford 1-16 to 1-11. One interestingly-edited post-match interview from RTÉ with Jim McCorry later and things began to go rapidly downhill.
The rest, as they say, is history.
MR CONSISTENCY...
THERE are a few candidates, with Kevin McKernan still as powerful and important to the side as ever while, in the league, Bryansford’s Luke Howard instilled a bit more solidity in defence before things went awry at the back the more the season progressed.
But for sheer consistency and a guaranteed 7/10 every week, Conor Laverty has led by example, particularly since being installed as captain at the beginning of Jim McCorry’s short tenure as manager.
While the diminutive Kilcoo forward may not score as heavily as he has done in the past, for sheer hard work, constant running, hustling and harrying of the opposition and will to win, Laverty has been head and shoulders above anyone in a red and black shirt in 2015.
WHAT THEY NEED...
STABILITY. Off the pitch, certainly, that has to be the watchword for the county going forward.
Things were going reasonably well earlier this year before the outcry began following defeat to Roscommon in the Division Two final. The rumblings of discontent got louder after the Ulster Championship exit to Derry at Celtic Park, before Down supporters went overboard in their criticism after an admittedly shocking defeat at the hands of Wexford in the Qualifiers. That, in part, created the undoubted mess that eventually led to Jim McCorry’s resignation at the tail-end of August.
Whoever takes on the job of Down manager will have to contend with a level of expectation from a section of supporters that is way above what it should be. The Down support is one of the most fervent around and they travel well, but too many hark back to the most recent glory days of 1991 and ’94. They believe Down are good enough to win Ulster every year and the 2010 run to the All-Ireland final certainly did nothing to dampen those expectations. They also feel they should play attractive, free-following, easy-on-the-eye football while they’re at it.
The stark reality is that the county has been starved of success for a long time now and it’s doubtful anyone outside Down believes that is due to change anytime soon. Supporter expectations must be lowered and the criticisms levelled at the players and management that go along with it need to be toned down.
On the pitch, Down have a plethora of small, speedy players who are geared towards a fast-paced hand-passing game, but when it comes to facing more physically-imposing outfits in recent times, they don’t seem to have a Plan B.
The midfield sector needs at least one player who is going to win his fair share of kickouts and dominate that area of the pitch. The likely return of Dan Gordon, if he can stay fit, will go some way to rectifying that particular problem.
THE NEW BREED...
ONE of the main criticisms of Jim McCorry was that some of the ‘old guard’ weren’t involved during the 2015 campaign.
However, he certainly wasn’t afraid to give players who had been on the fringe of proceedings previously their shot during his tenure. Paul Devlin played a prominent role early on before fading as he was moved to and fro into different positions, Stephen Kane looked solid overall in goal, while Luke Howard brought experience in defence.
However, with Down relying heavily on Donal O’Hare for scores, he could have done with a bit of help. Warrenpoint’s Ross McGarry deserves to feature more in 2016 after another excellent season for his club, while Bryansford’s Danny Savage may return to the panel.
They will be boosted by the expected return of the mercurial Martin Clarke and the experienced Dan Gordon and, while 2016 may be a season too soon for 18-year-old forward Tiernán Rushe, expect the Ballyholland Harps youngster to feature in the senior set-up sooner rather than later.
MANAGER STATUS...
DOWN are still managerless following McCorry’s departure. Essentially, the county is in the same position as 12 months ago when the former Kilcoo boss was appointed.
At that time, he was the overwhelming favourite for the job. Now, the waters are a little muddier and the county board have a big task on their hands to get the appointment correct.
END OF LINE?
ASIDE from the obvious managerial departure, it’s more a case of who Down need to bring in rather than who might leave.
While Dan Gordon, Ambrose Rogers, Benny Coulter, Declan Rooney, Dan McCartan and others all left the panel last year, 2015 is unlikely to see the same level of exodus this time around. There have been whispers that Mark Poland may be thinking of calling it a day at county level, but that remains to be seen. Aidan Carr was rarely used this year, mainly because of injury, while Ryan Mallon left the squad before the Championship.
It remains to be seen how they view the plans of the new manager and who will fit into his plans.
