Football

Eamonn Burns: Down can turn it around after horror start

Down manager Eamon Burns remains bullish about his side&rsquo;s ability to regroup after a morale-sapping 16-point home defeat against Kerry in Sunday&rsquo;s Allianz NFL Division One clash at Pairc Esler <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;">		</span> &nbsp; &nbsp; Picture: Philip Walsh &nbsp;
Down manager Eamon Burns remains bullish about his side’s ability to regroup after a morale-sapping 16-point home defeat against Kerry in Sunday’s Allianz NFL Division One clash at Pairc Esler Down manager Eamon Burns remains bullish about his side’s ability to regroup after a morale-sapping 16-point home defeat against Kerry in Sunday’s Allianz NFL Division One clash at Pairc Esler     Picture: Philip Walsh  

WELCOME to Pairc Esler – the House of Pain. Another League weekend. Another Division One hammering for the Down footballers on home soil.

Outclassed by Donegal on the opening weekend of the season, Down bounced back to run Ulster champions Monaghan close in Clones a week later. But they hit rock bottom again with an almighty thud yesterday.

Kerry waltzed to a 16-point victory in sunny Newry to post their first points in the top flight this season. But there was nothing sunny about the home side’s display. It wasn’t quite as abject as that night against Donegal but it wasn’t far off it.

With three losses out of three, it’s only a matter of time before Down drop down to Division Two. Reporters waited patiently for Eamonn Burns to emerge from the defeated changing room.

If you blinked you might have missed it. His post-match interview lasted a mere one minute 51 seconds.

For Burns, it was probably one minute 51 seconds too long.

You could understand entirely the swiftness of the interview. It was a performance that virtually rendered the manager speechless.

“It was very disappointing after our performance against Monaghan,” said Burns. 

“The boys were in very good form going into it. Sometimes things are hard to explain in football.”

Asked if he regarded the Down job as a poisoned chalice, he replied: “No, I don’t look at it like that. I played football for this county for many years, it’s an honour to manage Down.”

After a reasonably bright opening, Down held their illustrious opponents for the opening 20 minutes before Kerry started turning the screw as the interval approached.

The home side tallied just four points from play in a desperately one-sided game and they went an agonising 25 minutes without registering a score.

Burns added: “We have experienced players in the spine of the team and we have a lot of young fellas that have been brought in over the last couple of years so they’re finding their feet.

“When you’re playing in Division One you’re playing against top class opposition every day you go out.”

Down need more than a manager – they need a miracle-worker to avoid the prospect of relegation long before we reach April.

Asked if Down could turn their poor start to Division One around, Burns replied: “We can turn it around. We’ll get our heads together over the next two or three days and we’ll plan for Roscommon.

“We were a wee bit off the mark in a number of areas which was disappointing because there was no indication that was coming and we’ll see where we go.”

And with that final sentiment Burns ended the briefest of post-match interviews.

With Kerry also losing their first two League games, it was mission impossible for Down right from the start.

Darran O’Sullivan, Paul Murphy and Alan Fitzgerald excelled in the Kerry attack while Kieran Donaghy ruled the roost in midfield.

“It was very important for us to get a win today,” said Kerry boss Eamonn Fitzmaurice.

“It probably easier than we expected. I think we played well and Down played a bit below par. I think they’re better than that.

“It can be difficult when things are going against you in the League when you get a run of games going against you and momentum’s against you. It can be tough. We’ve been there ourselves in the past, so it was important for us to arrest our poor start to the League.”