Football

Sweet victory proved Down critics wrong says goalkeeper Michael Cunningham

Down goalkeeper Michael Cunningham
Down goalkeeper Michael Cunningham Down goalkeeper Michael Cunningham

IF hunger is the best sauce, then Down’s win over Armagh last Sunday most have tasted mouth-wateringly sweet.

Lambasted, lampooned and written off by all and sundry only weeks before it, Eamonn Burns and his Mournemen ensured that, whatever happens next, 2017 will be a season to look back on with some pride after they added the scalp of their neighbours to their unexpected survival in Division Two.

After the game, mobs of beaming youngsters flitted in and out between groups of players chatting with friends and family on the Pairc Esler pitch. No-one was in any hurry to leave.

Goalkeeper Michael Cunningham reflected on his county’s first Championship win over Armagh since 1992 and their first in Ulster since 2013. As he spoke he stopped to sign ticket stubs for autograph-hunting kids - every one of them probably went home that night dreaming of following in his footsteps.

“When you’re like one of these young lads running about, all you want to do is play for Down,” said the man mountain from Castlewellan.

“Of course you want to play for your club first but it’s always nice to put on the county jersey. It’s only lent to you, you only get a small window of playing so it’s good to put in good performances when you are playing.”

Of course Down have won nothing yet and a hiding from Monaghan or Cavan will wipe out some – but not all – of the gains they have made this year. Down have a little over a fortnight to prepare for that semi-final at the Athletic Grounds.

“We knew playing Armagh at home was a massive game and we needed to put in a big performance,” said Cunningham.

“Everyone was slating us last year and even at the start of this year when we got beat by Fermanagh and Clare. It would have been easy to just throw in the towel so it’s good to answer the critics – we’re a tight group and we knew that if we kept working hard eventually it was going to pay off.

“That showed today a good, resolute performance against a good Armagh team, on paper they are a brilliant team. We were a point down at half-time and we came back and went straight at them in the second half and thankfully we got over the line.”

Down went 14 League and Championship games without a win before they beat Meath in Division Two in February. Cunningham said Sunday’s Championship win – their first since a Qualifier win over Leitrim in 2014 – had “done a lot” for the team

“This is a year or two in the making,” he added.

“Last year we were beat by every team we played and then this year we lost the first two League games and it shows the character and resolution in the squad to come back.

“We beat Meath and we beat Derry and then we faltered against Kildare and Galway and then we went down to Cork. We could easily have travelled the length of the country to take a beating but we didn’t, our backs were against the wall and we put in a great performance that gave us a lift.

“We’ve been working hard the last two weeks and it’s just good to show the fruits of our labour.”

Cunningham landed one long range free on Sunday and will hope to add a few more in the semi-final on June 23.

“It’s just hard work, there’s no secret to it,” he said of his dead ball striking.

“It’s long hours and practice, every day I’m doing something – you just need to keep working hard.”

He added: “We are a very young team, look at our forwards – you have Jerome (Johnston), Connaire Harrison, Barry O’Hagan and Donal O’Hare. Nobody is over 25 and it was a great baptism of fire last year to see the levels we need to be operating at.

“The more those boys play games the better they’re going to get. But we haven’t done anything yet, we’ve beat Armagh now we’ll look forward to the Monaghan game, or Cavan.

“It doesn’t matter who we get, we’ll keep putting the work in and try to develop a plan to beat them and try and execute it on the day.”