Football

Caolan Mooney: Down can't afford to drop any more points

Down's Caolan Mooney races away from Gareth Dillon of Laois in the Allianz Football League Division 3 clash at Pairc Esler on January 26 2019. Picture by Philip Walsh.
Down's Caolan Mooney races away from Gareth Dillon of Laois in the Allianz Football League Division 3 clash at Pairc Esler on January 26 2019. Picture by Philip Walsh. Down's Caolan Mooney races away from Gareth Dillon of Laois in the Allianz Football League Division 3 clash at Pairc Esler on January 26 2019. Picture by Philip Walsh.

DOWN’S Caolan Mooney feels that another loss for the Mourne men could possibly end their promotion bid.

Paddy Tally’s men travel to Pearse Park on Sunday to take on Division Three table-toppers Longford, having beaten Sligo and Westmeath after an opening night loss to Laois.

A loss to Longford would leave Down three points behind Padraic Davis’s side, with two games remaining.

And should Laois, who are away to Westmeath, and Louth, who host Sligo, both win, then Down’s hopes of returning to Division Two would be hanging in the balance.

Although there are, admittedly, a few “ifs and buts” in this analysis, that merely reflects the ultra-tight nature of National League football.

“At the minute Longford are top of the division and the ones you want to beat,” said Mooney.

“Obviously you want to win every game but after losing our first game, I think if you lose another one, or drop any points, you are at the stage where promotion could just be out of reach. So, it’s an important game for us.”

Down are only the slightest of favourites to take the points home, but, should they do so, the route out of the third tier, with winnable games at home to Offaly and away to Carlow remaining, becomes more straightforward.

That bitter loss to Laois, coming as it did in the first game, and when they led by five points at the break, may just have galvanised Down.

They followed it up by digging out the other two victories. Indeed, it was Mooney who fired in the late winning goal against the Yeatsmen.

“On the night of the Laois game, there were a lot of new boys in, and a lot of boys who haven’t played that many games,” said the Rostrevor man.

“So, I know we got beat, but we have learned from it and boys have got the experience of it.

“And luckily enough, even though there have been late on winners, we’ve won our last two games.”

Now returned from Australia for four years, the swashbuckling Mooney is famed for his marauding runs from the Down half-back line to kick scores, and as a superb athlete he is going to be central to new manager Paddy Tally’s plans to turn Down into a force again.

It is not his first experience of working with the Tyrone coach, having previously received his tutelage when Tally was in Down alongside James McCartan.

Mooney is therefore well aware of the quality he brings, and said that the intensity of the training has gone “through the roof” since the Laois defeat and the return of players such as Kevin McKernan, Darren O’Hagan, Ryan Johnston, Connaire Harrison, Benny McArdle and Conor Maginn.

“Any county in Ireland who had Paddy Tally they’re going to speak very highly of him,” insisted Mooney.

“He’s brought a real strong team in with him as well, in Benny [Coulter], Gavin McGilly and Stephen Beattie. It’s all positive.”

There are fears in some quarters, however, about the style of football that Down have adopted under Tally, with a more methodical and patient approach in evidence.

Mooney is very much of the opinion though that winning is what counts.

“It doesn’t matter how you get over the line so long as you get over it,” he added.

“It would be worse if we were coming into this game having been beaten three times. Then there definitely would have been a lot of criticism directed towards us.

“But, we’re setting our structure and we’re getting used to what Paddy wants us to do and each game we’re improving slightly.

“So we just have to play what’s in front of us and do what we’re told to do and try and outscore the opposition - that’s the main part of the game.”