AFTER eight years with the Down senior hurlers and three National League final defeats during that time, goalkeeper Stephen Keith is hoping it will be fourth time lucky in 2017.
Playing on home soil on Sunday, the Ballycran netminder was delighted to banish the memory of their opening day loss to Meath by chalking their first points of their Division 2B campaign with a five-point win over Roscommon.
Even though Christy Ring holders Meath look a cut above the rest in the division, Keith believes the Ardsmen can reach another League final this season.
“I’ve lost three League finals,” said Keith.
“Last year was disappointing against Armagh, and I remember losing two finals to Wicklow. It would be massive to get out of this League because I was in the team that got relegated out of 2A – we lost to Wicklow in Trim [in 2012] – and Wicklow beat us in a League final in Navan two years after that.
“So we just want to get back into Division 2A where there are better teams and that’s where we need to be.
“I think it would entice younger players wanting to play for the county and wanting to play against Carlow, Westmeath and Antrim.”
Keith says this year’s squad assembled by the new management team of Marty Mallon, Gary Savage, Paul Coulter and Jerome McCrickard is the strongest for “two or three years”.
“And the boys that are managing the team have all played for the county - we’ve big respect for them. I think players can relate to them and the young boys look up to them.”
After suffering a 4-21 to 1-0 defeat in Navan, the Ardsmen bounced back with a battling display to see off Roscommon.
Down now face Mayo [March 5] and Wicklow [March 12] – both of which are away from home, before rounding off their NHL campaign at home to Derry [March 28].
“That’s our League back on track now so we don’t see any reason why we can’t go to Mayo and Wicklow and get results there and play Derry in our last game,” added Keith, whose father Noel also played in goal for Down during the 1990s.
“If we win those games we can get to a League final. That has to be our aim.”
Super sub Gareth ‘Magic’ Johnson helped secure the win over Roscommon by hitting 1-1 in the closing stages. Conor Woods, John McManus, Eoghan Sands, Danny Toner, Conor O’Prey, Declan McManus and Malachy Magee all had fine games for the home side.
“We have good hurlers,” insisted Keith.
“Last week against Meath was disappointing. We’d trained hard since the end of November but we didn’t show up in Navan. But that was a bit of an improvement against Roscommon and it shows there is something in us.”
With both Down and Roscommon playing with sweepers, Keith had no hesitation in using the short puck-out last Sunday and believes it suits their team.
“I’m happy enough to give the short puck-out. I actually enjoy them – especially John McManus, James McGrath and Conor Woods are confident in taking them. We’ve no great catchers of the ball so it actually suits our game to go short sometimes.”
