Football

Longstone 'must show clinical side' to push Mayobridge

Mayobridge, who pushed Burren to the limit in their first championship outing last week, take on Longstone tonight. Picture by Louis McNally
Mayobridge, who pushed Burren to the limit in their first championship outing last week, take on Longstone tonight. Picture by Louis McNally Mayobridge, who pushed Burren to the limit in their first championship outing last week, take on Longstone tonight. Picture by Louis McNally

Morgan Fuels Down SFC round 2B: Longstone v Mayobridge (tonight, Newry, 7.30pm)

LONGSTONE were made to pay for a lack of cutting edge against Ballyholland in the first round – and boss Eamonn Morgan knows his men must be much more clinical if they are to have any chance of upsetting Mayobridge in tonight’s last chance saloon clash at Pairc Esler.

The Tullylish native, part of a management team that includes former county star Ambrose Rogers jr and John Poland, guided the ’Stone to promotion from Division Two.

Indeed, they went unbeaten from April until the middle of August to secure their spot in the top flight next year and - buoyed by the return of emerging Down player Finn McElroy from America in early August - hoped to carry that momentum into the championship.

However, despite being seen by many as slight favourites, Longstone came unstuck against a Ballyholland side who suffered relegation from Division One weeks earlier, Mark Walsh’s goal proving critical as the Harps advanced to a clash with county kingpins Kilcoo on Monday night.

It was a frustrating experience for Morgan – one he knows the ’Stone cannot afford to repeat.

“We set our stall out at the start of the year to get promotion, didn’t matter if it was first or second,” he said.

“But, against Ballyholland, the fact we hadn’t been playing at that level was a major factor. They have been in recent championship semi-finals so they have that pedigree, and their style of play is very hard to break down. They’re very good at what they do.

“Also, if they’d had their full team out through the league, they wouldn’t have been relegated from Division One, but we probably came away feeling we’d left it out there a bit.

“We had been scoring goals pretty regularly in the league but they dried up for us in that game.

We had a few big chances and didn’t take any.”

Mayobridge represent a different kind of challenge tonight.

And while Steven Poacher’s side were left disappointed by extra-time defeat to last year’s beaten county finalists Burren, they can take great heart from their performance that night.

A late burst before half-time saw the ’Bridge lead at the break, and the game remained nip and tuck until the St Mary’s eventually nudged their noses in front.

“You’ve going from playing a team in the bottom four of Division One to a team in the top four,” said Morgan, who is without influential pair Matthew Cunningham and Gareth Fitzpatrick for tonight’s game, while Conor Shields could return to the fold.

“There’s definitely a step up in terms of personnel with what the ’Bridge have done over the last number of years. They’re a seriously well conditioned team, maybe the most conditioned team in Down.

“We’ll have to be a lot more clinical, that’s for sure. We’re not going to get the same opportunities as we got in Division Two, we know that.

“We know that, if we could get across the line, it would be a big shock in Down football. But it’s something we’re very capable of doing if we’re on our A-game.”