THERE were only three minutes left on the clock when Ryan Magill watched Burren team-mate Odhran Murdock stride forward and split the posts for his third point.
Those who had upped and left early as Antrim looked like coasting across the line were probably approaching the Warrenpoint Road roundabout when the roar went up. Pairc Esler’s fancy new scoreboard showed that only a goal separated these Ulster rivals as a pulsating Division Three showdown reached its climax.
It was all square just a minute later, this time Pierce Laverty bounding onto Michael Byrne’s kick-out and launching the ball into the square, where Conor Poland somehow found a yard of space before flicking to the net.
From there, they would not be denied – every tackle, every turnover and the final two scores cheered to the high heavens. It had been a while since the Down faithful came out in such numbers for a League game; it had been a while since there was cause to celebrate.
“It was some roar,” smiled Magill, who went toe-to-toe with the experienced Ryan Murray for much of a dramatic evening.
“It’s good to have a buzz back in Newry, isn’t it? That helps us. You’re three or four points down, you hear the crowd cheering you on… it gives you that wee lift.”
And, in that moment, Down needed it.
Trailing by five with five minutes to play, on a night when nothing was quite coming off, some of the air looked set to come out of the Mourne County balloon after a promising start under new boss Conor Laverty.
But, rather than let their heads drop, Down kept plugging away, eventually getting the breaks that send them into the National League break with four hard-earned points and a promotion bid still on track.
For Magill, though, in spite of the battling spirit shown, there was frustration coming off the field.
“We made hard work out of it.
“We did well in the end but we know we can be so much better. We showed character but we shouldn’t have had to show character in the first place – we were slow out of the blocks, we conceded two poor goals.
“Any team should have a bit of steel about them. We’re nothing special, we just want to work hard and see where that brings us. But onwards and upwards, it’s another two points. I feel like we have a squad that can push on and keep building.
“As long as everyone works hard, we’ll be alright.”
The warning signs were there from early on as the Saffrons settled into the job, with two goals from Aghagallon’s Ruairi McCann helping Andy McEntee’s men into a two point lead at half-time as Down toiled beneath the Saturday night lights.
But there was no panic going in at the break, insists the 19-year-old.
“It was very calm.
“There was no need to go roaring and shouting because we know how good we can be. We didn’t really show it, but a bit of hard work and we got there. We know we have the players to pull us back into it.
“We’ve done plenty of work but I’d say a lot of counties have done the same work. It’s about grit and determination [in those moments], you just have to bite down on the gumshield and go for it.”
For the likes of Magill, who was involved with Ulster University’s Sigerson Cup campaign, this weekend brings a welcome break before another all-Ulster clash with Fermanagh.
And while boss Laverty is delighted to continue the county’s momentum, there were clear areas of concern that will be addressed in the weeks ahead.
“We’re sitting with four points, but we wouldn’t have been happy with our performance,” said the Down boss.
“We have to go away and really learn from that, analyse it, and get ready for a serious battle in Brewster Park. We know that our performance tonight will not be good enough against Fermanagh.
“I have to give our players credit, they had a tough few weeks there, on the road to Tipp last week and then the turnaround to tonight, so they’ve earned a rest now.
“You could definitely see we were a wee bit flat at times so we have to assess that and make sure the bodies are right, and get them back ready to go for Fermanagh.”
