In the 15th, Ryan McQuillan crossed the line with a nice tying goal from long range, but it was one of the few times they took advantage of the wind effectively, opting instead for a short pass and running game, with no downs. We were able to counter this with our defense numbers. .
Rooney took the lead again in the 18th minute thanks to a deft pass from Guinness, increasing their advantage to 0-6 to 0-3 by the interval, with the second-quarter scoring highlighted by Ryan Johnston's superb shot wide of the right. – Boot effort from Mark despite strong winds.
Antrim strength and conditioning coach Brendan Murphy was given a red card by referee Barry Cassidy at the start of the second half after there was some friction as players and officials were being removed from the field at half-time. It seemed obvious that the Derry whistle players had chosen to get rid of the wrong man.
Oisin Savage, who had been introduced early on in place of the injured Haven, extended Down's lead by converting one of his three free shots after the restart.
Two goals from Guinness helped Down keep Antrim at arm's length, leading by four points in the second innings. The most promising moment for the Saffrons at that stage of the contest came when Creggan's Ruairi McCann darted out but was unfortunately tipped over at the last minute. Liam Kerr's Square.
McQuillan ended up taking a free shot, but it was an acceptable result for the home side.
Goals from Mark Jordan and Eoghan McCabe meant they only had to kick the ball with just over 10 minutes remaining, but Savage and substitute/corner-back Salem Doherty faced a desperate effort from Antrim in the dying minutes. scored a goal and Downe closed out the match. A few minutes of additional time.
under: Joe O'Hare. P Fegan, R McEvoy (0-1), C Doherty (0-1). M Rooney (0-1), P Laverty (captain), D Guinness (0-2). S Johnston (0-1), O Murdoch. C. McCrickard, L. Kerr (0-1), R. Johnston (0-1). B O'Hagan, P Haven (0-1), D McGill.
sub: Haven 24 minutes at O Savage (0-3), McCrickard 47 minutes at E Brown, O'Hagan 52 minutes at S Annette (0-1), R Mason (McGill 74 minutes).
Antrim: M. Byrne (0-1); R. Boyle, E. Walsh, K. Keenan. D Lynch, J Finnegan, D McAleese (cat). C Hines, M Jordan (0-1) C Hands (0-1), P McBride (0-1), E McCabe (0-1). R McQuillan (0-3), R McCann (0-1), D McEnhill.
sub: N. Burns for McEnhill at half-time, P. McAleer for Boyle in the 52nd minute, E. Hynes for Walsh in the 66th minute, P. Shivers for McQuillan in the 76th minute.
Referee: B. Cassidy (Derry)
