Dr McKenna Cup: Derry 0-13 Down 0-10

Sunday 7th January 2024

Derry made it two wins from two and in doing so became the first team to progress to the semi-finals of this season’s Dr McKenna Cup.

Mickey Harte’s side, lacklustre and sloppy in the first half, dominated after the break to run out convincing winners.

Down were ahead 0-8 to 0-5 at the break but their three-point advantage certainly didn’t reflect the visitors’ first-half superiority. Conor Laverty’s side were clearly sharper than their opponents and devoid of the same sharpness that accounted for Cavan mid-week.

James Guinness and Diarmuid Baker exchanged opening scores, but by the 20th minute Down led 0-4 to 0-1 with Pat Havern punishing Derry with his frees. Derry found a second score through Conor Doherty which only ignited another three-in-a-row from the Mournemen, with Odhran Murdock’s sweetly struck point the pick of those scores.

Derry trailed 0-7 to 0-2 before a trademark Paul Cassidy point reduced their arrears to four points in the 25th minute.

Havern and Shane McGuigan exchanged frees before a second Cassidy effort, this time with his left, left Derry just three down at the break.

Derry were much transformed after the interval, hitting eight of the next nine points to bag the win. Buoyed by the 57th-minute black card to Down’s Daniel Guinness, the home side could count on as many as eight different scorers for their 13 points, with Conor Doherty and Paul Cassidy’s braces adding to Shane McGuigan’s three frees.

Andrew Gilmore scored an injury-time free for a Down side that never really came out in the second half.

SCORERS

Derry – S McGuigan 0-3 (3f), P Cassidy 0-2, C Doherty 0-2, N Loughlin 0-2 (1f), D Baker 0-1, C McKaigue 0-1, G McKinless 0-1, D Cassidy 0-1

Down – P Havern 0-3 (2f), D Guinness 0-1, O Murdock 0-1, J Flynn 0-1, C Doherty 0-1, J Guinness 0-1, L Kerr 0-1 (1f), A Gilmore 0-1 (1f)

TEAMS

Derry: R Scullion, D Baker, E McEvoy, C McKaigue, C Doherty, G McKinless, P McGrogan, D Gilmore, B Rogers, R Forbes, D Cassidy, P Cassidy, N Toner, S McGuigan, N Loughlin