By his own admission it was “a smash-and-grab” and Down manager Conor Laverty knows their dramatic one-point win over Antrim on Saturday night could be vital in their push for promotion from Division Three.
The Mournemen fought back from five points adrift with five minutes remaining to snatch a remarkable victory over Andy McEntee’s men in Páirc Esler.
Conor Poland plundered a last-gasp goal for the Mournemen with Pat Havern and Andrew Gilmore kicking points in stoppage time to deny the Saffrons.
Read more: Recap as Down snatch dramatic last-gasp win to deny Antrim in Newry thriller
“Listen it was a smash and grab at the last, but you have to credit the character of the players and the never say die attitude in playing right to the final whistle,” said Laverty.
“We had been pressing and trying to push up on them, then the momentum swung. That’s just football summed up. Once that momentum swings it’s very hard to change, and once you get it you’re on the crest of a wave and you just have to try and make the most of what you can in that moment.
“Thankfully we showed great determination and great heart to get over the line.”
However, their remarkable victory was overshadowed somewhat by the injury to star forward Barry O’Hagan, who left the field on a stretcher just before half-time.
The Clonduff attacker will have a scan on his knee early this week to assess the seriousness of the injury, but the condensed nature of the inter-county calendar means that any lengthy absence would be keenly felt by the Mournemen.
“His knee is in a brace - we’re still not 100 per cent sure of the extent of it,” added Laverty.
“Barry’s been a great player for Down over this last number of years, he’s been super since this management team came in, his attitude and application.
“Just hopefully it’s not as serious as we hoped, we’ll put everything in place to ensure he gets the best possible treatment available.”
The Allianz Football Leagues take a break for one week before round three with Down, Cavan and Offaly all taking maximum points from their first two games.
Laverty feels the break will benefit his side ahead of another Ulster derby against Fermanagh on Sunday, February 19 at Brewster Park.
“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,” added the Down boss.
“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 in two weeks time.
“If you asked me what I wanted a Down team to have when we came in, we had a lot of different boxes we wanted to tick and having heart and desire would’ve been right up near the top of the list.
“Nine times out of 10 you don’t win that game, but tonight (Saturday) these Down players showed that there’s something different about this group, and they were able to get over the line when the opportunity arose.”
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