Down must improve to take Sligo scalp warns Mourne coach Mickey Donnelly

They might be odds-on favourites for the Tailteann Cup after Kildare’s demise last weekend, but Down coach Mickey Donnelly insists they’ll need to show a vast improvement to overcome Sligo in Sunday’s semi-final at Croke Park.

The Mouremen secured a return to Croker with a 1-18 to 0-12 win over Wicklow in Newry’s Páirc Esler, but the nine-point winning margin masked an error-strewn display from the hosts, who led 1-6 to 0-5 at the break thanks to John McGovern’s early goal.

They managed to pull clear in the second half with Liam Kerr scoring 0-3 from play in a fine cameo when introduced, yet Donnelly believes more will be needed to seal a back-to-back Tailteann Cup final appearances at Sligo’s expense.

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"It was just the nature of the game - Wicklow were very well set up and we didn’t play as well as we would have liked,” said Donnelly.

“We had a lot of individual errors and also collectively. If we want to step up the levels and move up to the top table, we need to stop making those types of errors on a repeated basis.

“We were very frustrated at half-time with what we presented in the first half.

“We’ve a ball to work on. We weren’t good enough with the ball in our hands, at kickouts, defensively - in nearly every facet of the game, we’ve loads of improvement to make.

“On another day, we could have been published. Certainly, against a team like Sligo, if we play like we did in the first half, we could be in an awful lot of bother. We were undercooked and below-par and we have to rectify that for this weekend.”

Sligo enjoyed a facile 2-20 to 0-9 win over Limerick in last weekend’s quarter-final and Tony McEntee’s side are unbeaten in the competition, although they lost to Down by 12 points in the League back in March.

Donnelly feels their narrow two-point loss to Galway in the Connacht semi-final underlines the progress they’ve made since and the threat they carry.

“They scored 20 points against Antrim twice this season and they beat Westmeath by six points in their last League game,” added Donnelly.

“They brought Galway to the last minute of the game and conceded a late goal to lose out. We are very aware that they have four of five top-class players - Alan McLoughlin, Niall Murphy, Sean Carrabine, Patrick O’Connor, Cian Laly. . they are a bloody good team.

“They are a really good side and we know we’ll have to be switched on for Sunday’s game.”

Down will be seeking for a first win in three visits to Croke Park after losing to Meath in last season’s Tailteann Cup final before suffering a similar fate against Westmeath in this year’s Division Three final.

The Mournemen were brilliant in their 8-16 to 2-12 rout of Laois in last year’s Tailteann Cup semi-final and Donnelly doesn’t believe the venue will be an issue for Down.

“Some people have made more of that than we would make of it,” stated Donnelly.

“Westmeath have been such a difficult opponent for us. We didn’t play particularly well in Mullingar either against the same Westmeath team. I don't think the environment or the pressure of playing in Croke Park is an issue for us.

“The lads are dying to get back to Croke Park and they are incredibly excited by it.

“We didn’t make the best fist of it the last day we played at Croke Park, but we didn’t make the best fist of it last Saturday in Newry either. We are just looking to put down a solid performance.

“It is about raising the levels and meeting the standards we’ve set for ourselves as a group.

“The pitch you play on isn’t the issue, it is about meeting those standards more consistently.”

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