Barrett seals the narrowest of derby wins for Milford in Downings

Kane Barrett scored two late scores to turn a one-point deficit into a one-point win for Milford at neighbours Downings in a lively Division 2 encouanter.

Downings 0-11 Milford 1-9

Barrett scored five from play in all for the visitors in an awkward enough wind, with the winner coming in the 61st minute. Downings were right in it throughout, but saw Lorcan Connor, who also scored five, hobble off in the final quarter.

A brilliantly improvised Darragh Black goal, when he punched a pass from Barrett backwards over John McGroddy, was the opening score of the match on seven minutes. 

James Lee McBride hit the home side’s first three scores - he’d grab four in all over the hour - before two Connor scores edged Downings in front, 0-5 to 1-1. Barrett hit three fine scores into the wind for Milford and Shane Black’s free meant SP Barrett’s team were 1-5 to 0-7 up at the break.

There was never more than a point between them in the third quarter, with Downings losing Ben McNutt for a sin-binning. It was 0-10 for Downings, to Milford’s 1-7 at the second half water-break.

With Connor needing replaced Oisin Boyce’s second point of the day John Byrne and Shane McClafferty’s Downings in front only for Cathal McGettigan to put the ball in the net at the other side. 

However, referee Sean McDaid had blown just an instant before as the ball had been taken wide in the build-up. Milford got on terms through Barrett and the same player struck the winner a minute into injury time.

Downings: John McGroddy; Tiarnan McBride, David Hay, Hugo Davis; Ben McNutt, Danny McBride, James Lee McBride (0-4); Gary McClafferty, Keelan McGroddy; Oisin Boyce (0-2), Lorcan Connor (0-5, 1f), Padraig McGinty; Allen Pasoma, Shane Boyce, Dale McFadden. Subs: Kevin Doherty for McFadden (half-time), McFadden for Connor (49), Paul McGroddy for G McClafferty (55), G McClafferty for S Boyce (59).

Milford: Shaun Gallagher; Conor Coll, Peter Curran, Shay Durnin; Patrick Ferry, TJ Evesson, James Doyle; Eoin O’Donnell, Ronan Docherty; Matthew McLaughlin, Cathal McGettigan (0-2, 2f), Shane Black (0-1, 1f); Darragh Black (1-0), Kane Barrett (0-5), Gavin Grier. Sub: Pauric Curley (0-1) for S Black (39).

Referee: Sean McDaid (Urris)