Sunday June 5

Ulster Senior Football Championship Quarter-Final

Monaghan v Down, Clones, 2pm

Monaghan have grown accustomed to carrying significant expectation into the Ulster Championship in recent years.

Having reclaimed the provincial title in 2015 Monaghan were ultimately left reflecting on what might have been when Tyrone defeated the Farney County in a tight All Ireland quarter-final.

Returning to that advanced stage is exactly what Monaghan crave to do, but Down, who suffered badly throughout the spring, are keen to deliver a surprise on the famous Clones hill.

Down captain Kevin McKernan acknowledges the significant task that faces his team against Monaghan.

“There's are easy games in Ulster and there's nothing harder than going to Monaghan in the Ulster Championship and playing them in their back-yard.

“The experience they've had has been difficult, but there's no better place to learn than against Dublin and Mayo. That's the standard you have to get to.”

Down operated in Division 1 of the Allianz Football League, but it was a scary experience as they were beaten on seven occasions.

A crumb of comfort was taken from the April 3 performance when Down lost against Mayo by 1-19 to 1-16.  “The lads were putting up decent scores but it was disappointing to be conceding as much as we did,” McKernan reflects.

“To go to Mayo to put in the performance we did there was encouraging, but it was disappointing we didn't win the game after scoring what we did.

“Definitely there's a lot more encouraging signs than there were earlier in the League. I suppose the performances against Dublin, Roscommon, Mayo, and Monaghan, there were a lot of positives there.

“But we just didn't grind out that win that we were looking for. Listen, there were some harsh learning lessons in terms of a lot of things, but we're taking a lot of positives too into the Championship. The Championship is a new ball-game.”

That type of determined attitude is precisely what Down will need to demonstrate because Monaghan have emerged as a seriously competitive outfit at the highest level.

Malachy O’Rourke has spoken about the fact that Monaghan’s panel is now stuff with experienced inter-county footballers, who are capable dealing in difficult circumstances.

The stylish manner Ciaran McBride’s exciting crop of under 21 players gleaned a provincial title suggests that the future is bright also.

These are exciting times for Monaghan, who remain focused on the present too, and they’ll be seeking to avoid an upset on home turf.