Classy Clarke steers Down to big win

Down bounced back from last week's defeat to Cork with an impressive 1-16 to 0-11 victory over Monaghan at Pairc Esler, Newry on Saturday night.

Although Down dominated the game, it was not until Martin Clarke's 54th minute penalty that the Mourne men finally managed to shake off Monaghan's challenge.

Having led by 0-8 to 0-6 at half-time, Down hit four of the first five points at the start of the second half before Vinny Corey fouled Benny Coulter and Clarke drilled home the resultant penalty.

It was no less than James McCartan's side deserved. They were expertly conducted by Martin Clarke, who kicked 1-4 from centre forward, and his fingerprints were on practically everything positive that came from the home team's attack.

Eight different Down players scored, while Monaghan relied almost exclusively on Paul Finlay, who kicked 0-8 of their total, with Conor McManus and Conor Galligan - in the dying minutes - the only other Monaghan players to get on the scoresheet.

A fourth successive defeat leaves Monaghan in serious relegation trouble and with Kerry the visitors to Clones in Round 6, there are no immediate prospects of an improvement in their position on the horizon.

While Down were slick and polished in attack, Monaghan struggled badly to win any sort of possession in their forward line as the Mourne men piled men behind the ball, defended well, and broke at lightning pace.

Indeed, Monaghan didn't hit the target from play until the 34th minute, when Conor McManus finally added to four Finlay frees, leaving the Eamonn McEneaney's men just three points in arrears despite being outplayed for much of the half.

And deep in added time, Finlay sent over his fifth point of the half, leaving just two points between the sides at the break.

Down, with 11 of the side that contested last September's All-Ireland final, including the fit-again Benny Coulter, had made an impressive start to the game and were 0-5 to 0-2 ahead by the 24th minute, with Paul McComiskey adding to earlier points from Danny Hughes, Mark Poland, Clarke and Declan Rooney.

For all their intricate, innovative work in attack, Down conceded three consecutive frees within Finlay's range and the experienced Monaghan forward obliged on each occasion to leave them just a point in arrears.

Down, however, kicked three successive points from play to take control of the game, with raiding wing back Rooney adding his second and Clarke driving over a typically spectacular strike after superb interplay with Coulter.

After failing to hit the target from play in the first 34 minutes, Monaghan scored two in four minutes, Finlay and McManus doing the damage, to reduce the gap to 0-8 to 0-6 at the break.

Conor Maginn and McComiskey, his third, steered Down four clear immediately after the restart. While McManus and Finlay provided some flickering Monaghan resistance, last year's Division Two champions made a break for the line that was prompted by Clarke's penalty midway through the half.

The An Ríocht playmaker fed Coulter with a perfectly weighted pass and the All Star corner forward invited an unnecessary challenge from full back Corey which, inevitably, was deemed a penalty by the referee. Clarke finished emphatically and with it Down cruised to the win that resurrects their hopes of appearing in an Allianz League final at Croke Park for the second successive year.

Down Scorers: D Hughes 0-2, M Poland 0-2, D Rooney 0-2, M Clarke 1-4 (0-3f, 1-0 pen), P McComiskey 0-3, C Maginn 0-1, B Coulter 0-1, A Carr 0-1.

Monaghan Scorers: P Finlay 0-8 (0-6f), C McManus 0-2 (0-1f), C Galligan 0-1.

Down: D Alder; G McCartan, D Gordon, B McArdle; C Garvey, K McKernan, D Rooney; P Fitzpatrick, K King; D Hughes, M Poland, C Maginn; P McComiskey, B Coulter, M Clarke.

Monaghan: M Keogh; K Duffy, V Corey, C Walshe; N McAdam, D Mone, D Hughes; D Clerkin, O Lennon; C McGuinness, M Downey, J Turley, T Freeman, P Finlay, C McManus.