Down 1-18 Fermanagh 1-15

DOWN have secured an immediate return to Division Two following a fifth consecutive league victory as they saw off a spirited Fermanagh outfit at Páirc Esler.

Westmeath’s defeat to fellow Leinster foes Laois means Down can’t be caught in the top two of the Division Three table and head into the last two fixtures with the comfort of having nothing to play for.

Fermanagh on the other hand look destined for relegation with Division Four football looming large. They have yet to pick up any points in their opening five games and will need a miracle to save their skins, with results tomorrow possible determining their fate.

Pat Havern (2) and Adam Crimmins got thing underway for the hosts before Ronan McCaffrey and Darragh McGurn pulled two back for Declan Bonner’s side.

The impressive Havern landed two more, either side of scores from Kilcoo duo Ceilum Doherty and Callum Rogers. Cian O’Brien slotted over a free for Fermanagh to cut the deficit to four.

But Down burst further ahead when man-mountain Odhran Murdock buried the ball to the net, after a good initial save from Sean McNally, who denied Down a couple more three-pointers in the first half.

Murdock followed it up with a point which was cancelled out by McGurn while Conor Love and Havern traded scores. Declan McCusker matched a Crimmins effort while Garvan Jones popped over a close range free before half time, leaving it 1-10 to 0-7 in front at the break.

Murdock and Crimmins continued their fine form in front of the posts, as did Love, at the start of the second period. Fermanagh hit a purple patch for the first time, with Jones (free), Ciaran Corrigan and McGurn (two-pointer) making it a three-point game.

The accurate Crimmins along with Eamon Brown (mark) and Havern (free) restored Down’s six-point cushion. Further scores from McGurn and Mattie McDermott kept Fermanagh in the fight but the Mourne men were always at arm’s length.

Down kicked three of the next four points through Haver, Rogers and substitute Liam Kerr, while Luke Flanagan offered Fermanagh’s only response, moments before McGurn was shown a black card.

Centre half back McCaffrey nailed a beautiful goal on the 70^th minute mark to narrow the margin to three but that’s as close as Fermanagh could get.

Down Scorers: Pat Havern 0-7 (3f), Odhran Murdock 1-2, Adam Crimmins 0-4, Callum Rogers 0-2, Ceilum Doherty 0-1, Eamon Brown 0-1 (1m), Liam Kerr 0-1 (1m).

Fermanagh Scorers: Darragh McGurn 0-5 (1tp), Ronan McCaffrey 1-1, Conor Love 0-2, Garvan Jones 0-2 (2f), Conor Love 0-2, Luke Flanagan 0-1, Declan McCusker 0-1, Ciaran Corrigan 0-1, Mattie McDermott 0-1, Cian O’Brien 0-1 (1f).