By Shaun Casey

THINGS don’t get too much easier for Ronán Sheehan’s Down following last week’s first-round defeat to Carlow as they now take on Wexford on Sunday afternoon, but home advantage could aid their cause.

It’s a long time since the Mourne men competed in Division 1B so hosting a top team like Wexford, Leinster Championship winners as recently as 2019, brings its own level of excitement and anticipation.

Two points will be all that matters in that Down changing room and there’s no such thing as moral victories at this level. Sheehan will be encouraging his side to throw the shackles off and have a real crack.

There were plenty of positives down in Netwatch Cullen Park last Saturday as the men in red and black marched into a 1-9 to 0-8 half-time lead, thanks to a Liam Savage goal, and looked in a decent – position to pull off an upset on the opening day – albeit conditions were at play.

However, second-half majors from the home side by John Michael Nolan and Donagh Murphy got their noses ahead and their tails up and they never looked back, pulling clear by ten points when the final whistle eventually sounded.

Down were also reduced to 14 men after the turnaround, with Ruairí McCrickard receiving his marching orders for interfering with Marty Kavanagh’s helmet.

Down will likely be without the suspended Liatroim clubman this weekend while Tim Prenter and John McManus remain out through injury. Tom McGrattan is still recovering from his ACL injury.

Pearse Óg McCrickard top-scored for the travelling side with four frees while Cathal Coleman chipped in with 0-2. Caolan Taggart, Ben Taggart, Donal Hughes, along with brothers Shea and Eoin Pucci, also got their names on the scoresheet.