The following is a summary of Down county football team's 2021 season, which was its 118th year. The season was suspended until May 2021 due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Gaelic games.
| 2021 season | |
|---|---|
| Manager | Paddy Tally |
| Stadium | Páirc Esler, Newry |
| NFL D2 | Relegation play-off winner |
| All-Ireland SFC | Did not qualify |
| Ulster SFC | Preliminary round |
| Dr McKenna Cup | Cancelled |
Kits
edit          Home
|
Competitions
editDr McKenna Cup
editThere was no McKenna Cup in 2021 due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Gaelic games.[1]
National Football League Division 2 North
editDown were promoted to Division 2 following their 2020 campaign, however in December 2020, it was announced that each division would be divided into North and South sections in order to reduce fixtures and minimise cross-border matches.[2] Teams will play three league games, plus possibly two knockout matches, allowing the tournament to be finished in just five rounds of games.[3][4][5] In February 2021, it was announced that the league would be delayed due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Gaelic games, but that cancelling it would be a last resort.[6][7][8]
The National League began on 15 May 2021. Following two defeats Down entered into the relegation play-offs, beating Laois 2-19 - 2-12 to retain their Division 2 status for the 2022 campaign.[9]
Table
edit
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Mayo (P)
|
3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 74 | 50 | +24 | 6 | Advance to Division 2 semi-finals; both finalists are promoted to Division 1 |
| 2 |  Meath
|
3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 55 | 55 | 0 | 4 | |
| 3 |  Down
|
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 41 | 60 | −19 | 2 | Advance to a relegation playoff; losers are relegated to Division 3 |
| 4 |  Westmeath (R)
|
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 45 | 50 | −5 | 0 |
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
(P) Promoted; (R) Relegated
Fixtures
edit| Mayo | 2-21 - 1-11 | Down |
|---|---|---|
| Cillian O'Connor (0-8), Tommy Conroy (1-3), Ryan O'Donoghue (1-1), Matthew Ruane (0-2), Jordan Flynn (0-1), Fionn McDonagh (0-1), Michael Plunkett (0-1), Diarmuid O'Connor (0-1), Bryan Walsh (0-1), Eoghan McLaughlin (0-1) | Report | Barry O'Hagan 0-5 (0-4), Stephen McConville 1-0, Corey Quinn 0-2 (0-1), James Guinness (0-1), Daniel Guinness (0-1), Paul Devlin (0-1), Liam Kerr (0-1) |
| Meath | 2-15 - 0-14 | Down |
|---|---|---|
| Cillian O'Sullivan (2-1), Jordan Morris (0-7), Thomas O'Reilly (0-1), Andrew Colgan (0-1) Cathal Hickey (0-1), Ethan Devine (0-1), Bryan McMahon (0-1), Matthew Costello (0-1), Eamon Wallace (0-1) | Report | Paul Devlin (0-5), Cory Quinn (0-4), Ryan McEvoy (0-2), Conor McCrickard (0-2), Barry O’Hagan (0-1) |
| Westmeath | 1-09 - 0-13 | Down |
|---|---|---|
| John Heslin 0-6, Fola Ayorinde 1-0, Ronan O'Toole 0-1, Brandon Kelly 0-1, Ger Egan 0-1 | Report | Corey Quinn 0-7, Paul Devlin 0-2, Pierce Laverty (0-1), Ryan McEvoy (0-1), Liam Kerry (0-1), Caolan Molloy (0-1) |
| Down | 2-19 - 2-12 | Laois  |
|---|---|---|
| Barry O'Hagan (1-9), Caolan Mooney (1-2), Cory Quinn (0-2), Liam Kerr (0-1), Darren O'Hagan (0-1), Pierce Laverty (0-1), Gerard Collins (0-1), Stephen McConville (0-1), Conor McCrickard (0-1) | Report | Donie Kingston (1-3), Evan O'Carroll (1-0), Niall Corbet (0-3), Kieran Lillis (0-2), Colm Begley (0-1), Eoin Lowry (0-1), Colm Murphy (0-1), Gary Walsh (0-1) |
Ulster Senior Football Championship
editThe draw for the 2021 Ulster Championship was made on 22 April 2021.[10] [11]
Fixtures
edit| Down | 1-12 - 2-25 | Donegal |
|---|---|---|
| Caolan Mooney (1-0), Barry O'Hagan (0-8), Liam Kerr (0-2), James Guinness (0-1), Darren O'Hagan (0-1) | Report | Patrick McBrearty (1-6), Jamie Brennan (1-1), Ryan McHugh (0-4), Michael Langan (0-4), Peadar Mogan (0-3), Michael Murphy (0-2), Ciaran Thompson (0-1), Niall O'Donnell (0-1), Eoin McHugh (0-1), Conor O'Donnell (0-1), Ethan O'Donnell (0-1) |
Bracket
edit| Preliminary round | Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Final | ||||||||||||||||
 Armagh
| 4-15 | ||||||||||||||||||
 Antrim
| 0-14 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Armagh
| 2-21 | ||||||||||||||||||
 Monaghan
| 4-17 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Monaghan
| 1-21 | ||||||||||||||||||
 Fermanagh
| 0-14 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Monaghan
| 0-15 | ||||||||||||||||||
 Tyrone
| 0-16 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Tyrone
| 1-18 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Cavan
| 0-13 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Tyrone
| 0-23 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Donegal
| 1-14 | ||||||||||||||||||
 Derry
| 0-15 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Down
| 1-12 | Donegal
| 0-16 | ||||||||||||||||
| Donegal
| 2-25 | ||||||||||||||||||
All-Ireland Senior Football Championship
editDown could only enter the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship if they won the Ulster Championship. Following a defeat to Donegal, Down did not enter the 2021 All-Ireland Championship.
References
edit- ^ "GAA fixture calendar for 2021 revealed". Impartial Reporter. 24 December 2020. Retrieved 24 December 2020.
- ^ "Inter-county leagues and championships revamped for 2021 season". BBC Sport. 21 December 2020. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
- ^ Fogarty, John (19 December 2020). "New League structure as GAA master calendar for 2021 revealed". Irish Examiner.
- ^ "Longford pitted with provincial champions in 2021 National Football League". www.longfordleader.ie.
- ^ "2021 League and Championships – Overview". www.gaa.ie.
- ^ "No Activity For Clare GAA Sides Until Easter At The Earliest". 11 February 2021.
- ^ Fogarty, John (27 January 2021). "What will the delayed GAA season look like? Here are four possible scenarios". Irish Examiner.
- ^ Fogarty, John (26 January 2021). "GAA officials redrawing League and Championship calendars". Irish Examiner.
- ^ "Division Two: Down defeat Laois in relegation play-off". BBC Sport. 12 June 2020. Retrieved 12 June 2020.
- ^ "2021 GAA Football and Hurling Championship Draws: Munster, Connacht, Leinster and Ulster pairings decided". Sky Sports. 22 April 2021. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
- ^ "Ulster SFC: Reigning champions Cavan draw Tyrone in quarter-finals". BBC. 22 April 2021. Retrieved 22 April 2021.