Offaly go to the well to dig out crucial win over Down

Offaly won a crucial Allianz Football League Division 2 relegation six-pointer with a great comeback victory over a shell-shocked Down in Newry on Saturday evening.

Down are not relegated yet, Offaly are far from safe but this was arguably their most important win in John Maughan's reign.

It gives them a fighting chance of staying up and with members of the 2021 All-Ireland Under-20 winning side developing nicely, this would be a massive boost to Offaly.

One of those players was the hero here with corner-back and man of the match Lee Pearson racing in from the left to fist the winning point over the bar two minutes into injury-time.

Down had one last chance to equalise but Barry O'Hagan's free flew wide and Offaly's celebrations spoke volumes about what this win meant for them.

It was an against the odds win for them and they looked dead and buried when they trailed by 0-14 to 0-11 inside the last five minutes. Barry O'Hagan had punched against the bar for Down in the 65th minute but Niall Kane's '45' put Down three clear.

Bernard Allen had booted over the bar with a goal chance moments later but that point along with the introduction of subs, Anton Sullivan and another U-20 player, Cathal Flynn lit a fire in Offaly.

Points from Niall Darby and a Paddy Dunican free brought Offaly onto level terms and in the blink of an eye, a stunned Down had went from coasting towards victory towards living on their wits. It was a dramatic finale to an entertaining and very keenly contested game.

The sides had been level at half time, 0-8 each but Down were better for much of the second half, controlling the ball and making fewer mistakes. The sides were level on three occasions in the third quarter before Down got three clear with that Kane