Early-season victories come with the usual health warning, but new Down boss Conor Laverty could hardly have wished for a better start to his tenure.
Back-to-back wins over Division One sides Monaghan and Donegal has the Mournemen into the last four of the Dr McKenna Cup and they’ll get another decent January test when they face Ulster champions Derry.
The Oak Leafers looked to be heading out of the competition on Wednesday night when they were five points adrift of rivals Tyrone in Owenbeg, but Lachlan Murray’s superb late equaliser clinched a dramatic share of the spoils.
