Down beat Donegal by 1-10 to 1-9 in an all-Ulster thriller at Newry.

The sizeable crowd at Pairc Esler certainly got value for money as this match went right down to the wire before the home side escaped with both points. Down led by 1-5 to 0-6 at half time, with centre back Liam Doyle hitting 1-2. Doyle finished the match with 1-4 to his credit.

The hosts made a lightning start with Aidan Brannigan, Doyle and Benny Coulter all pointing inside the first three minutes and a seventh-minute Doyle goal had them ahead by 1-3 to 0-1 after eight minutes, with Stephen Griffin getting Donegal's opening score.

The Ulster champions refused to panic and a brace of points from Mark McHugh and another from Paddy McBrearty brought them back into contention.

McBrearty closed the deficit to one point, 1-4 to 0-6, but Aidan Carr got the last point of the half.

Only one of Down's first-half scores came from a forward, but their half-back line had been immense.

Griffin (free) and Dan Gordon traded scores on the restart and Donegal closed to within a point, 1-6 to 0-8.

Substitute Martin McElhinney's goal fired the visitors in front and a Doyle free kept the Mourne Conty in touch, 1-8 to 1-7 at the three-quarters stage.

Brannigan (back on as a blood sub) and Doyle (free) had James McCartan's men back in front as they replied to that goal with three-in-a-row, 1-9 to 1-8.

Down sub Conor Garvey made it four on the trot but Donegal substitute Dermot Molloy pointed from play four minutes from the end of normal time to leave it a one-point game.

Dramatically, the same player narrowly missed a 35-metre free in the fourth-minute of injury time as Down held on.

Down: B McVeigh; O Costello, D McCartan, K Quinn; A Brannigan (0-2), L Doyle (1-4), D Turley; P Turley, D Gordon (0-1); G McCartan, A Carr (0-1), M Poland; M Miskelly, C Laverty, B Coulter (0-1). Subs: R Brady for Miskelly (32); C Garvey (0-1) for Coulter (49); N McParland for Quinn (52); A Rogers for Brannigan (52); E McCartan for Poland (68).

Donegal: P Durkan; F McGlynn, N McGee, P McGrath; A Thompson (0-1), K Lacey (0-1), L MacLoone; R Kavanagh, N Gallagher; D Walsh, M McHugh (0-2), C Classon; R Bradley, P McBrearty (0-2), S Griffin (0-2). Subs: M McElhinney (1-0) for Classon (25); M Reilly for Walsh (35); D Molloy (0-1) for Griffin (49); A Hanlon for MacLoone (67). Tweet

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