They reached a second consecutive Tailtean Cup final, beating Sligo, who were down to 14 men after extra time at Croke Park.
An Odhran Murdoch penalty late in extra time proved decisive, giving Down a place in the final against Laois on 13 July with the chance to atone for their loss to Meath in last year’s final.
The red card of Sligo’s Nathan Mullen after 60 minutes was a major turning point in a game in which his team was leading 2-11 to 0-14.
Despite goals from Paddy O’Connor and Canice Mulligan in the first and second half respectively, Down could never recover from the red card as they took control.
Down’s Ryan McEvoy scored an equaliser in the eighth minute of added time, making the score 0-18 to 2-12 and sending the game into extra time.
An 84th minute penalty from Murdoch sealed the victory for Conor Laverty’s Down.
Make up your mind
Down were desperate for a performance to prove their mettle after suffering disappointing defeats on their two visits to Croke Park in the previous 12 months.
They were favourites to beat Meath in last year’s Tailtean Cup final but lost.
They were also favourites to beat Westmeath in this year’s Division 3 league final but lost.
Conor Laverty was ready for a team battle and Pat Heyburn was a standout player in the first half.
His six first-half goals kept Down in the game when Sligo played some more cohesive football early on.
The teams were level three times in the first quarter but a goal from Paddy O’Connor put Sligo in the lead.
A great run from Cian Lally created an opportunity and O’Connor managed to pick the ball up from behind, drop it onto his right foot and fire a powerful shot into the far corner.
At the other end, Danny McGill had a shot on goal for Down but missed, but two late goals from Heyburn and Sheeran Johnston saw the team trail 1-6 to 0-8 at half-time.
Down got back into the game with two points early in the second half, but then Sean Carrabin denied Down a run of four straight points.
The second half had a great flow and was well balanced with both teams scoring some great goals.
Down’s John McGovern scored a beautiful goal from the wing while Liam Kerr, a second-half substitute, was influential late on at 0-3 for the Mournemen.
Down looked like they could score every time they attacked but Sligo held on and scored through Sean Carrabbin, Darragh Cummins and Lee Deignan.
Down goalkeeper John O’Hare tipped Carrabine’s shot over the bar, while at the other end Sligo goalkeeper Aidan Devaney prevented a bizarre own goal from full-back Eddie McGuinness.
Sligo’s second goal, scored by Canice Mulligan in the 56th minute, looked like a big one.
Paul McNamara’s inviting pass across the square was received by Mulligan at the back post and he smashed the ball into the empty goal to give Sligo a 2-11 to 0-13 lead.
But the red card changed everything.
14 men retreat to Sligo
Mullen was shown a red card for a tackle on Oisin Savage, who was then stretchered off after a six-minute break.
When play resumed, momentum was firmly in their downswing and remained that way until the end of the match.
Sligo struggled with 14 men and couldn’t get up the field but Down, who looked extremely fit and in good shape, outplayed them and took the lead.
Caolan Mooney, back in form after years of injury woes, scored the decisive goal within seconds of coming on and then forced a valuable turnover as both teams were closing in on the game in normal time.
Sligo went without a goal for 20 minutes before Darragh Cummins scored a superb goal in the sixth minute of added time, but Ryan McEvoy provided the final decisive blow as Down levelled the score at 0-18 to 2-12 after 78 exhausting minutes to send the game into extra time.
A penalty would have been a decisive goal at any stage of the game but it proved even more crucial in extra time, when Odhran Murdoch scored the winner in the 84th minute after McEvoy was fouled in front of the Hill 16.
