Down lie third in NFL Division 1B having ended new Meath manager Eamonn Barry’s winning streak with a 0-15 to 1-08 victory at Newcastle this afternoon.
Meath trailed by two points early on but with midfielders Nigel Crawford and Barry Lynch coming to the fore, Peter Curran, Joe Sheridan and Tadhg Brosnan pointed for a 0-07 to 0-06 half-time lead.
Down, led by new skipper Benny Coulter, banged over six points without reply early in the second half. A Ger Robinson goal and Sheridan point reduced the gap to one for the Royals, but points from Liam Doyle, Michael Walsh and Dan Gordon pushed Down clear.
