Having lost to their derby rivals seven days earlier, Ballynahinch were keen to make amends when they met Down last weekend.

The visitors travelled with a significantly weakened team but you wouldn't have guessed it from their first half performance. Down even had the audacity to take the lead after 44 seconds thanks to a superb finish from Jordan Wade.

In fact, Down could well have finished the first half in front had it not been for Ballynahinch 'keeper Mark Brown producing four blistering saves in the space of a few seconds as the visitors looked to seize the upper hand.

While Ballynahinch were missing Andy McIlwaine and Alex Millar, Down were missing Alasdair Duff, Mark Elliott, Sinclair White, Richard Owens and Paul Tate, with their replacement turning in a gritty display.

The scoreline could suggest the home side struggled over the line, but that was not the case. Ballynahinch peppered Down 'keeper Jeremy McCready all afternoon with the custodian producing a string of saves. One of his outstanding moments was a dive across goal to keep out a Stuart Hunter short corner strike which looked destined for the back of the net.

Down were forced to draft in a number of second players and during the first half the step up from Junior 6 to Senior Two was seamless, with Wade proving a real handful early on.

Perhaps Ballynahinch started the game thinking they were in for an easy afternoon given that five of Down's main men were missing. From the push back, the ball was worked to Philip Brown, who had one of his best games for Down, with the full-back skipping past his marker and firing the ball into the penalty area.

No one had picked up Wade and he drilled the ball past Brown for a superb opener. The goal came after 44 seconds and the home side was clearly rattled.

Ballynahinch got back into their stride but aimless balls drilled forward ran over the Down goal-line, needlessly giving away possession. Gavin Ringland was imperious at the heart of the Down defence, while alongside him, James Erskine, Brown and Liam Kearney were playing with confidence.

Former Down player David Ferris came to Ballynahinch’s rescue in the sixth minute. James Ferguson powered his way into the penalty area and as he was about to cross to Wade who was again unmarked, Ferris cleared on the reverse.

The visitors were finding acres of space on the right hand side with Brown spending much of the first half attacking, pinging crosses into the penalty area.

The impressive Stuart Hunter eased his way into the Down penalty area in the eighth minute and he was about to pull the trigger, Erskine dived in to take the ball off his stick. Seconds later, Jason Campbell produced a pinpoint cross which David Bolton couldn't reach.

Mark Brown was forced to kick a Wade cross clear with Down's Mark Graham, who was on his own at the back post, waiting to pounce. Two minutes, later another Wade cross was cleared by Lawrence Patterson.

It was all Down at this stage and Graham really should have scored in the 12th minute, but his shot was smothered by Brown, before McCready had to be alert at the other end to push a subtle flick from Bolton around the post.

Ferris and Stephen Crean set up a chance for Hunter in the 15th minute but McCready saved before Brown produced those four phenomenal saves at the other end, denying Graham, Taylor, Wade and Graham again.

Jason Campbell's effort at the other end was then saved by McCready before the home side was awarded its first short corner in the 19th minute, with Patterson’s shot crashing against the backboard. Then McCready produced that diving save from a short corner to deny Hunter.

Ballynahinch lacked the killer instinct and their final ball was wanting, but they produced a sweeping mover in the 26th minute to grab the equaliser. Ferris fed his skipper Harrison who teed up Hunter who made no mistake.

With four minutes of the half remaining, Ferris robbed Graham as he prepared to shoot before Patterson swept away a cross from Ferguson aimed at Taylor who was making his way into the penalty area.

With a minute of the half remaining, Ballynahinch took the lead for the first time in the game. Hunter grabbed his second of the game from play, but Down were perhaps unlucky that the umpire couldn’t see during the build-up that the ball had been lifted into Erskine which would have resulted in a free.

Campbell thought he had scored to give his side a 3-1 lead within five minutes of the restart but the umpire spotted that the ball had struck a Ballynahinch foot and awarded a free to Down. Patterson then stopped Taylor in his tracks before Philip Brown was perfectly placed to block Bolton’s shot.

Hunter should have completed his hat-trick in the 47th minute but with the goal at his mercy after great build-up play involving McKee and Crean the big midfielder missed the target. Four minutes later McCready denied Hunter with the Down 'keeper denying Harrison two minutes later.

Graham had a great chance to make it 2-2 in the 56th minute but was denied by Mark Brown while with nine minutes to go, McCready denied McKee a certain goal against his former team.

In the closing stages, Ashley Brown's drag flick looked destined for the back of the net but McCready somehow managed to get something on the ball to deflect it away.

A dogged performance from the visitors while Ballynahinch will know they need to be much more clinical in front of goal, especially this weekend when they have a tough game away to Armagh.