By Ciaran Woods

c.woods@gaeliclife.com

ONE of the stars of the summer is sure to be Down's attacking phenomenon Paul McComiskey. Last year he tormented the Tyrone defence after his introduction and nervelessly kicked the equalising free in injury time to earn the Mourne men a replay.

For those watching the game on TV the seismic impact he would have on the game will have come as no surprise. He spent virtually the whole game warming up, but took time out to give the TV cameras a cheeky wink. There were certainly no sign of trepidation on that occasion, even though he was struggling with a back injury.

But his confidence is well-founded and the facts don't lie. In his five U-21 championship outings for Down this season, he returned a total of 2-16. He bagged 1-2 against Fermanagh, 1-2 against Tyrone and picked up the Man of the Match award and got four points against each against Armagh, Mayo and Cork.

Now, he's ready to be one of the stars of the summer, according to Down attacking legend Mickey Linden.

"He's certainly a fella who is ready for senior football now. He has showed that through the U-21 campaign and I'd have no doubt that he will make a massive impact in the coming months.

"He's dynamite once he gets his eye set for goal or for a point. He's a superb all-round footballer, he's got great vision and has the ability to take the right options. When he does get through for a scoring chance he seldom misses. His head is always up, looking around and scanning what's happening."

Linden believes that McComiskey is the textbook definition of a big game player and admits that confidence has never been an issue for the Dundrum man.

"He'll not step away from anything. If there's a free to be taken, for example, no matter where it's from, then he'll take it on. It doesn't faze him, nothing does."

McComiskey certainly has a key role to play for Down not just this weekend but over the course of the summer. Like Benny Coulter, the jury is out on what is the best role to utilise him in, but Linden is confident that wherever he plays he will be a star.

"He's good at winning his own ball, you can almost leave him up front on his own. But I think he's better when he's going straight to goal, when he doesn't have to turn. I prefer to see him coming off the shoulder and bearing down on goals. That way he's at his most dangerous and when he gets a chance like that he very seldom misses."

Ross's reinforcements

There's plenty more attacking talent from the U21 ranks ready to bolster the Down senior attack.

Playmaker Conor Maginn set the U-21 championship alight in the Mourne half-forward line and already he looks like the most promising centre-forward prospect Down have had since Shane Mulholland.

He's got a superb eye for a pass, has the pace to successfully launch the counter-attacks and kicked four points against Tyrone in their Ulster semi-final.

Wing-forward Jamie O'Reilly impressed in the limited game time he got in the National League. He too showed impressive U-21 scoring form, three points against Mayo in a pressured All-Ireland semi-final following on from three points against Armagh.

Throw those into the mix along with Danny Hughes, Benny Coulter, Ronan Murtagh, Ronan Sexton and John Boyle and you're looking at a forward division that can do serious damage in the Ulster Championship.