Bank of Ireland Ulster Football Final: Down v Tyrone, 1430, live on BBC2 NI, Radio Ulster MW and this website

Benny Coulter recalls a feeling of embarrassment.

The occasion was a very silent bus journey after Down's All-Ireland Qualifier defeat by Longford 13 months ago.

Pete McGrath had just resigned and the young Mayobridge man was taking the defeat very personally.

"It was cat! A few of the young players thought it was all our fault," says the 21-year-old.

"We were just on the panel a short enough time and we just thought we were to blame".

After that defeat, there was much talk within the county that the crop of youngsters who had won the All-Ireland minor title in 1999, perhaps weren't going to deliver at senior level.

Coulter feels that added pressure to the younger members of the team going into this year's Championship and he seems relieved that the boys have delivered thus far.

"If we hadn't won a game this year, I think things would have gone haywire.

We were getting awful stick last year Benny Coulter

"The county had been let down for the past five or six years. This was a year when we had to do something.

"The stick you get from around the county when you are getting beaten is cat.

"We were getting awful stick last year from boys, being told that we were a bad team.

"But we knew that we weren't bad players we'd just had a bad four years".

The emotions of the journey home from Clones after last month's Ulster semi-final win over Fermanagh was in total contrast from the experience after the Longford defeat.

"It was just total joy really. So different from last year".

The Mayobridge star reckons the memory of last year's dismal showing has helped drive the players on this season.

Relegation from Division One of the National League further convinced the doubters in the Mourne County that this team was on a road to nowhere in this year's Championship.

Last year if someone had said to me that we were going to get to an Ulster Final this year, I would have laughed Benny Coulter

"Some people thought that we weren't giving the full commitment this year but we set out to prove those people wrong and get a few wins under our belt".

But while Coulter believed improvement was possible, he still admits that he hadn't banked on being involved in an Ulster Senior Final.

"Last year if someone had said to me that we were going to get to an Ulster Final this year, I would have laughed.

"But the commitment the lads have been giving has been unbelievable compared to last year.

"The bottom line is that there were boys, including myself, who weren't giving that level of commitment last year".

Despite Coulter's relative youth, he is facing into his fourth senior championship campaign.

He reminds that he's not as old as the likes of Mickey Linden and James McCartan.

"I'm still only 21 but I agree that it won't be too long before I'll be one of the more experienced players - particularly the way gaelic football is going at the moment".

For now, Benny Coulter is still feeling youthful and Down supporters will hope that remains the case for many years to come.

Tyrone: J Devine, C Lawn, C Holmes, R McMenamin, C Gormley, D McCrossan, P Jordan, C McAnallen, S Cavanagh, B Dooher, B McGuigan, K Hughes, G Cavlan, P Canavan, O Mulligan.