McGrath backs Mourne men to combat fatigue factor

DOWN’s U-21 football schedule is hectic enough these days, without breathless finishes being factored into the equation.

In Wednesday night’s Ulster decider the Mourne men needed some injury-time heroism to salvage the spoils, Conor Poland flashing in a late goal that enabled them to pip Armagh by a point. Yet despite the odds tipping against them under the Casement Park floodlights, Pete McGrath never felt his Down side’s chances of success had been killed off.

“I didn’t think it was gone from us. This side had been in that position before, coming behind against Tyrone in the semi-final to win. So I never lost hope, even when Armagh were ahead on Wednesday. But it was a really marvellous game of football with a relentless pace. No team had supremacy in it for very long.”