Down have 'a lot of work to do' ahead of meeting with Donegal says Ryan Magill

​Ryan Magill was as relieved as every other Down player and supporter when the hooter blew an end to proceedings at Brewster Park but the Burren club player always had faith in his team.

​“We didn't come out of the blocks in the second half. Fair play to Fermanagh who kicked maybe nine or 10 points on the bounce and we just couldn't react to them. But we knew deep down there is bottle in this team, there's character and we just had to show it in the end and luckily we did,” said Magill post-match.

And while it was Ryan McEvoy's goal that sealed the two-point Ulster Quarter-final win, it was Daniel Guinness who was instrumental in the comeback raising an orange and then a green flag.

“Dan's goal got us back into it and we knew once we had life we were right there. It just gave us confidence that we knew, 'right, we're a proper footballing team, we can go and play now.'

“We were very slack in the second half, but fair play to Fermanagh they put it on us. The black card helped them in the first half, that pulled them back in near the end of the half. They won most of the kick-outs in the first 15 to 20 minutes of the second half. We just couldn't get our hands on the ball and it was looking dire, but we knew there was the character in the team to pull it back in.”

That positive attitude will stand to Down as they head into the semi-final against Donegal in Clones on Sunday and there were lessons to be learned.

“We've a lot of work to do for next week. If we play like that again we'll struggle,” feels Magill who is looking forward to getting stuck right back in again with little time to recuperate.

“When you're growing up you want to play football every week. I'd rather play game on game instead of having a game and then tree or four weeks off to train. We just want to play football.”

‘I just had to go for it’

As for the winning goal and the player who scored it, he was the hero of the day – Ryan McEvoy who spoke to us after the game.

“The ball came to me and I knew there was probably a minute and a half or two minutes still left to play and it was in that far I saw the corner of the net and I just had to go for it. If I had just taken the point it probably would have let them [Fermanagh] come back to equalise or get the win so I knew that a goal would seal it, and I’m just happy it went into the net,” said McEvoy when asked to describe the goal and what was going through his head in that split-second.

“They had a massive 10 or 15 minutes in the second half and we just couldn’t get to grips with the game and kick-outs and break ball, Then that last probably five, 10 minutes we started winning breaking ball and winning our own kick-outs and just getting scores on the board and I’m just happy that the goal then sealed it.

And McEvoy echoed Magill regarding his thoughts on this Down side.

“There’s a never-say-die attitude in this squad. We put in a hefty couple of weeks post league and it showed in the legs, that stuck to us today. We were able to see out the game and it’s on to the next round now. We’re just delighted to be there.”