Down player ratings: Mournemen produce strong team performance despite defeat

John O’Hare Didn’t have much to do in terms of shot-stopping but played his role as an extra man superbly well when Down were in trouble. 7

Peter Fegan Picked up Rory Grugan from the start and shadowed the Armagh playmaker throughout, holding him scoreless from play. 6

Ryan McEvoy A real leader. He was responsible for a number of man-marking duties and attacked well at times too. 7

Ceilum Doherty Found pockets of space in the Armagh defence and seemed to pop up everywhere.Created the first goal, whether he’ll claim it or not is a never matter. 7

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Miceal Rooney Worked his socks off for the cause but was replaced in the second period by Barry O’Hagan. 6

Pierce Laverty The Down skipper set up his side first major. Missed a marked free near the end that could have stolen it before Armagh’s winner. 6

Shealan Johnston Missed a first-half mark and worked up and down the field but perhaps didn’t have the impact that Down wanted. 6

Jonny Flynn Continually drifted into the full-forward position but Down never once opted for the long-ball option. Replaced by Danny Magee at the start of the second half. 6

Odhran Murdock Got caught in possession for Armagh’s first score but did have brighter moments throughout the game as Down ran the favourites right to the wire. 7

Daniel Guinness Really threw himself around and won Down’s first two restarts. Took a great score early in the second half. 7

Ryan Magill Wasn’t named to start but the Sigerson Cup winning captain had a great day, scoring 1-1. 7

Ryan Johnston Fired over a huge score after Down’s second goal that got great reaction from the crowd but didn’t drive his side on as much as expected. 6

Finn McElroy An outstanding individual display highlighted by a number of timely interventions. His performance at the back was exactly what Conor Laverty built his game plan around. 8

Pat Havern An off-day for the usually accurate Saval man. Missed his first three free shots at goal but did land two after. 6

James Guinness Like a lot of the Down forwards, spent a lot of his time tracking back and hassling the Armagh attackers and did so to good effect. 6

SUBSTITUTES

Liam Kerr Made an immediate impact when introduced for the second half and it was his pace through the heart of the Armagh rearguard that created the second goal. 7

Danny Magill Got on the scoresheet straight after entering the fray and was the punch that Down wanted from the bench. 7

Barry O’Hagan A horrible day for the Clonduff man who limped off the field with a knee injury of play 14 minutes after coming on. 5

Oisin Savage Had a chance to swing over an equaliser but it was almost an impossible angle for the young sharpshooter. 5

Shane Annett Not on long enough to be rated