We must match Armagh's performance level - Bannigan
Monaghan captain Micheal Bannigan feels Armagh are capable of repeating their impressive semi-final win over Down when they face the Farney men in Sunday's Ulster Senior Football Championship final in Clones [16:15 BST]. Less than 24 hours after Monaghan's thrilling semi-final victory over Derry, the Orchard men romped to a 28-point win which saw them through to a fourth-straight provincial decider. While they have lost the past three in heartbreaking fashion, the manner of their victory over Down has Kieran McGeeney's side enter this final as favourites to end their 18-year wait for an Anglo Celt Cup triumph and Bannigan feels the challenge his team face is whether they can match that level of performance.
"I think they definitely can [repeat the Down performance]," Bannigan told BBC Sport NI. "They performed very well the last two games and weren't bad against Tyrone either, but the question is if we can get up there and match them. "It's another game of football.
Win it and you get all the plaudits but you have to put in your head that you're playing Armagh in a game of football and can we be better over 70 minutes? " It took a dramatic two-pointer from Jack McCarron after referee Noel Mooney initially thought the game was over before reversing the decision for Monaghan to force extra-time and then a two-pointer with the final kick by Rory Beggan to win it in the additional period. Despite trailing by double digits in the second period, Bannigan always had faith they could keep their bid for a first Ulster title since 2015 on track.
"At half-time we said we'd given ourselves a mountain to climb, but we've put ourselves in that position before and came close to climbing it," he added. "We know we can reel them back in with two-pointers so we never thought it was gone. "