 Man-of-the-match Kevin McCloy gets in front of Monaghan's Conor McManus |
Derry manager Damien Cassidy believes the battling qualities of his team were the key to the 1-10 to 0-10 win over Monaghan in the Ulster SFC. "I'm proud of my lads - I'm proud of the way they stood up and showed the guts that had to be shown," he said. "We were down to 14 men in the last 15 minutes and we really showed our character as we grabbed the game and pulled away to claim a victory. "Monaghan had been our bogey team so we will cherish this result." It was a physical encounter littered with fouls and Derry's Fergal Doherty was red-carded. However, Cassidy made no apologies for his team's approach at Celtic Park. "It was a battle but it was not going to be anything else," he added. "People sitting at home may be complaining about the quality of football but we are not in the buisness of entertaining people.  | 606: DEBATE |
"This is an amateur game - you sacrifice your working like and your family life and we don't get paid for entertaining people. "We showed the football we can play in the last 15 minutes but up until then it was a physical game and that's what we expect. "All we care about is the result and that's all that matters in this game. "I don't think Fergal should have been sent-off. Someone was holding the ball and he put the shoulder in him and that's part of the game." Monaghan boss Seamus McEnaney rued the poor finishing of his team as he now looks forward to the All-Ireland qualifiers. "We created 28 or 29 chances in the game so it's very dsiappointing that we've come out with a defeat," he said. "We fought tooth and nail to the end and I'm very proud of the players as it was always going to be tough getting a win at Celtic Park. "We played as well if not better than Derry in the first-half but didn't get enough from it. "We will regroup - there is great spirit among the players and we will give the All-Ireland Championship a serious run."
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