John McEntee was always confident that Crossmaglen would prevail against Scotstown.

It was only in the second period of extra-time that the black and ambers managed to stamp their authority on what was an epic Ulster club SFC final at a rainy and wind-swept Gaelic Grounds.

"I never thought it was slipping from us at any time. In the second half we were just making silly mistakes and Scotstown put us under a lot of pressure," the Cross' joint-manager told the Irish News.

"I suppose we got a wee bit frustrated because we couldn't buy a free and we were giving away a lot of soft frees as well. But we steadied ourselves. The boys stuck at it and we knew we had plenty in the tank, so we're very pleased."

McEntee is delighted to see a new generation of Crossmaglen footballers emerge and preserve the club's unbeaten record in Ulster finals.

"People praised us for winning All-Irelands in the past, and rightly so," he said.

"The current team has to earn their crust. Some of them have done well in the past and are now a bit older but there are a lot of young fellas there that haven't won an All-Ireland and do have things to prove to themselves.

"We have a history there. Sometimes it stands to you and other times it's a hindrance and they have to work through that."

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