Armagh assistant manager John Toal rued the Orchard men's slow in this afternoon's Ulster SFC quarter-final defeat to Down.

Toal patrolled the sidelines at Pairc Esler, as suspended manager Kieran McGeeney watched from stand, and he pointed out afterwards a combination of missed chances and sluggish starts to both halves cost the visitors.

"Even the first 10-15 minutes they ran up a four or five point lead before we really started, we were very slow coming out of the blocks. Then we weathered the storm and came into the game well," Toal is quoted saying by The Irish Times.

"At the start of the second half we didn't take off again, they got the lead. 

"We had plenty of opportunities, simple opportunities, to put the ball over the bar but we didn't take them. Gradually we just ran out of time."

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