Down hurler Paul Braniff was glad to get neighbours Armagh out of the way.

The Ardsmen won Saturday's Christy Ring Cup derby in Crossmaglen by nine points to set up a quarter-final date with Derry this weekend.

"I don't think we dominated the game," the Portaferry clubman says in The Irish News. "There is never an easy game against Armagh.

"It was always going to be a tough battle and that's exactly what we got.

"The wind was obviously a huge factor in the game. Both teams missed chances playing with such a strong breeze but thankfully in the second half we upped the work-rate a bit and that was probably the telling factor on the day.

"Last week [against Kerry], it was a game that we could have won. When you come out on the wrong side of a close game, it can be hard to bounce back, so it was important to get the result.

"There are always doubts until you get that win. But hopefully we have turned a corner and we can push on to better things." Tweet

Most Read Stories