Seamus McEnaney was in bullish mood after his team’s dramatic extra time victory in the All Ireland football qualifiers at Clones.

It was all in marked contrast to his team’s championship defeat by Derry in Celtic Park when he cut a lone and desolate figure.

Now back in familiar territory this was his moment and he wasn’t about to let it pass.

Total relief was his immediate emotion at the finish.

“We were struggling at half time in normal time around the midfield area.

“The possession count then was either 17-5 or 17-6 and that was never good enough.

“We rejigged the team for the second half and that paid huge dividends in that we dominated something like 28-8 in possession terms in the last 55 minutes.

“Even though we only won the match by a point I still think we deserved it and possibly should have won by more,” he said.

Tommy Freeman’s two month ban had dominated the pre-match build up, but McEnaney insisted that it had never impinged on his team’s preparations.

“You mightn’t believe me, but his name was never mentioned in any shape or form.

“From we started training on Tuesday night he was going to be left out of the side regardless of how his appeal went.

“We felt everyone needed to know by Tuesday night whether they were playing or not.

“What we have here is a fabulous group of players. Things can go wrong from missing free kicks to conceding needless frees, but the character and resilience comes shining through and it’s there in abundance.

“We’re all delighted to have won this match, but all it guarantees us is a place in round two of the qualifiers.

“For weeks now we’ve been talked about as a one man team, but here against Armagh I felt our defence, especially our half back line, was outstanding — in particular Damian Freeman.

“Midfielder Eoin Lennon had been written off and yet he was outstanding in the middle of the field. It’s only when our backs are against the wall that we produce our best.”

Monaghan will be back in action on Saturday night in the second round of the qualifiers, but for Monaghan and McEnaney it’s an opportunity, not a problem.

“For me this game against Armagh was an epic battle. These are local derbies with much more than football at stake.

“With or without me this side is only beginning to come good.”

But he was much more outspoken when referring back to Tommy Freeman’s well publicised ban.

“Tommy Freeman is a victim of media pressure that has come in relation to the game in Celtic Park which was blown out of all proportion, but now’s the time to draw a line in the sand and move on.”

Armagh manager Peter McDonnell was bitterly disappointed afterwards.

“I couldn’t have asked any more of my team,” he explained.

“A wee bit of composure in front of goal near the end might have made the difference, but fair play to Monaghan, they kept going to the very end and good luck to them.

“There was only a kick of the ball in it at the finish and it could have gone either way — and I’m sure Seamus McEnaney is very relieved.

“We finished the game with a number of very young players and I feel that’s where our future lies.

“I was hugely disappointed how we conceded many frees without getting many in return. There’s a great number of factors involved in interpreting matches like this.

“There are people there to adjudge on tackles and collisions and I didn’t see too much sinister stuff.”

McDonnell to his lasting credit refused to criticise referee Derek Fahy, saying “what’s the point.”

But on reflection he will wonder how umpires who stood idly by while Ronan Clarke was singled out for special treatment were able to see the incident that saw Steven McDonnell sent off late in normal time and you have to wonder what provoked the Armagh player to react in the manner he did.

There was an incident in the first half when Clarke was rugby tackled to the ground and yet referee Fahy awarded the free kick to Monaghan, but his greatest blunder of all was to blow the match up almost 30 seconds early as Armagh went in search of an equaliser.