Paddy O'Rourke believes his players buried the hurt of their Ulster SFC defeat to Monaghan earlier this month after Saturday's convincing win over Donegal in the qualifiers.

The Orchard men ran out 2-14 to 0-11 winners at Crossmaglen to send John Joe Doherty's team crashing out of this year's All-Ireland championship and he will be hoping the win can reignite their season.

"Publicly we didn't say it, but we were very hurt and very disappointed by the performance we delivered against Monaghan," said O'Rourke.

"I knew it wasn't a true reflection of the qualities and abilities that are in the team. We sat down three weeks ago on a Monday night and we said that we would put it right today. I am just pleased for the players."

'Man of the Match' Jamie Clarke, who finished with 2-2 from corner-forward, also felt that the team proved a point in that they are not completely reliant on All Star Steven McDonnell.

"I suppose I wanted to prove a lot of people wrong and show that it wasn't just Stevie in the Armagh team," said the Crossmaglen man.

"Armagh have a lot more players. It wasn't just me on the scoreboard today. There were a lot of other young players who came in and proved their worth today.

"It's not a one-man show. Stevie is a great player but he knows himself that he has great players around him." Tweet

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