Retiring Down goalkeeper Brendan McVeigh has urged his former team-mates to get fully behind the county's next manager.

The 2010 All Star feels this year's championship bid was undermined by a lack of commitment on the part of some players, and that this will need to change in 2015 when the Mourne County will be under new management following James McCartan's departure.

"There is speculation about a lot of people (for the manager's job), but I don't know," he said in the Newry Democrat.

"Whoever does take over will need the commitment from everybody. There were things that happened at the end of last season that shouldn't have happened so we need everyone pulling in the one way if we want to gain success."

The An Riocht clubman regards Down's run to the 2010 All-Ireland final - which they lost to Cork by a point - as being among the highlights of his long inter-county career.

"Plenty of highs - we had the good run in 2010 - but with that comes the low of the biggest disappointment within the county of losing the All-Ireland final by a point," he continued.

"Some of my best days have been playing with the best footballers in Down. Playing along with Martin Clarke, Mark Poland. Ambrose Rogers and Benny Coulter. It was great to share a changing room with Benny and I came along in the same era as him and the same goes for the coaching staff as well.

"When I first came onto the scene Mickey Linden was still on the panel and I would have walked across glass to see that man play."

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