MANAGER’S VIEW: Ciaran McGurgan positive ‘it’s only half-time’ for Annagh
Annagh United must now regroup from Tuesday’s loss of a 2-0 first-leg lead which left the second-tier side sitting rocked by a 3-2 defeat in injury-time at Tandragee Road.
Goals by Aaron Rogers and Lee Upton put Ciaran McGurgan’s men in control over top-flight Crusaders before the visitors battled back off Elliot Dunlop’s late first-half finish, Fraser Bryden’s early second-half header and, the decisive blow, when substitute Thomas Maguire made his mark in added time.
Now, after a full league programme and 90-plus minutes of a first leg, all focus turns to Friday’s final meeting at Seaview.
Here’s the verdict of Annagh United manager Ciaran McGurgan:
BRILLIANT START...
"We felt really positive coming into the game and you could see the way we started, 2-0 up and cruising.
"We were in such control of the game, there was just a lapse of a moment where we'd been playing balls in the channels and in behind and moving it quick but we didn't do it, we decided to start playing in the middle of the park and we got caught and got punished.
"We dust ourselves down and we go again.
"We're just going to take as many positives as we can."
CRUSADERS COMEBACK...
"The goal before half-time just changes the game.
"It gave them a bit of belief, we were really disappointed especially because we talked so much about game-management and just didn't manage it.
"And then the second half they equalised and, to be honest, I would have been happy enough at 2-2.
"But the third goal is just so disappointing...it's just an error, one of those things.
"But I felt the boys did take away a lot of positives.
"I was really, really disappointed with the match officiating...big, big moments.
"But it is what it is, we have to do the talking on the pitch."
SECOND-LEG APPROACH... "We're only one goal down at, you could say, half-time...we've got 90 minutes to fix it so we'll go again.
"I think adrenaline and the magnitude of the game should get a lot of boys through it.
"They're coming in so disappointed...they still have the belief that we can go and get a result at Crusaders.
"If we can replicate that first half and let's get the game-management side of it fixed, we shouldn't be far away.
"We know what's required and we'll just dig deep and go again Friday.
"There was nothing in the game, really...if anything, we punished ourselves.
"We'll just need to stay positive and we go in 1-0 down at half-time."