Listen: ‘We showed big heart’ says Johnny McLoone after 15-point turnaround

JOHNNY McLoone says his Naomh Conaill Under-21s showed ‘big heart’ to beat Killybegs after extra time and reach the Under-21 ‘A’ final.

Down by ten points in the early stages of the second half, Naomh Conaill forced extra time before winning a cliffhanger by five points, 5-16 to 4-14.

“It was a tough old battle,” McLoone told Ciaran Cannon of Ocean FM.

“Killybegs put it up to us and came at us hard. We stood up well in the end and came back well. We kept plugging away, kicking points and staying in the game. We showed big heart, but we have to improve big time for the final.”

Senior star Eoghan McGettigan scored 1-5 for Naomh Conaill, for whom Danny Gallagher netted a hat-trick.

It didn’t look good when Killybegs led 3-8 to 2-1 at one stage, but Naomh Conaill kept composed.

McLoone said: “We had to try and get the ship settled and get into a pattern of play. We stuck at it and experience gives you that – you don’t panic when you’re under pressure like that.”

Listen to the full interview below …