Kieran McGeeney was delighted to see his team "win ugly" as they came out on the right side of a tactical battle with Down in the Ulster championship semi-final.
The Orchard County found themselves trailing in the closing stages of the game having conceded two goals to a well-organised Down outfit.
Armagh restored parity as the clock moved into injury time and they won it with the next point as Jason Duffy kept his composure to knock over a fine score as they beat Down 0-13 to 2-06.
The Armagh manager admitted that the game was lacking in quality and felt that it was a hard watch, even for those watching on from the sidelines.
However, he felt that it was a game that his side may have lost in the past, which made the result even more pleasing.
"Our boys were superb," said McGeeney, speaking to RTE Sport after the game.
"I thought they were under a lot of pressure, and in the past, when things aren't running freely for us, we haven’t been able to win ugly, and considering a lot of stuff was going against them, I thought they did excellent, and I was really happy with them."
Armagh were considered strong favourites going into the game against the team that topped the Division 3 table in the recent league campaign, however, McGeeney said that he got the game that he expected knowing that the Ulster championship will always provide competitive encounters.
"No, I wasn’t," said McGeeney, when asked was he surprised with the challenge that Down presented.
"Down-Armagh games, you’re always going to get that sort of stuff. In the Ulster championship anybody can beat you on any given day.
"It’s not one for the purists, not even for ones on the sidelines…but it turned into a very tactical game, a lot of things went wrong for them (his players), but they stuck it out.
"At times they’ve lost those games. And it’s hard to lose when you are doing most things right.
"Even when frees went against them, they kept their composure and they really worked that score well in the end and there was a lot of good play in it."
Looking ahead to the final, Armagh will face the winner’s of Sunday’s clash between Tyrone and Donegal.
And while McGeeney suggested that the quality of Armagh’s semi-final win would suggest that they will be underdogs in next month’s final, he expects it to be another typical Ulster championship encounter.
"I’m sure whoever wins tomorrow won’t be shaking in their boots after watching that, but we’re delighted with a win today," said McGeeney.
"It will be an Ulster team, so the challenge won’t be a surprise, but it will definitely be unique."
As for Down manager Conor Laverty, there was a mix of heartbreak and immense pride following the narrow defeat, which now looks set to consign his side to the Tailteann Cup this summer.
"Heartbroken is the way to describe it, because every bit of energy in their body, they left it on the field," said Laverty. "I’m so proud of them, they put a bit of pride back in this jersey.
"Our lives went on hold for the last two weeks planning for this game. The time we have spent together and the application them boys have shown has been unbelievable, it’s just heartbreaking that we didn’t get over the line."
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