Monaghan manager Gabriel Bannigan, left, and Down manager Conor Laverty shake hands after the match
Gabriel Bannigan is adamant that Monaghan can continue to buck the odds and target a semi-final place after a dramatic four-point victory over Down saw them qualify directly for the All-Ireland SFC quarter-finals.
Bannigan inherited a Monaghan team that was being roundly “written off” at the start of the season. But after the NFL Division 2 champions made it three wins on the spin to top their All-Ireland group, they are now just 70 minutes away from repeating their 2023 run to the last-four.