Conor Turbitt insists Armagh are close to clicking and recapturing the form that made them such a threat last summer.
The forward ensured Armagh had a ‘Turbo-charged’ start to the Ulster Championship kicking 0-8 in Saturday’s 0-20 to 1-8 preliminary round win over Antrim.
It was the perfect response to their shock relegation from Division One two weeks ago when questions were asked about what direction they were heading.
Read more: Armagh vs Antrim: Player ratings from Saturday’s Ulster SFC preliminary round tie
‘Turbo’ led the line in the Athletic Grounds star forwards Rian O’Neill and Andrew Murnin and believes there is a lot more to come.
“We’re not far off at all,” he claimed.
“Any games we played in Division One all went down the home stretch and we just need to keep doing what we’re doing.
“Overall it was a good performance putting the last couple of weeks behind us and we just want to move on. It’s all positive.
“We know there’s stuff we need to improve on. There’s certain things we need to tidy up and silly mistakes we have to correct but we are still happy.”
Armagh led 0-10 to 0-4 at half-time, but leaked a second-half goal and could easily have conceded one or two more in the second half as Antrim battled on.
However Armagh ‘keeper Ethan Rafferty doesn’t think the display would be good enough to beat Cavan in the first round in two weeks time.
“I don’t it will to be honest,” he confessed.
“We were very efficient in the first half with seven or eight out of 12 shooting chances scored and we created a lot, especially up the hill against the wind.
“We did well in that aspect. We started the second half well but then we were quite sloppy, we gave away that goal (by Conor Stewart), it was needless like.
“It’s all about winning, it’s knockout football at the end of the day, it doesn’t really matter how you do it but at the same time we have to stick to the principles we have.
“I am just glad we got over the line and got the game over us.
“The first one can always be a stumbling block.
“Antrim had a good league, and a bit like ourselves they probably thought they should have got more out of it, but we just had to come out here and get over the line and look forward to Cavan.
“I’m sure they are watching but we will debrief after this and move on.”
The home fans in the Athletic Grounds were roaring at Rafferty, who loves to roam up the field, to have a pop at the posts when he came so close to the Antrim goals late in the game.
The former midfielder explained there’s a method to his runs out of his own goals.
“I know it’s a bit of a magnet and that they might come to me, so if I can slip it off to one of the boys to tip it over, that’s what I’m after,” he revealed.
“I try to create an overlap further up the field - but I have to stay out of contact. It’s a long road if you get turned over.
“It's about two weeks time, and that’s it.
“If you don’t look what’s in front of you, you’ll end up stumbling.”
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