Annagh United Manager Ciaran McGurgan: 'We'll Dig Deep and Go Again Friday'

Annagh United's Ciaran McGurgan: 'It's Only Half-Time' for the Team

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.

What Happened?

"We felt really positive coming into the game and you could see the way we started, 2-0 up and cruising," said Ciaran McGurgan. "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."

Why It Matters for Annagh United

The goal before half-time just changes the game, said McGurgan. "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."

What Comes Next?

"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," said McGurgan. "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."

League standing (final 2025 table -- new season not yet under way): 2nd in Championship, 71 pts, 22W-5D-6L from 33 games, recent form DWWWW. Goals this season: 54 scored, 27 conceded (+27 goal difference). Last result: Crusaders FC 1-2 Annagh United (2026-05-01). Recent form (last 5): 1W-0D-4L (WLLLL, most recent first). Next fixture: vs Glenavon FC (at home, 2026-10-10).