FARN POLICY

Ryan: We’ve decided that we must attack this game as if it’s the last we will play

RYAN MCANESPIE says Monaghan are treating Sunday’s All-ireland semi-final as if it’s the last game they will play.

The Farney county are in the final four for the first time in 30 years and will face Tyrone for a place in the decider.

Getting there would be the biggest high in a rollercoaster summer and it all seems such a long way from their Ulster exit at the hands of Fermanagh in early June.

Mcanespie said: “Fermanagh was probably one of our weaker performances.

We’ve learned a lot and grown from that game.

“We’ll just take every game as it comes. Again next weekend – we can’t look any further than the semi-final.

“That’s our last game, in our eyes.

“So we’ll just have to get another performance and hopefully that does enough to get us over the line.”

Mcanespie was the Farney county’s man of the match in last Saturday’s crucial Super 8s clash in Galway, scoring four points from play.

“It’s probably one of the better games I’ve played. But it was about getting a performance and getting a result and we did that.”

Tyrone made a big statement last Sunday by going to fortress Ballybofey and knocking Donegal out of the Championship. It sets up a titanic tussle between bordering counties that know each other so well.

Their most recent meeting was in May, with Monaghan winning by two points in Omagh.

And Mcanespie believes they are going into the clash with real momentum after earning five points from a possible six in the Super Eights – the only blot on the copybook being the draw against Kerry in Clones.

“We’d be happy with that performance,” he revealed.

“We had Kerry on the ropes and we just sort of let go and they got the draw out of it.

“We knew then we had to go to Galway and be more ruthless, take our shots and take our chances.

“We knew there was a job in hand and knew Galway weren’t simple. But we knew if we got our own performance right, we’d put it up to any team at the minute. “Thankfully we did that.” Mcanespie also knows that the Farney Army will be present in Dublin to roar on Malachy O’rourke’s (inset) side once more.

“The support has been crazy. They’ll always stand by us, whether we win or lose, and that’s what you need – that you’re not being left hung to dry if you do have a weak game.

“It’s such a small county, you probably know half the people and are probably friends with them all. Just very proud now.

“They’ve been fantastic.”

HE PUT THE BOOT IN Ryan Mcanespie kicked four points from play against Galway at the weekend