Johnson hopes to bear fruit in Orchard county

WHEN Mattie Lennon stepped down as Armagh hurling manager after three years in charge, he left the landscape of the caman code looking very different from when he first accepted the task.
The Orchard county may still be a good distance off challenging for Ulster titles or knocking on the door of top-flight League hurling, but the Derrynoose man left the game in rude health in the county when he decided to relinquish the role due to work commitments.
The task of following him was not so much to usher in a new era, but to build on the good work already done.
Enter Michael Johnson. The Antrim man had no experience of, and little inclination to being involved in an inter-county set-up outside his native county.
However, a chance conversation and a presentation of the county’s hurling development plan by hurling chairman Paul Kelly “swung it”, admits Johnson.
The St John’s clubman had spent the last number of years helping out with his club’s senior team, as well as coaching the club’s U14 All-Ireland Feile-winning side.
He admits that his knowledge of the Armagh players had been limited to those from the Keady club who have come up against St John’s over the years.
The ban on inter-county training in November and December hampered his preparations even further, but in the short time he has had with them, he has been impressed.
A series of challenge games have helped him assess the resources at his disposal.
But their most recent – a win over Dublin Fingal on Saturday – came at a high price with the loss of talismanic captain Paul McCormack.

McCormack has been the heartbeat of Armagh hurling since fully committing to the small ball game after being part of the Orchard county football panel which won the Sam Maguire in 2002.
A broken wrist will keep him out for six to eight weeks, which will see him miss the majority of their Division 3B campaign.
“No county team can afford to lose a player of Paul McCormack’s stature,” said Johnson, whose Armagh side face a daunting trip to Arklow on Sunday to take on Wicklow in their League opener.
“Unfortunately, it is coming very early. I really didn’t know a lot about these boys prior to going in.
“I knew a number of individuals, I probably would have known the Keady boys the most because my own club had played Keady over the years.
“The last time Armagh played Wicklow, they lost by 20 points. It’ll be a big ask, without Paul McCormack, to go down and get a result. But hopefully we can put in a credible performance and close the gap.”
While McCormack’s loss will be felt most of all, Johnson knows there are other challenges facing a panel who are seeking to turn the promise they have shown in recent years to tangible achievement.
Last year was disappointing by those standards. They managed just one win in the League – against London – but lost to the same opposition in the Ulster Championship and got little joy out of a Christy Ring Cup group which paired them with Derry and Kildare.
They had enjoyed a trip to Croke Park in 2007, where they lost the Nicky Rackard Cup in cruel fashion to a late Roscommon goal.
The new manager believes that game may have overshadowed their 2008 performances.
“Losing the Nicky Rackard final, it was probably hard to pick up the pieces the following year again,” said Johnson.
Johnson’s predecessor not only changed things on the pitch for Armagh hurling, he also made sure the off-the-field preparations were on a par with the county footballers.
The new Armagh manager was encouraged by the resources at his disposal and believes the signs are that there is a thirst for hurling success in the football-mad county.
“I was extremely surprised. I have to say, from a county board perspective, we have been given everything we have asked for,” he said.
“All our challenge games, we have played in the Athletics Grounds. We have use of the Callanbridge facilities.
“So, we’re not banished to the extremities, we are very much part of Gaelic games within Armagh, and I think there is a real aspiration for Armagh hurling to succeed.
“Mattie had left purely for work commitments, so it wasn’t that he didn’t see there was a future in Armagh hurling either. So it was a case of taking on the mantle from him and he had lifted the bar and it’s up to us now to carry that on.”
Johnson makes no bones about it; his season will be mapped out to be as successful as possible in the Nicky Rackard Cup.
The newly-restructured third tier competition sees Armagh face London in the first round in July.
The sides met three times in 2008, with Armagh winning two.
However, the one they lost was the all-important Ulster Championship tie.
Johnson admits that drawing together a panel has been difficult in the current economic climate where some players have had to seek work instead of committing to hurling.
“I do know that it is an issue in terms of the credit crunch and having lads available to you,” he said.
“We have three or four lads who, through work commitments, are travelling the country. They just can't commit and obviously bread and butter issues are much more important.”
Johnson believes the same reason can be given for fearing a London side which could be bolstered by a number of players crossing the Irish Sea in search of employment.
“You only have to look at the transfers now into Croke Park to see that lads that are transferring into London,” he said.
“Traditionally, when emigration is strong, London hurling is strong. But, if we get a good performance in the League and build up a good playing panel and we go for it in the Ulster Championship, we’ll try and give it a good crack in the Nicky Rackard.”
However, the League comes first and the task of making inroads in the new Division 3B is a tough one.
As well as Wicklow, Armagh face Derry, Kildare, Mayo and Meath and it’s not only players from those counties that concerns Johnson.
“Sometimes I don’t think Ulster hurling people realise that the likes of Kildare and Mayo will have hurlers from stronger counties hurling for them.
“Kildare and Meath have Tipperary men hurling for them, Mayo have Galway men hurling for them.
Armagh’s county hurling’s squad is made up of Armagh men,” he said.
“We’re sticking to the development programme and we’re sticking to the loyalty of our clubs.
“We’re not bringing external forces into help us.
“To have one inter-county hurler coming from Division One status and playing in a lower division can certainly add to a team.
“They are genuine issues, but we would rather hurl with all Armagh men because we are developing our own.”