Nicky Rackard Cup: Athletic Grounds: Armagh 2-16 Louth 2-11
HOTSHOTS Armagh laboured to a somewhat unconvincing win in dire weather conditions at the Athletic Grounds on Saturday evening.
It was mediocre fare punctuated with elementary mistakes though some of the point scoring was right from the top drawer.
Louth, who got off a dream 1-1 start in the opening four minutes, were able to give as good as they got and it was only in the final eight minutes when reduced to 13 men that their gutsy challenge collapsed.
Armagh were ordinary enough for long enough and had to spring their talisman Declan Coulter and captain John Corvan from the bench to save their blushes.
Coulter hit 0-3 including a 66th minute penalty which keeper James Connolly tipped over the bar.
Winners of the competition in 2010 and 2012, Armagh who tallied 14 wides, including eight in the second half which they dominated, never looked like losing, not even when Louth midfielder Roger Maher found the net 20 minutes from time making it a one-point game.
Orchard keeper Simon Doherty did well to get to Maher’s low drive only to see the ball trickle over the line.
Ryan Gaffney who top scored for the hosts with 1-6 missed a number of easy second half frees whilst at the other end Louth’s dead ball shooter Liam Dwan was unerring from five frees and one ’65.
His 61st minute white flag which levelled the contest for a fourth time made it all to play for but when they the wee county lost central defenders Johnny and Brian Carter, both picking up second yellows, it took the wind from their sails.
Louth started promisingly Gerard Smyth firing over a point in the 3rd minute following by a Sean Connelly goal a minute later. But by the 12th minute the home side had raised two green flags per Eoin Mc Guinness and Ryan Gaffney. The latter’s kick goal remained the difference approaching half-time before scores from Dwan (’65) and O’ Hanarahan left it a one point game at the break.
Gaffney with three frees extended the Armagh’s 2-6 to 1-8 interval lead but Louth’s determination was justly rewarded in the form of a Roger Maher goal with O’ Hanarahan following up with an equalising point.
As the Orchard wastage continued the sides were still joined at the hip entering the final ten minutes when the victors with two extra men began finding more day light to pop the ball into. They finished strongly and points from Coulter (3), Gorman, Devlin and Gaffney finally crushed the opposition’s spirit.
Orchard boss Sylvester Mc Connell admitted his team made heavy work of it.
“Ah, look, we should have won better; we missed scores and kept them in the game,'' he said.
“It was one of those days that wasn’t great for hurling, but we dug deep and took some good scores in the second half with good movement in our play.
“We gave them an early goal which lifted them and when we pulled away in the second-half we gave them another goal which again lifted them, but our work rate was better in the second half. “We could have had more scores, missed a penalty but we’ll take what we can from this performance and roll on next week and another fixture.”
Armagh: S Doherty, O Curry, C Clifford, C Devlin (0-1), K Mc Kernan,, N Curry (0-1 free), P Hughes, S Renaghan (0-1), S Gaffney, R Gaffney (1-6, 0-5 free), C Carvill (0-1), E Mc Guinness (1-0), M Moan (0-1), D Carville, C Gorman (0-2)
Subs: D Coulter (0-3, 0-1 pen), for D Carville (47), J Corvan for Hughes (54), A Mc Guinness for Gorman (66)
Yellow cards: C Carvill (38), J Corvan (60)
Louth: J Connolly, E Mc Keown, J Carter, A Mc Crave, J Condon, B Carter, C Ryan, D O’ Hanrahan (0-2), R Maher (1-1), G Smyth (0-1), L Dwan (0-6, 0-5 frees, 0-1 ’65), C O’ Reilly, G Kane, S Connelly (1-1), A Mackin
Subs: P Lynch for O’ Reilly (45), C Deane for Mackin (55), G O’ Brien for O’ Hanrahan (66)
Yellow cards: J Carter( 48 and 57), B Carter (41 and 66)
Red cards: J Carter (57), B Carter (66)
Referee: C Cunning (Antrim)
