Division Two: Armagh 1-10 Fermanagh 0-12
THIS won’t be a game that will last long on the Sky-plus planner. There were a few redeeming features and moments of real quality from both sides on Saturday night but not nearly enough for this Division Two clash to be remembered with any great fondness.
When Armagh and Fermanagh squared off around this time last year as Division Three promotion hopefuls they produced a brilliant match that finished level.
Twelve months on and playing in a higher division the pair never came close to reaching those heights.
It was disjointed, often spiteful and terrible to watch – but the aesthetics won’t matter a great deal to the eventual winners as they posted their first points in Division Two.
Man-of-the-match contender Stefan Campbell won the game for Armagh with a spectacular stoppage-time point just seconds after Tomás Corrigan had swung over an equalising free from roughly 50 metres.
Campbell and Corrigan were two players who stood out from the crowd on a bitterly cold evening in the Cathedral city.
Miceal McKenna, Mark Shields, Sean Connell and Charlie Vernon had fine games for the home side, while Eoin Donnelly and flying wing-backs Aidan Breen and Paddy Rehill shone for the men in green.
But all those fine individual displays were swallowed up in what was a forgettable night for Gaelic football.
Saturday’s game was pockmarked by untidy melees, arm-locks, umpteen wrestling matches, a pushing and shoving session between the two teams under the tunnel at half-time, some woeful tackling and a couple of right hooks that Carl Frampton would have been proud of.
Undoubtedly, the Jackal would have admired the hand speed with which Sean Quigley nailed Aaron Findon in the first half with a stiff right jab, while Gavin McParland aimed an angry swipe that narrowly missed the intended target of Paddy Rehill. Both Quigley and McParland escaped censure.
Quigley and Armagh manager Kieran McGeeney exchanged verbals just before the interval.
It was safe to assume they weren’t discussing the demise of the Labour Party in the southern election.
Referee Cormac Reilly correctly black-carded Armagh duo Tony Kernan and Colm Watters in the 31st and 45th minutes, but the Meath man had an awful night.
Granted, the referee’s job wasn’t helped by the constant pulling and dragging that went on for 70 interminable minutes, but how he didn’t black-card Aidan Forker for two untidy fouls in quick succession in the 57th minute is a mystery.
And there other times Reilly displayed a healthy ambivalence towards the black card rules.
While Armagh fouled more than Fermanagh, Che Cullen was lucky not to be black-carded for hauling down Charlie Vernon midway through the first half.
As the night grew, the crowd became immune to Reilly’s eccentric interpretation of the rules.
Fermanagh boss Peter McGrath said: “The referee at times was very lenient and indeed linesmen who should see these things weren’t being very vigilant either.
“It’s a pity when the play is broken up like that and where fouling actually pays off... I’d leave it at that.”
With one win and two defeats in Division Two for Fermanagh, McGrath added: “It was a hard, physical game and at times, yes, it did boil over, but both teams went at it very energetically and very courageously with adrenalin pumping, so you’re going to get intensity and physicality.”
Like last season’s encounter in the Athletic Grounds, it seemed Armagh and Fermanagh would have to settle for a share of the spoils again.
Tomás Corrigan’s sumptuous equaliser and celebration was destined to be the final act of the night.
But with their last attack, Campbell won it for the Orchard men.
Charlie Vernon was twice involved in the defining play of the game.
Mark Shields and Stefan Forker also assisted in moving the ball into opposition territory before Shea Heffron off-loaded to Campbell and the Clann na nGael attacker swept the ball over Fermanagh’s bar from an audacious distance.
Clearly, McGrath was annoyed that Armagh were able to move the ball up the field unattended to win the game in the third minute of stoppage-time.
“I would say if that had happened at the other end of the field.... you know, we’ve got to learn from that,” McGrath commented.
“When we equalised we showed a bit of naivety in allowing them to work the ball up the field too easily.”
Kieran McGeeney was obviously happy to get a couple of much-needed points on the board but was miffed when asked how Aidan Forker didn’t receive a black card.
“Well, if you watch them again… It’s funny you are very quick to point out what we do, but last time against Laois we had a fella pulled down by the jersey and you didn’t seem to mention that.
“If you’d watch the game fairly and look on both sides, why would you pick out Aidan and not [the fouls committed against] Miceal [McKenna]? Or Gavin [McParland]?
“If you look at the game again there was one particular [Fermanagh] player who was asked to get off the ground three or four times for diving, and as far as I know there is a card allocation for that.”
However, McGeeney quickly acknowledged: “I’m going to have a different view because I have an emotional attachment to it.
“But one thing that continues to dog our game is: if somebody can show me what a tackle is… Everybody tells me it’s a one-handed with an open hand. If that was the case that would be a free every five seconds.
“When somebody figures that one out maybe they can come back and tell me.”
Armagh held the upper hand in the first half but conceded a lot of possession to Fermanagh around the middle of the field in the second half.
The key score turned out to be Stefan Campbell’s major after 16 minutes.
He made up for missing a handy free a few minutes earlier by turning Che Cullen to hammer the ball into Fermanagh’s net after Colm Watters did well to dispossess Eoin Donnelly.
Armagh led 1-5 to 0-6 at the break and although the visitors were the better side in the second period, out-scoring their hosts [0-6 to 0-5], they will rue not bagging a point on a fractious Saturday night.
Armagh: M McNeice; S Heffron, C Vernon, A Mallon; S Forker, A Forker, M Shields; A Findon, N Grimley (0-1); S Campbell (1-5, 0-3 frees), M McKenna (0-3), S Connell; C Watters (0-1), C O’Hanlon, A Murnin
Subs: G McParland for A Murnin (20), T Kernan for C O’Hanlon (21), J McElroy for N Grimley (55), J Feeney for N McConville (63)
Yellow cards: A Forker (36), S Campbell (41), J Morgan (66)
Black cards: T Kernan replaced by N McConville (35), C Watters replaced by J Morgan (45)
Fermanagh: C Snow; M Jones, C Cullen, N Cassidy; P Rehill (0-1), J McMahon, A Breen (0-2); E Donnelly, D Kelly; B Mulrone, R Jones, K Connor; R Corrigan (0-1), S Quigley (0-3 frees), T Corrigan (0-5, 0-3 frees)
Subs: R O’Callaghan for D Kelly (55), P McGovern for P Rehill (58), D Teague for K Connor (63), E McManus for R Corrigan (69)
Yellow cards: J McMahon (36), T Corrigan (66), B Mulrone (70)
Referee: C Reilly (Meath)
