Football

Armagh forced to battle for victory against determined Antrim

Armagh boss Kieran McGeeney
Armagh boss Kieran McGeeney Armagh boss Kieran McGeeney

Allianz Football League Division Three: Armagh 1-12 Antrim 0-13

RANK underdogs Antrim set out to make a fight of it and, although Armagh deservedly got over the line, that’s exactly what they did at The Athletic Grounds on Saturday night.

A game that began under a crimson sky finished beneath a canopy of red mist with three players sent off (Stephen Sheridan for the hosts and Conor Murray and Stephen Beatty for the visitors) as tempers flared with a kick of the ball between the sides.

Throughout the game the Orchardmen struggled to break through Antrim’s stubborn defensive stitching. With key forwards Jamie Clarke and Stefan Campbell starved of possession they passed up 15 scoring chances in the first half and if CJ McGourty’s penalty had found the back of their net, a sizeable upset could have been on the cards.

But Blaine Hughes kept it out with a superb fingertip save and defeat would have been unfair on Armagh who registered all of their scores from play and made the running in what was a competitive tussle from the first whistle to the last.

The sides went in level at the break and traded blows until an unanswered five-point salvo made the difference for the home side who now need to beat Tipperary next Sunday to clinch promotion back to Division Two.

Meanwhile, the Saffrons face Longford next weekend in what amounts to a relegation play-off and if they replicate the spirit they showed in the Cathedral City they shouldn’t be far away against the midlanders.

Armagh manager Kieran McGeeney expected Antrim to test his men, so he wasn’t surprised when they did.

“I knew it would be competitive,” he said.

“Antrim have been competitive in all their games bar Offaly. But it was a good game for us to try and break down that defence, our inside forward line was blocked from getting possession.

“I was happy with the result, we had a lot of misses, a lot of wides, but still they fought it out which is very pleasing and it’s also very good to bring a lot of people back down to reality.”

Armagh went into the game as leading scorers in the country with 14 goals and 75 points to their credit over five games. Their wild shooting in the first half belied those stats and it took the calm head of Ciaran McKeever, who hit 1-1 and turned provider for three other points, to turn chances into scores.

“We didn’t stick to what we’d been doing and people were trying to do a wee bit too much themselves,” said McGeeney.

“We missed four free-kicks from inside the scoring distance so we have a lot to work on but for us it’s a good win, a really good win.

“Ciaran played very well. He’s a good player, a smart player and he got on the ball as much as you could want. He played very well as did Charlie (Vernon), Blaine Hughes made a great save from the penalty and his kick-outs were good too, so there’s a lot of positives from it.”

McKeever was in at full-forward from the first whistle and he found himself among a thicket of Saffron shirts in an Antrim defence that utilized Paddy McAleer as a mobile sweeper.

CJ McGourty opened the scoring with the first of eight points from placed balls and though Niall Grimley opened Armagh’s account shortly after, a ‘45’ from the St Gall’s forward edged the visitors back in front.

Pacy wing-back Paddy McBride sold the Armagh defence a dummy and smashed over a long range score and the Orchardmen had already hit five wides before Stefan Campbell found a rare pocket of space and fisted a pass to the far post for McKeever to palm the ball past Chris Kerr and give Armagh the lead.

Two more McGourty frees either side of a Gavin McParland point left it level though and another cracker from McAleer had Antrim briefly back in front before McKeever’s finish left it all-square at the interval.

The Antrim players were out in good time for the second half and the action resumed when Aaron McKay’s shot was given as a point although it looked to have drifted just wide.

It was tit-for-tat for the next 15 minutes. McGourty (two) and Murray scored for Antrim and McParland and Rory Grugan hit back for the hosts.

But Armagh suddenly found a new gear. With no one to mark, full-back Vernon capitalised on Antrim’s defensive tactics and joined the attack to swing over two excellent scores and Aidan Forker, Jamie Clarke and Anto Duffy followed suit to open up a 1-11 to 0-9 gap.

Antrim rallied through a Brendan Bradley point and another McGourty free and then Murray showed Vernon a clean of heels as he broke from deep in his own half.

The Lamh Dhearg clubman swapped passes with Bradley but was pulled down as he shaped to shoot and referee Niall Cullen awarded Antrim a penalty.

McGourty stepped up to take it and drilled it towards the corner, but Armagh ’keeper Hughes threw himself to his right and tipped it round the post.

Kerr sent the resulting ‘45’ wide, but Antrim kept fighting and McGourty’s first from play left it 1-11 to 0-12 with the end in sight.

A Stephen Sheridan point briefly settled Armagh before discipline on both sides collapsed in the frenetic closing stages.

First Aidan Forker was shown a black card, and then Murray was sent off, Sheridan followed him to the sidelines and Beatty lost his head, hurled the ball at the referee and pushed Ciaron O’Hanlon in the face, and saw red too. Moments later Conor Hamill, who had been booked in the first half, also received a black card and McBride, McAleer and Paul Hughes were wrestling off the ball as McGourty stood over a last-gasp free that might have nicked a point from Antrim.

He smashed it goalward but it zipped over the bar and Armagh took the points. As McGeeney said, the result “might bring a lot of people back down to reality” and, even in defeat, Antrim can take positives from the game as they look ahead to next Sunday’s fight for survival.

“We don’t think we got anything out of it because we didn’t win,” said their joint manager Frank Fitzsimmons.

“We were coming down here looking two points. We prepared all week as best as we could and I think we should have got something out of that at the end. A few things went against us and we played the price for it.

“They had a point that was debatable and their ’keeper made a good save from CJ. At the end Armagh did what Armagh do, they stand up to you but our boys stood back up to them and that (the flurry of red cards) is what happened.”

He added: “It’s the same oul thing: spirit, spirit, spirit… But we’re going up the road with no points tonight and we should have had something out of it. All we can do is prepare for Longford next week and hopefully get a result at home.”

Armagh: B Hughes; J Morgan, C Vernon (0-2), P Hughes; N Rowland, B Donaghy, A McKay; S Sheridan (0-1), B Crealey; N Grimley (0-1), G McParland (0-2), R Grugan (0-1); S Campbell, C McKeever (1-1), J Clarke (0-1)

Subs: A Forker (0-1) for Crealey (32), C O'Hanlon for Grimley (41), A Duffy (0-1) for Campbell (51), O O'Neill for McKeever (54), S Heffron for Rowland (60)

Yellow cards: Morgan (7), McParland (60), P Hughes (70)

Black card: A Forker replaced by A Findon (67)

Red card: Sheridan (70)

Antrim: C Kerr; C Hamill, P Gallagher, P Healy; P McBride (0-2), D Lynch, P McAleer; J Dowling, S Beatty; K Niblock, R McCann, M Fitzpatrick; CJ McGourty (0-9, 0-8 frees, 0-1 ‘45’), C Murray (0-1), B Bradley (0-1)

Subs: N Delargy for McCann (45), S McVeigh for Dowling (47), O Eastwood for Lynch (72)

Yellow cards: Hamill (14), McBride (24) , Dowling (46), McAleer (70)

Black card: Hamill (70)

Red cards: C Murray (69), Beatty (70)

Referee: N Cullen (Fermanagh)