Football

Late surge sends Armagh a step closer to Super 8s as Qualifier draw looms

All-Ireland Qualifying round three: Armagh 2-16 Clare 1-15. Pictures by Seamus Loughran
All-Ireland Qualifying round three: Armagh 2-16 Clare 1-15. Pictures by Seamus Loughran All-Ireland Qualifying round three: Armagh 2-16 Clare 1-15. Pictures by Seamus Loughran

All-Ireland Qualifying round three: Armagh 2-16 Clare 1-15

WITH three minutes of normal time left on Saturday, Armagh’s Championship summer was over. Blaine Hughes dived heroically to his left to push out David Tubridy’s penalty, but when Clare’s veteran forward gratefully grabbed the rebound before lashing home, a feeling of finality spread around the Athletic Grounds.

Four points behind now in a game they hadn’t led since a quarter of an hour in, and with the spring in the legs softening in the stifling 26 degree heat, the sight of the ball rippling the net should have been enough to sap whatever remained following a frenetic encounter.

Nothing was going for Kieran McGeeney’s men. The Banner penalty came about after young sub Ryan Owens spilled a ball in the square before sending Eimhin Courtney tumbling to the ground as he attempted to recover his error.

Minutes earlier, Niall Grimley had horribly skewed wide two frees from almost identical positions - left of the goals, about 25 metres out. Even the most ardent Armagh fan must have feared it just wasn’t going to be their day.

Which makes what transpired in the closing stages all the more remarkable as the Orchardmen went from dead and buried to home and hosed in the blink of an eye.

Seven minutes of added time following a lengthy break for treatment to injured Clare goalkeeper Robert Eyres gave them a chance, but the energy levels Armagh summoned, seemingly from nowhere, had to be seen to be believed.

A 68th goal from substitute Joe McElroy, profiting from an Andrew Murnin catch and offload before slotting low to the net, proved the almighty kick they needed. Only a point behind, and with the players feeding off the buzz that swirled around a raucous Athletic Grounds, the Orchardmen finished like men possessed.

So controlled in building from the back all afternoon, now Clare couldn’t get out of their own defence. All of a sudden their own endeavours, the hard yards put into the running game that helped them lead from the front for so long, had left them empty and gulping for air.

A late surge of 1-5 killed them off, and left McGeeney and the Armagh players heading into this morning’s Qualifier draw on a high, the Super 8s just one step away.

“When you’re with a group of fellas a long time, you’re always hoping. They stuck at it really well, they attacked the ball, they didn’t sit back and they got their just rewards,” said the 2002 All-Ireland winning captain.

“It’s just a sign of the character in the boys. They’re still a young team. A lot of people in Armagh look back at us and think we were on a straight line but when we were 22, 23, 24 we weren’t winning too many games. It takes time to develop.

“Grimley probably epitomised us there… he was just having a shit day, everything was going wrong, and to be involved in the last couple of minutes that were crucial to us, getting his hand in and putting his body on the line, that says it all.”

Players and management came in for criticism in the wake of Armagh’s Ulster Championship exit to Fermanagh and McGeeney felt that, in the context of their year so far and the Erne County’s subsequent performances, that result was overplayed.

He added: “When you’re down eight or nine of your starting team, to be able to produce the goods the fellas are producing, regardless of what happens here on in… they had one bad game and that was when they were down to 14 men, and they’re still getting shit.

“I have nothing but admiration for them.”

It would have taken a heart of stone not to feel for Clare at the end, however, but boss Colm Collins was typically dignified in the face of such a gut-wrenching defeat.

“To be fair to them, Armagh never gave up,” he said.

“They really pushed on and gave everything. Rightly so, you’d be proud of a team that does that sort of a thing. At the end there was a few basic errors you don’t get away with at this level of football, but listen, credit to Armagh.

“This isn’t about Clare. They dug deep, things didn’t exactly go their way for some parts of the game, but they came back and won it.”

All-Ireland Qualifying round three: Armagh 2-16 Clare 1-15. Pictures by Seamus Loughran
All-Ireland Qualifying round three: Armagh 2-16 Clare 1-15. Pictures by Seamus Loughran All-Ireland Qualifying round three: Armagh 2-16 Clare 1-15. Pictures by Seamus Loughran

The Bannermen contributed plenty to a hugely entertaining game of football where, with not a sweeper in sight, the ball travelled end to end at a non-stop pace.

And while Armagh were happy to concede the Clare kick-outs and let them build out of defence, the Orchardmen backed themselves to inflict damage with long balls into their forwards, who often found themselves in acres of space.

Several times in the first half, an unlucky bounce or an unfortunate fumble thwarted their efforts following some quality deliveries - especially from the impressive Aidan Forker, who operated further forward while Jemar Hall foraged from deep.

Despite those near misses Armagh still moved into a 0-4 to 0-1 lead early on before Clare came back, the pace of Eoin Cleary, Courtney and Keelan Sexton proving a particular thorn in Armagh’s side as the Banner battled back to move into a two point lead at half-time.

Niall Rowland replaced Connaire Mackin at the break as Stephen Sheridan was brought back into the midfield, where Cathal O’Connor and 2016 Allstar nominee Gary Brennan had impressed.

Ryan McShane was moved onto dangerman Courtney, who had given Greg McCabe problems, and limited his influence but still Clare were efficient in front of the posts, moving into a 0-13 to 0-8 lead 52 minutes in.

But soon after came the first of Armagh’s two goals – and what a moment of real quality it was. Forker found himself in possession on the left hand side of the pitch and played a beautifully-weighted, inch perfect low pass across the square for Andrew Murnin.

The big Lurgan man, who still had plenty to do, turned and slammed to the net. Game on – or so Armagh thought.

But then the wheels started to come off as Grimley spurned those two handy chances from frees.

And when Tubridy scored at the second time of asking after his penalty was initially saved, the writing was on the wall, only for the Orchardmen to complete a remarkable resurrection.

Armagh: B Hughes; P Burns, A McKay, G McCabe; M Shields, B Donaghy, J Hall; C Vernon (0-1), C Mackin; S Sheridan, R McShane (0-1), A Forker; N Grimley (0-4, frees), R Grugan (0-6, 0-2 frees), A Murnin (1-1). Subs: N Rowland for Mackin (HT), R Owens for McKay (42), R McQuillian (0-1) for Hall (50), J McElroy (1-0) for Sheridan (55), G McParland (0-1) for McShane (65)

Black card: M Shields replaced by J Duffy (73)

Yellow cards: N Rowland (35), J Hall (43), G McCabe (56), P Burns (64)

Clare: R Eyres; G Kelly, C Brennan, E Collins; C O’Dea, A Fitzgerald, P Lillis (0-2); G Brennan, C O’Connor (0-1); C Malone, E Cleary (0-3, 0-1 free), J Malone (0-2); E Courtney (0-2), K Sexton (0-2), D Tubridy (1-2). Subs: K Hartnett for Collins (HT), K Roche for Eyres (50), G O’Brien for Fitzgerald (63), G Cooney for Sexton (65).

Black cards: C O’Dea replaced by C Ó hÁiniféin (55)

Yellow cards: E Collins (37), P Lillis (74)

Referee: F Kelly (Longford)