Football

Strong finish against Clare sees Armagh reach promised land of Division One

Creator and finisher. Rory Grugan had a fine game for Armagh in Clare last Saturday. Picture Seamus Loughran.
Creator and finisher. Rory Grugan had a fine game for Armagh in Clare last Saturday. Picture Seamus Loughran. Creator and finisher. Rory Grugan had a fine game for Armagh in Clare last Saturday. Picture Seamus Loughran.

Allianz National Football League Division Two: Clare 1-13 Armagh 1-18

From Andy Watters at Cusack Park, Ennis

THERE were ups and downs along the way, but Armagh deservedly made it to the promised land of Division One with a grandstand finish in Ennis on Saturday.

Yes, there was some of the now-customary flirting with disaster but the Orchardmen never trailed in the game and will look forward to testing themselves in the top flight next year. They’ll need to improve to stay there but no side gives more bang for their buck than Armagh who looked to have Saturday’s game won, then threatened to lose it, before winning it at a canter.

The only pity was that their loyal fans couldn’t be there to cheer them on in a nail-biter of a game that would have had them on the edge of their seats from first whistle to last.

Kieran McGeeney is not prone to showing emotion but the Armagh manager, who has now taken the county from Division Three to Division One, was obviously delighted with Saturday’s success.

He joked that he was “shitting myself up there” when Clare drew level late in the second half. But his players eased his nerves by grabbing the game by the scruff of the neck.

“Last week (against Roscommon) we reacted poorly after the second penalty,” he said.

“Our decision-making was poor, we missed a free, we had defenders shooting when maybe the forwards should have shot and couple of just bad decisions when we had easy points

“But today in the last quarter I thought they controlled it really well, with the right people on the right ball. It helps because we knew Clare would come at us and I think Jamie Malone, [Eoin] Cleary, [David] Tubridy are quality forwards and if you give them an inch they are going to score and the way they were getting frees today was causing us problems.”

Armagh quickly change focus to Derry in the Ulster Championship at Celtic Park next Sunday while Clare face Tipperary in Thurles in Munster. Banner boss Colm Collins said a “couple of silly ’oul errors” had cost his men at the death but they survived in Division Two thanks to a late Laois comeback in Fermanagh.

“We expected this game to go right down to the wire,” he said.

“We made it a bit easy for them at the end with some of the balls we turned over, we were in good positions, we had the ball, we had possession and we just turned it over in a very dangerous area near our own goal. So that is unforgivable you can’t do that. Please God what we did today we don’t do next Sunday, so we will have something to thank Armagh for.

“We have always had good games with Armagh even though they probably edged the winning side of things. They are a good side, and they have a lot of very good footballers and I think they are going to Division One on merit and fair play to them.”

From the first whistle to first water break, Armagh were in total control. By that stage, and with Rory Grugan finding space and running the show with clever passing, they led 1-6 to 0-2. Grugan had sent Callum Cumiskey (who later limped off injured) through for an early, dream-start goal and he scored two fine points from play himself as Armagh cruised into a seven-point lead.

Every time they got into the Clare half they looked dangerous and they put together some electric, passing moves with angled runs, fast hands and quick feet that left the Banner defenders dizzy.

You could say that Armagh surrendered that lead but let’s give some credit to their hosts. A fightback was expected and they rallied impressively in the second quarter. Bookings for Rian O’Neill and Mark Shields seemed to take the sting out of Armagh’s tackling and Clare turned the tide with seven off the next eight points, four of them from Eoin Cleary frees – again Armagh conceded too many in scoreable positions.

Aidan Forker cleared in front of his own goal when Cathal O’Connor burst through from midfield and at the other end Greg McCabe, who’d replaced goalscorer Cumiskey, shot just wide so there was just one it in – 1-7 to 0-9 - at the interval.

Armagh skipper Stefan Campbell – who had limped off against Roscommon – emerged for the second half and immediately showed for a mark. His shot hit the Clare upright but the O’Neill brothers – first Oisin and then Rian – both did better and although Keelan Sexton pulled one back, it looked like Armagh were about to break clear again when Campbell split the posts from distance and Rian O’Neill, once again majestic with the ball in his hands, glided past his marker and sent the visitors into a 1-11 to 0-10 lead.

Again Clare struck back. The Armagh defence failed to deal with a hopeful Hail Mary from Gary Brennan and, when the ball broke to the industrious Cian O’Dea, he sent a side-foot shot into the empty net.

Suddenly there was just one in it again and Clare manager threw on Armagh bogey man David Tubridy as his side sensed victory. Rian O’Neill and his former Crossmaglen clubmate Jamie Clarke (working hard but lacking the sharpness of having a club season behind him) both registered scores but Cleary converted a superb sideline ball before Sexton levelled the game for the first time on the hour-mark.

With the match – and their season – hanging in the balance, Armagh had to show what they were made of to win a game that could have slipped away.

They did so emphatically. Oisin O’Neill ran on to Grugan’s clever pass to fist them ahead and he added another off his right boot a minute later to ease the pressure further.

McGeeney, who had been watching from the stand, way on the touchline for the closing stages.

“Let’s keep her goin’,” he roared, encouragingly. Armagh did and they’re goin’ to Division One.

Armagh: B Hughes; A Forker, R Kennedy, P Burns; J Duffy (0-1), M Shields, J Morgan; S Sheridan (0-1), R O’Neill (0-6, 0-5 frees); R Grugan (0-3, 0-1 free), C Cumiskey (1-0), C O’Neill (0-1); J Clarke (0-1), O O’Neill (0-3), N Grimley

Subs: G McCabe for Shields (34), S Campbell (0-1) for Duffy (HT), J Og Burns (0-1) for Cumiskey (40), C McKenna for Grimley (50), C Turbitt for Clarke (64)

Clare: E Tubridy; G Kelly, C Brennan, E Collins; A Sweeney, A Fitzgerald, P Lillis; C O’Connor, C Russell; G Brennan (0-1), E Cleary (0-8, 0-6 frees), J Malone (0-1); K Sexton (0-3, 0-1 45), J McGann, C O’Dea (1-0)

Subs: G McCabe for Shields (34), S Campbell for Duffy (HT), J Óg Burns for Cumiskey (41), C McKenna for Grimley (50), C Turbitt for Clarke (64)

Referee: Derek O’Mahoney (Tipperary)