Allianz National Football League Division One North: Armagh 1-16 Donegal 1-16
A BAKING hot evening sun, the thud of moon boots and the clatter of crutches – all owned by a growing list of hobbling Armagh players stationed in the main stand – and a lively crowd of 450 that was entertained from start to finish in The Athletic Grounds on Saturday night.
This enthralling encounter finished in a draw which ultimately wasn’t enough for the Orchard men to avoid a relegation play-off as Donegal secured their top flight status and will now feature in a meaningless NFL semi-final with no prospect of a final being played because of the close proximity of their Championship meeting with Down on June 27.
It’s one of the quirks of this COVID-affected season.
Donegal breathed out after six minutes of stoppage-time, but for Armagh to be facing into a win-or-bust relegation play-off match with Roscommon seems a slightly harsh scenario, especially when you reflect on the Orchard men’s three performances in Division One North that yielded a win, a loss and a draw against Monaghan, Tyrone and Donegal, respectively.
For long periods of Saturday night’s clash, Armagh played brilliant, incisive football – but as the finishing line approached, the edgier they got and the cooler Donegal's blood became.
Trailing by four points with six minutes of normal time remaining, Declan Bonner’s men reeled in their hosts and once they drew level in the 72nd minute, through attacker Niall O’Donnell, they ran down the clock as it was communicated to them from the sideline that a draw would be enough.
The other Division One North game between Tyrone and Monaghan also finished in a draw with Armagh depending on the Farney men pinching a win to preserve their own Division One status next season.
Kieran McGeeney and his backroom team stood at pitch-side after the game awaiting confirmation of the events from Omagh.
And it wasn’t good news.
For all of the many positives in Armagh’s display, they endured a tough lesson in the fine margins of top flight football on Saturday night.
Donegal pressed high on Armagh’s kick-outs in the second period and with Blaine Hughes forced to go long he found too many Donegal jerseys around the middle of the field.
Nearly every time Donegal either caught or broke Hughes’s kick-outs, ‘Geezer’ spun away in frustration.
There were critical turnovers too that carried a desperately high price for the home side.
Jarlath Og Burns and Connaire Mackin coughed up cheap possessions in the 55th and 68th minutes that led directly to precious Donegal scores.
They learned that once you give the ball away to Donegal it’s hard to get it back off them.
Far from at their best on Saturday and without the totemic Michael Murphy (hamstring), Donegal kept chipping away at Armagh’s lead in the closing stages.
Earlier, Michael Langan's incredible run from deep saw him breeze through the middle of the hosts' defence unopposed to raise a green flag on 40 minutes to cut the hosts' lead to two points [0-11 to 1-6].
But 16 minutes later, Armagh seemed to break for home when substitute Tiernan Kelly of Clann Eireann finished to Donegal's net after an assist from 'Soupy' Campbell to put his side 1-15 to 1-11 ahead.
Armagh, however, could only conjure one more score through Jemar Hall.
Patrick McBrearty grabbed a pair of points in the 64th and 65th minutes before Ciaran Thompson fired low over Armagh’s bar, and Niall O’Donnell finally hauled the visitors level.
Seconds earlier, Armagh substitute Conor Turbitt saw his left-footed effort clip the left-hand goalpost that would have put the home side two up.
In that moment you just knew Armagh weren’t going to win the game.
Donegal patiently worked the ball up the field and delivered it into the hands of one of their shooters to draw the game.
In the opening quarter, Donegal had no answer to Armagh’s quick, aggressive attack.
McGeeney’s side played with clear minds and picked off their visitors with some outstanding scores from ‘Soupy’ Campbell and the O’Neill brothers Rian and Oisin.
Unlike their disastrous display in last season’s Ulster SFC semi-final, Armagh zig-zagged up the sides of the pitch, sharply off-loading as they went causing Donegal all sorts of trouble.
The Orchard men fashioned a 0-6 to 0-1 lead after 20 minutes and still held a four-point advantage at the interval [0-10 to 0-6].
In the second half, though, Donegal turned some of Armagh’s minor errors into big gains.
As Saturday’s game unfolded it became a tale of two forwards – ‘Soupy’ Campbell for Armagh and Patrick McBrearty of Donegal.
Both men were uncontainable. When ‘Soupy’ wasn’t popping the ball over Donegal’s bar and leaving Peadar Mogan in a tailspin, they were fouling him in the scoring zone, while McBrearty showed again that class is permanent as he grabbed five points off rookie defender Ross Finn.
Even though Armagh will curse the small details of their display, it was a memorable night for Armagh goal-scorer Tiernan Kelly and we were also reminded of the wonderful individual talent of ‘Soupy’ Campbell and McBrearty.
With supporters back in grounds, Gaelic football found its pulse again.
Armagh: B Hughes, R Finn, J Morgan (0-1), G McCabe, C Mackin, A McKay, C O’Hanlon (0-1), N Grimley, J Og Burns, J Hall (0-1), R O’Neill (0-1 free), R McQuillan (0-1), R Grugan (0-3 frees), O O’Neill (0-3), S Campbell (0-4) Subs: C Turbitt for J Morgan (h/t), T Kelly (1-1) for R McQuillan (42 inj), P Hughes for R Finn (64 inj), A Murnin for J Og Burns (73), J Grugan for O O’Neill (75)
Yellow cards: J Og Burns (48), O O’Neill (75)
Donegal: S Patton, E Ban Gallagher, S McMenamin, B McCole, R McHugh (0-1), P Brennan, P Mogan, H McFadden, C McGonagle, C Thompson (0-1), E McGettigan, M Langan (1-1), P McBrearty (0-8, 0-3 frees), E McHugh, N O’Donnell (0-2, 0-1 free) Subs: O Mac Naillais for P Brennan (41), C O’Donnell (0-2) for E Gettigan (41), C Ward (0-1) for E McHugh (58), J Magee for H McFadden (61), E O’Donnell for C Thompson (71)
Referee: Maurice Deegan (Laois).
