Armagh Senior Football Championship round one: Mullaghbawn 1-9 Clann Eireann 0-11
From Andy Watters at The Athletic Grounds
SHEA Loye scored at one end, Declan Loye dived full-length to block a shot at the other as Mullaghbawn dug their heels in and dethroned reigning champions Clann Eireann last night.
Shea Loye had scored Mullaghbawn’s crucial goal with an opportunist tap-in midway through the second half. That goal left his side six points ahead and although Clann Eireann, missing the suspended Tiernan Kelly, displayed the pedigree that took them to the title last year by dragging themselves back to level terms, the south Armagh outfit – who face Granemore at the quarter-final stage on September 25 – kicked on to seal a one-point win.
Taking the scalp of the defending champions will do wonders for Peter McDonnell’s young side.
“The confidence element is for the changingroom,” said McDonnell.
“It’s for those lads who haven’t experienced this (a senior championship win) before. They’ve worked very hard – as hard as any other team in the county. We’ve got promotion to 1A for next year with a panel that was badly-hit with injuries and emigration. We had Eoghan McDonnell and Cormac Smyth back and we haven’t had them all year and we had Decky Loye who we haven’t had for the last three years because he’s been injured.
“So this is the first time in three years that we were fit to put on the field the best players we have and that helped us no end.”
McDonnell’s men took the lead after Clann Eireann defender Conan O’Carroll was penalised for handling the ball on the ground and Eddie English tapped over a straightforward free.
Mullaghbawn had 14 men inside their own 45 as Clann Eireann – with Ryan Henderson stationed at sweeper - probed for an equaliser but space was at a premium and Conor Turbitt was penalised for over-carrying and then Rioghan Meehan shot wide from the right wing.
Barry McCambridge sent a low cross/sot skimming across the goalmouth and Mullaghbawn , who were patient in their build-up play, edged two ahead when English scored his second free after 10 minutes.
English gave marker Odhran Downey the slip to score his third five minutes later and with Conor Tierney keeping a close eye on Turbitt and Kieran Grant sweeping-up in front of him, the Clann Eireann attack failed to make much headway.
Shea Loye extended Mullaghbawn’s lead with a free and Clann Eireann’s frustration grew as McCambridge (short) and Turbitt (wide) missed chances. At the other end, Eoghan McDonnell split the posts with an excellent finish and English’s fourth score left the south Armagh men 0-6 no-score ahead after 25 minutes.
Jack Conlon’s industry on the right wing earned the Lurgan men a free and he took it himself to eventually open his club’s account in the 26th minute. Mullaghbawn had a gilt-edged opportunity to leave themselves in a commanding position at the break after Kieran Grant emerged from a thicket of players and charged through on goal but he elected to pass and the chance was missed.
Breathing a sigh of relief, Clann Eireann worked the ball upfield and Turbitt scored their first from play with the final kick of the half.
With the wind at Lurgan backs in the second, Barry McCambridge cut the deficit to three and another followed from St Ronan’s Hogan Cup winner Rioghan Meehan before Cormac Smyth replied after Mullaghbawn had picked their way through the Clann Eireann defence.
Clann Eireann looked to work the ball out to the wings but the scores they needed didn’t come and Mullaghbawn took their second goal chance. English scuffed his shot but Eoghan Mulholland couldn’t hold on and the ball fell into the path of Shea Loye who slotted it into the net to send his side 1-7 to 0-4 ahead.
The goal inspired Clann Eireann who quickly got their act together. Two Turbitt points either side of a Conlon score left just three in it, then sub Aodhan McConville made it four scores in-a-row and Conlon stretched the run to five – leaving one in it – with eight minutes remaining.
Turbitt, having a terrific game, picked up the ball on his own 45-yard line and ran to the Mullaghbawn 45 where he was pulled down. He made a difficult free looks very simple and the game was level.
Mullaghbawn weren’t finished yet however and Fionn Downey gave the air a rousing punch as he edged them back in front. Aodhan McConville equalised with a punch of his own but Shea Loye put the Cuchulainn’s back ahead with a free on 58 minutes.
McCambridge shot wide as three minutes of injury-time was signalled and Clann Eireann pressed forward but Mullaghbawn stood firm to earn their place in the quarter-finals.
Mullaghbawn: P McAteer; C Garvey, C Tierney, F Downey (0-1); F O’Brien, A McVerry, C Loye; D Loye, G Doherty; C Smyth (0-1), K Grant, E McDonnell (0-1); E English (0-4, 0-3 frees), G McCann, S Loye (1-2, 0-2 frees)
Subs: P Tiernan for McVerry (48), A McDonnell (0-1) for Doherty (51)
Clann Eireann: E Mulholland; C O’Carroll, S Heffron, O Downey; B McCambridge (0-1), M O’Shea, A Kelly; C McConville, R Henderson; D McCarthy, J Conlon (0-3, 0-1 free), R Meehan (0-1); D Magee, C Turbitt (0-4, 0-1 free), R French
Subs: A McConville (0-2) for Meehan (41), R McDonald for D McCarthy (46), R McConville for Magee (52)
Referee: Kevin Faloon
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DEFENDING champions Clann Eireann crashed out of the Armagh senior football championship last night, meaning that two of the last four champions (Armagh Harps also exited) fell at the first hurdle over the weekend.
After his side had clung on for a deserved one-point win, Mullaghbawn manager Peter McDonnell spoke of the “huge weight” that carrying the Gerry Fegan Cup brings to the shoulders of the defending champions every year.
“It becomes strangely heavier towards you’re first attempt to hold onto it,” said the former Armagh manager who guided his native Cuchulainn’s to the Armagh and Ulster titles in 1995.
“I know a lot of those Clann Eireann fellas from Armagh seniors and U20s and they’re a wonderful group of fellas. They came into this championship short key players and that has to be recognised as a significant factor in all of this.
“However, putting all of that aside, we’re in the next round of the championship and we’re facing Granemore which is going to be a formidable challenge for us. Over the years we’ve never got anything easy against Granemore, they’re a close-knit, well-run club and have a lot of very determined individuals. It’s something to look forward to and we’re going to have to be at our best.”
McDonnell’s side kept Clann Eireann – who missed the ball-winning ability and cutting edge of Tiernan Kelly – scoreless for the first 25 minutes of the game and, ultimately, the Lurgan men left themselves too much to do in the second half.
“Conor Turbitt is known the length and breadth of the country – he’s a fantastic player for them – and Conor Tierney, son of the not-so-famous Brendan Tierney, did a magnificent job contesting ball with him, particularly in the first half,” said McDonnell.
“They had threats coming from different places, they needed to get at us and we tried to stop them getting those pockets of space. The last 10 minutes that game could have went any way – they were punching holes in us and we were fortunate to get a couple of breakaway scores and I suppose that’s the story of it.”
