Football

Derry victory is too little, too late for relegated Armagh

&nbsp;Armagh's Ciaron O'Hanlon and Mark Shields in action against Sean Leo McGoldrick of Derry during Sunday's National League match at the Athletic Grounds, Armagh <br />Picture by Margaret McLaughlin
 Armagh's Ciaron O'Hanlon and Mark Shields in action against Sean Leo McGoldrick of Derry during Sunday's National League match at the Athletic Grounds, Armagh
Picture by Margaret McLaughlin
 Armagh's Ciaron O'Hanlon and Mark Shields in action against Sean Leo McGoldrick of Derry during Sunday's National League match at the Athletic Grounds, Armagh
Picture by Margaret McLaughlin

Allianz National Football League Division Two: Armagh 1-18 Derry 0-15

THE Athletic Grounds was a weird place to be on Sunday. Despite being relegated to Division Three, the Armagh supporters gave Kieran McGeeney’s players a standing ovation as they trundled off the pitch.

The home side rounded off their Division Two campaign by playing some stunning football against an out-of-sorts Derry side - but their fate was already sealed before the final whistle when news filtered through that Fermanagh and Meath had done enough in their nerve-shredding encounters with Tyrone and Laois, respectively, to save themselves from the drop.

Four teams finished on six points - Derry, Fermanagh, Armagh and Meath. But Armagh's inferior scoring difference decreed that they would join Laois in Division Three next season.

They won by six points on Sunday - but needed to win by 11. Upon leaving the Athletic Grounds, Armagh supporters were probably wrestling with the ramifications of the performance.

The Orchard County may be relegated but they look in decent shape ahead of their Ulster Championship opener against Cavan on May 29. For them, the real heartache will be felt next February when they survey the bleak surroundings of Division Three again. But, in the immediate future, there are plenty of positives as the Championship edges closer.

After their shocking 17-point defeat at the hands of Cavan, Armagh have regrouped exceptionally well and look a much better outfit at the end of their League campaign than the one that started it.

Afterwards, a disappointed McGeeney agreed that the Cavan defeat did irreparable harm to their Division Two status, but also cited the early defeat to Laois and the drawn encounter with Galway a few weeks ago.

“Probably [the Cavan game cost us] but at the same time we learned a lot from it, we’ve turned things around since then and we’re playing a lot better football,” said ‘Geezer’.

“I suppose it was a double-edged sword. The Galway game and probably the Laois game too [cost us], but I couldn’t have asked for any more today. We won by six points and probably should have had another 10. We had some great displays. They did everything asked of them and more.”

The Armagh manager added: “Outside of the Cavan game, we’ve been competitive. We’ve been missing easy chances but we’ve been getting our scoring ratio up a bit.

“I think we’ve a better structure at the back, we’re moving in the right direction and we’re getting players back: Andrew [Murnin], Ciaran [McKeever], Kevin [Dyas] and Eugene [McVerry] and we hope a few more players push on, so we’re in a good position in that sense, but it’s just disappointing we’re going down.”

Armagh started brilliantly, wobbled a little in the middle of the opening half, before firing over 1-5 without reply as the interval approached. In the heat of battle, Rory Grugan played with wonderful serenity along Armagh’s half-forward line.

The Ballymacnab playmaker never wasted a pass, he twice caressed the ball over Derry’s crossbar and assisted for Micael McKenna's major in first-half stoppage-time. Indeed, it was McKenna’s well-taken goal that left Derry punch-drunk going in at half-time.

For that 12-minute period before the break, where the home side hit an unanswered 1-5, Derry couldn’t get the ball out of their own half of the field. Each one of Thomas Mallon’s kick-outs came back down Derry’s throat.

With the high-press working a treat for Armagh, full-back Charlie Vernon broke the Derry kick-out down, Grugan collected, looked up and picked out Stefan Campbell with a perfect diagonal ball.

The Clan na Gael attacker in turn fed the impressive Ciaran O’Hanlon and he off-loaded to McKenna who placed the ball into the corner of Derry’s net. It put the home side 1-12 to 0-7 ahead at the break.

In the early throes of the game, ‘Sammy’ Bradley bagged two fine points for the visitors, while James Kielt and Mark Lynch found their range from placed balls, and Derry actually drew level through Emmet McGuckin's 21st minute score. But then Derry's wheels came off.

Armagh's purple patch gave them the ideal platform for the second-half. The languid figure of Ethan Rafferty was the pick of the midfielders on show yesterday, while Andy Mallon, Ciaran O’Hanlon, McKenna, Gavin McParland and ‘Soupy’ Campbell stepped up to the plate and all registered scores as Armagh gave themselves every chance of surviving in the division.

Mark Lynch’s dead-eyed accuracy from frees got Derry to within three points of their hosts in the 55th minute but the visitors made a series of unforced errors that had manager Damian Barton wincing on the sidelines.

Nine of the 14 scores in the second-half came by way of frees, with Armagh’s Ethan Rafferty tagging on a couple of late scores before Mallon and Campbell split Derry’s posts in the seven minutes of stoppage-time.

“I think it’s a cruel League whenever you sit where Armagh is sitting today,” said Barton.

“It’s a game of fine margins. But we can only concentrate on ourselves. How we can score so much but our concession rate is quite incredible. We’re a Division Two team and we need to develop in Division Two. I’m happy we didn’t go down."

The Derry manager added: “We were eight points down and we came back to within three points and we were in a position to go on and win the game.

“But I thought we over-elaborated and our decision-making was disappointing. We knew Armagh needed [to win by] 11.”

Given the scoring averages, Derry were always unlikely to suffer relegation - and it showed in much of their play at times on Sunday. Barton returned to the sidelines after being banished to the stands for eight weeks for his part in a melee during the Dr McKenna Cup final against Tyrone at the Athletic Grounds.

The Newbridge native was still clearly miffed at the sentence: “It was absolutely ridiculous,” said the Derry boss.

“Back to the scene of the crime… I wasn’t impressed with my appeal and the ridiculous objections I was met with and the format of it. What constitutes interference with another player? I don’t mind somebody grabbing me by the throat but at least, with hindsight, I should have retaliated.”

But the bigger narrative of the day was the cruel nature of Armagh’s relegation, although Derry probably punched their weight in Division Two slightly better than their conquerors.

MATCH STATS


Armagh: P Morrison; A Mallon (0-1), C Vernon, S Heffron; M Shields (0-1), S Connell, J McElroy; A Forker, E Rafferty (0-7 frees); R Grugan (0-2), M McKenna (1-1), C O’Hanlon (0-1); C Watters (0-1), S Campbell (0-3), G McParland (0-1); Subs: T Kernan for J McElroy (48), N Grimley for C O’Hanlon (56), M McNeice for P Morrison (59), A Findon for G McParland (70); Yellow cards: M McKenna (20), C O’Hanlon (39), M Shields (54), S Heffron (66)


Derry: T Mallon; O Duffy, C McKaigue, K McKaigue; L McGoldrick, B Rogers, D Heavron; C McAtamney, C McFaul; E McGuckin (0-1), C Bradley (0-2), J Kielt (0-3, 0-2 frees); N Loughlin, M Lynch (0-7 frees), SL McGoldrick (0-1); Subs: E Bradley for C McAtamney (34), C Mullan for L McGoldrick (h/t), R Bell (0-1) for SL McGoldrick (h/t), M Craig for N Loughlin (56), C Murphy for E McGuckin (56), C O’Boyle for J Kielt (64); Yellow cards: B Rogers (20), E Bradley (66)


Referee: F Kelly (Longford)