Football

Granemore dreaming of Armagh final - but rivals Ballymacnab are in the way

Granemore's Cathal O'Hare in action against St Peter's of Lurgan in this year's Championship group stages.
Granemore's Cathal O'Hare in action against St Peter's of Lurgan in this year's Championship group stages. Granemore's Cathal O'Hare in action against St Peter's of Lurgan in this year's Championship group stages.

PERHAPS it shouldn’t be surprising that Granemore can survive close-run affairs – but ending up out in front has proved tricky.

The place may be best known for the traditional song ‘The Granemore Hare’, an animal which features on the club crest.

So far in their 70-year history they haven’t escaped enough big dogs to reach an Armagh senior football final, but they’ll try again this weekend. They’ve kept escaping to victory this year, winning three out of four Championship games by the minimum margin.

The twist in the tale is that the team standing in their way again, as was the case in the 2011 semi-finals, are parish rivals Ballymacnab.

Granemore chairman Pete Carr commented: “They’re only a stone’s throw from us, it’s a big match for both clubs. Ballymacnab will be strong favourites but we’ll give it everything.

“It’s great to still be playing football in October, every club wants that. For us to be playing in a semi-final is brilliant.”

Eight years ago their defeat to the ‘Nab was probably a mercy as the latter were then hammered by Crossmaglen in the decider, beaten by 2-22 to 0-3. Those two clubs met again in last year’s final, but on that occasion it was a much closer affair, a six-point win for the Rangers, by 0-24 to 1-15.

Even so, that loss in 2011 was still painful, as Carr recalls: “We’ve never made it through to the final.

“It was close-run, as derbies often are, and it could go either way this week too. We’re the same parish, so it is a big derby, especially this last while.”

The ‘Nab also won a 2013 quarter-final against Granemore, by 1-8 to 0-7, so Carr is hoping to turn back the clock: “Twenty years ago Granemore could always get the better of it but they’ve some really good forwards, men on the county panel, maybe they have a bit more up front than us, that could be the difference.”

Carr’s caution is understandable – he’s literally invested in the club, as chairman and shirt sponsor, but it’s just as well that he also doles out some praise to the Granemore attack – “The forwards are playing well too” - given that his son, also called Pete, is one of the main scorers. Former Armagh midfielder Kieran Toner is now a target man at full-forward.

The strength of Granemore, though, is in defence, with only one goal conceded in their four Championship matches so far, leading to that ability to edge tight tussles.

Granemore’s mastery of close-run victories has included one-point wins against the Harps of both Armagh and Silverbridge, and also near neighbours Madden in the quarter-final. Even their five-point win over St Peter’s, Lurgan in the group stages was a come-from-behind success.

There’s no denying that Granemore have shown serious spirit this season, acknowledges Carr: “We were in Division 1B but we beat two teams from 1A, Silverbridge and the Harps [Armagh]. We won our group. We only lost two League games this year.”

That never-say-die attitude was evident too in their quarter-final victory. “Madden is another big rival for us too. It was another tight game – with one minute of injury time gone we were two points down and we scored three points in the last two minutes of injury time to win it.

“We’ve two fantastic managers in – Eamonn Kavanagh and Macartan McKenna. The boys are really buying into them, they seem to know what they’re doing – they know how to win tight matches.”

Carr’s first season as chairman has already been a success: “The Minors won the county championship last Sunday evening, the girls won their county championship, and the U14.5s won the league, so we’re going rightly.”

Yet he would love a first senior football final appearance, against Orchard county kingpins (and holders) Crossmaglen or 2016 champs Maghery: “The senior team is your shop window. The pressure is on the boys now.”

Granemore are lying low, hoping to spring a surprise and catch Ballymacnab in the long grass, in the first part of the semi-final double-header at the Athletic Grounds this Saturday.

Do that and there may be a new song to be sung.