Cormac Leonard Armagh SFC semi-final: Crossmaglen 1-17 Madden 0-14
COMETH the hour, cometh the men – and it was the familiar figures of Rian and Oisin O’Neill who stood up and dragged reigning champions Crossmaglen into another Armagh final as Madden’s brave challenge eventually wilted.
Cian McConville’s expertly-taken goal three minutes into added time finished the contest off, but it was the twin towers in black and amber who swayed it their direction as Madden threatened to seal an unexpected decider with Clan na Gael.
Older brother Oisin grabbed the game by the scruff after a frustrating first half, finding pockets of space and bounding forward as his return from an injury-hit few years gathers momentum.
He finished up with five to his name, four from play in a devastating 15 minute spell as Cross turned the screw. But Rian played a major part too. Having been on the periphery in the opening half hour, it was as though he finally decided enough was enough 10 minutes into the second half.
Switched into full-forward, he immediately picked up a break and curled over to edge Cross into a 0-9 to 0-8 lead before outmuscling Peter Lappin when Aaron Kernan arrowed a ball towards the square, O’Neill batting the ball down to himself before slinging over as the south Armagh support found their voice.
Such moments of quality are often the difference on days like these, but the six point gap on the scoreboard at the end was harsh on Madden – though they had only themselves to blame for not making Cross pay when the going was good.
Indeed, the early signs suggested semi-final stage fright might have got the better of Mickey Grimley’s men as they kicked four wides inside the opening seven minutes, a mixture of panicky shot selection and plain old bad execution.
And while Madden struggled to find their feet, Cross went for the jugular. Straight after the throw-in, a long ball in from Oisin O’Neill broke down to the waiting hands of Daniel Cumiskey, who slotted over.
Odhran Kieran cut in from the left to nail the south Armagh side’s second, before a Rian O’Neill free made it 0-3 to 0-1 after a super Joe Sheridan score had opened Madden’s account.
But the warning signs were there for Cross, the soft centre that killed them against Ballybay in Ulster last year still apparent as Madden repeatedly cut through the middle.
Having been off the mark in the early exchanges, finally it started to click in front of the posts as Conor Grimley came into the game. And in the space of four minutes they found themselves in the lead when Darragh McMullen, Ciaran Rafferty and Niall Smith all pointed.
Indeed, Smith’s score could well have been more, the Cross defence losing Conor Grimley’s deflected shot in the sun, allowing it to bounce up into the square where Smith fisted inches over Miceal Murray’s bar.
Yet Madden could never engineer the bit of breathing room that might have given the belief needed, leaving a lingering feeling that somehow, at some point, one of Crossmaglen’s cast of magicians would conjure something.
And so it was. Again, Madden passed up opportunities early on in the second half when the game was deadlocked, those regrets sure to stay with them for a few weeks still.
Veterans Kernan and Rico Kelly showed there’s life left in the legs yet with disciplined defensive displays after the break, providing a platform for Anthony Cunningham’s side to eke out a bit of daylight as the game wore on.
Oisin O’Neill took command and his younger sibling wasn’t for being upstaged. When they stepped up and puffed out their chests, Madden suddenly found the air a little thinner.
A neat Kelly sidestep opened the door for Oisin O’Neill to slalom through and slam over as Cross moved into the lead, and they didn’t look back – McConville running onto a beautiful outside of the boot pass from Paul Hughes before slamming beyond Jamie Sheridan to settle the argument once and for all.
“Coming into the game we knew we were in a good enough place, but you know what you’re going to get from Madden, they’re so well organised, some dangerous forwards,” said Kernan.
“As well prepared as you know you are, you’re always still nervous and apprehensive, so it probably played out the way I expected. In the second half we played good, controlled football.
“We’re just delighted to have won.”
A clash with the Clans awaits next, the gateway to Ulster a side-story for now as the Gerry Fagan Cup is all that matters.
Crossmaglen: M Murray; O McKeown, R Kelly, C Crowley; P Hughes, C Cumiskey, A Kernan; S Morris, O O’Neill (0-5); D Cumiskey (0-1), J Clarke (0-1), C O’Connor; O Kieran (0-2), R O’Neill (0-4, 0-1 free), C McConville (1-4, 0-4 frees). Subs: R Fitzpatrick for O’Connor (HT), H Cumiskey for Kieran (44), O Caraher for Crowley (47), A O’Neill for D Cumiskey (58), A Rushe for Clarke (60+4)
Yellow card: J Clarke (60)
Madden: J Sheridan; T O’Hagan, P Lappin, R Morgan; S Vallely, D Rafferty (0-1), N Smith (0-1); L Grimley, P Carr; E Grimley, D McMullen (0-1), N Grimley (0-2, 0-1 free); C Rafferty (0-1), C Grimley (0-5, 0-4 frees), J Sheridan (0-1). Subs: O O’Hara (0-1) for Vallely (HT), A McKenna (0-1) for L Grimley (HT), R Loughran for Morgan (57)
Yellow card: R Loughran (60)
Referee: F Laverty (Annaghmore)
