Éamonn Fitzmaurice: Spirit of McGeeney shone through in Armagh’s win

There were some whispers that Kieran McGeeney would come under pressure if Armagh lost and it was important for his players to really show up for him in a do or die championship match

Armagh's Rory Grugan celebrates at the final whistle after their All-Ireland SFC Qualifier win over Tyrone. ©INPHO/Laszlo Geczo

We were treated to a great throwback championship tussle in Armagh city yesterday. Local rivals, of similar standard, with big ambitions facing off was always going to provide such a spectacle. It was mentioned beforehand that the fare served up could be similar to last week's Ulster final in Clones but I had no such worries. 

Of course both teams would get plenty of bodies behind the ball and defend with intent without the ball but the key difference was that these sides would attempt to attack with pace when they had the ball.