Brian Gavin: David Gough contributed to Armagh vs Kerry coming to life

It looks right now to be between Brendan Cawley and Seán Hurson to referee the All-Ireland final. 

Referee David Gough signals the end of normal time between Armagh and Kerry in the All-Ireland SFC semi-final. Picture: Ray McManus/Sportsfile

On Saturday evening, a rare good game of football broke out. Having said that, it was tactical too and sometimes referees struggle for concentration when that happens but David Gough was on his toes from the word “go”.

Before I go into the meat and veg of the game, I have to mention Rian O’Neill’s catch at the end. Fortunate for him and Armagh, they cleared the lines but had O’Neill touched the ball in falling to the ground or even overcarried it in the small rectangle, Kerry would have been awarded a penalty as any foul, even technical, in that area is a spot kick.