Duffy’s goal paves way for an orange procession

THEY tried to create a real sense of occasion yesterday. A record-breaking attendance of 54,432, bolstered by 13,000 freebies for schoolchildren, came to Croke Park.

The football was fast-paced and intense.

Indeed, but for the bitter weather, it could have been the summer. All the same Tommy Lyons is probably grateful he has another five months to get it right.

While acknowledging his Dublin team overachieved last year, he probably didn’t think the gulf between his young side and the All-Ireland champions was this wide.

Joe Kernan had reservations about how his side would respond after five months away from football, celebrating. Yesterday, after shaking off the cobwebbed nature of their first 15 minutes, Armagh were imperious.

They play with more confidence now, exemplified by Paul McGrane, whose two scores in the first half came from angles he would have never dreamt shooting from this time last year.

While their tremendous team-work remains the most eye-catching quality, the attacking zest of Oisin McConville, Barry Duffy and Diarmuid Marsden were the foundations of this victory.

Duffy’s goal, a 39th minute palmed effort after the Dublin defence were caught napping under a high Steven McDonnell punt, nailed the Leinster champions’ coffin and paved the way for an orange procession.

The static nature of Dublin’s defence in dealing with McDonnell’s punt summed up their performance. With the exemplary exception of Paddy Christie, Dublin made elementary errors when untroubled, chose the wrong passing option and just froze in the face of Armagh power.

All this after they started the brighter. With two new faces in their attack, Brian Cullen and Tomas Quinn, Dublin trailed a blaze from the tunnel. Yet, despite dominating the opening quarter, they were only a point ahead of Armagh after 18 minutes, 2-1.

The energy and endeavour of Quinn and Cullen wasn’t matched by composure in front of goal. Dublin would shoot 11 wides, but missed

glorious chances early on. “We pulled a few shots wide and that seemed to affect our confidence levels,” Lyons said afterwards. “The biggest disappointment for me is when the game was there to compete for, we didn’t compete. Maybe we learnt more out there than we did in our four or five good days here last summer.”

Dublin’s dominance sprung from Ciaran Whelan and Darren Magee ruling midfield. However, after a sloppy start, Paul McGrane and John McEntee began to get an upper hand and the pattern of the game was set.

McConville levelled matters in the 23rd minute, nailing an excellent right-footed score after bailing Tony McEntee out of danger, and Armagh slipped seamlessly into another gear.

More wonderful scores followed, from the boots of McGrane, McDonnell and McConville, so by the time Collie Moran got Dublin’s first score in 14 minutes they were chasing the game.

Armagh were 0-7 to 0-3 ahead at the break, but had Duffy been more accurate with his fisted effort from the edge of the square, they could have gone into the dressing-room already having the game in the bag.

The way the All-Ireland champions toiled for each other was impressive, considering this was their first game since last September’s success.

Whenever they lost the ball, they redoubled their efforts to regain it. One moment early in the second half illustrated this.

When McDonnell was dispossessed by Barry Cahill, he chased the Dublin movement all the way back to his own full-back line to rectify the error.

“The most positive thing for me was that we won an awful lot of ball after giving it away, the way the boys worked for each other,” Kernan said.

“I'm happy with the performance, especially as the players had to come back from five months off. I am surprised by how easy it was, but the bottom line is this is still February 2.”

The hunger Armagh displayed was frightening. Towards the end, as the game was floundering and the supporters spilling for the gates, Jason Sherlock found a splinter of light in the Armagh defence. Within seconds, he was mauled by four orange shirts.

Their level of intensity never wavered. And while their physical power obviously aided their overall domination, Kernan will be most satisfied by the way they reacted to a new season.

This was about laying down a marker, each point was created by wonderful team-work and fine finishing. Armagh have the supreme confidence of champions. And that will make them hard to beat.

Lyons managed a smile at the end. Would Dublin be back in Croker for the Cork and Tyrone games? “I want to go back to Parnell Park. It is a lot easier for 9,000 people roaring for your head than 35,000.” Scorers for Armagh: O McConville (0-5, 1 free),

D Marsden, S McDonnell (0-3 each), B Duffy(1-0), P McGrane (0-2), A O’Rourke, P McKeever (0-1 each)

For Dublin: T Quinn (0-3, 1 45), J McNally (0-2), B Cullen, C Moran (0-1 each).

ARMAGH: P Hearty; E McNulty, J McNulty, F Bellew, A O’Rourke, K McGeeney, A McCann; J McEntee, P McGrane; P McKeever, B Duffy, O McConville, S McDonnell, T McEntee, D Marsden Subs: K Hughes for O’Rourke(57 mins), P Duffy for B Duffy (68 mins), M O’Rourke for McKeever (69 mins), P McCormack for McDonnell, D Turley for J McEntee (70 mins).

DUBLIN: S Cluxton; B Cahill, P Christie, D Henry, C Goggins, S Ryan, P Andrews; C Whelan, D Magee; C Moran, B Cullen, S Connell, E Bennis, J McNally, T Quinn Subs: D O’Mahony for Bennis (h-t), D Homan for Connell (42 mins), P Casey for Andrews (45 mins), J Sherlock for Moran (50 mins), P Griffin for Goggins (61 mins)

Referee: J Bannon (Longford)