Relentless Armagh prolong Fermanagh’s frustrating wait
A first Ulster title for the new boss and a win to savour even if it was begotten more of effort than efficiency on his players’ part.
Armagh rolled back the years and did what Armagh teams do best, burning off the opposition with a fire and brimstone performance down the final quarter.
Leading by just three points with 10 minutes to go the game was there for the taking .
But, unlike the previous week when complacency set in and robbed them of an eight point lead, Armagh closed it out in more typical fashion this time round.
Unsurprisingly, Steven McDonnell and Ronan Clarke, perhaps the most devastating forward duo in football, played crucial roles in the 70th minute goal that clinched the game.
Yet a mixture of dogged Fermanagh defending and poor play had largely robbed the 32,131 fans of the sight of the pair’s silken skills up to that point.
But in the blink of an eye they conspired to put the ball in the back of Fermanagh’s net, McDonnell first on the scene after Clarke’s shot had cannoned off the crossbar to rifle home.
Game over. Next stop Croke Park and the All-Ireland quarter-finals.
Spare a thought for Fermanagh though who battled gamely and, but for some errant shooting in the first-half, could have stolen a memorable victory or at least been closer at the whistle.
Matthew Keenan and Ryan Keenan wasted three gilt edged free-kick opportunities while the latter and Liam McBarron missed great chances from open play too.
It meant the sides went in level 0-4 to 0-4 at half-time when if Fermanagh had converted even four of their nine first wides, they would have been in a great position.
They were costly errors because when Armagh put the inevitable grind on Fermanagh late on they had no lead to fall back on and were ultimately put to the sword.
It was a seventh Ulster title for Armagh in 10 seasons and while that’s a remarkable achievement – particularly with just five players on board that won their first back in 1999 – this won’t be remembered as a classic.
The fact that six of Armagh’s 12 scores came from frees tells its own story. It was error-ridden stuff and both sides were guilty of basic errors at different times.
Perhaps fatigue was a factor beneath the searing summer sun. While we’re on the subject, consider the plight of Fermanagh who must now pick themselves up for a huge qualifier tie next weekend.
There was a sense of great inevitability about their fate yesterday when Barry Owens, their inspirational substitute with a goal against Derry in the Ulster semi-final, was taken off on a stretcher after 49 minutes.
He was introduced only 10 minutes earlier and when his first touch resulted in a score for Damien Kelly that levelled the game up at 0-5 apiece Fermanagh’s prospects looked good.
But soon after he took off in a sprint for the ball alongside Francie Bellew and after Bellew broke the ball away to safety Owens crumpled in agony with an apparently seriously knee injury.
The sight of the twice All-Star exiting the action surely demoralised Fermanagh who tellingly fell a point behind soon after and never got back on level terms again.
In the cauldron like atmosphere, with the sun beating down, it was Armagh’s game to lose now but they duly closed it out.
For the first time in the game Armagh opened up a three point lead in the 59th minute when McDonnell converted the best point of the day.
It was a significant score as it stemmed from a brilliant dispossession by the excellent Kieran Toner of Marty McGrath who was searching to narrow Fermanagh’s arrears.
Instead Toner worked the ball upfield and McDonnell arrowed a kick off his left boot, from the left wing, straight over the black spot.
Soon after the lead was stretched to four when McDonnell pointed a free and while Fermanagh conjured a couple of points in reply the goal killed them.
If McDonnell was the hero in scoring terms with Clarke his sidekick there were more notable performers further out the field.
Captain Paul McGrane was inspired beside Toner while Ciaran McKeever got through a ton of good work at wing-back and Francie Bellew ensured Liam McBarron’s substitution.
But the real star was Aaron Kernan, one of four Kernan brothers to finish the game on the field of play, surely a record. Before the late goal the game still hung in the balance but he cleared Armagh’s lines time after time.
ARMAGH: P Hearty; F Moriarty, F Bellew, A Mallon; A Kernan (0-4; 4f), A O’Rourke, C McKeever; P McGrane, K Toner; C Vernon, M O’Rourke, B Mallon (0-1); S McDonnell (1-2; 1f), R Clarke (0-2), T Kernan (0-2, 1f).
Subs.: P Kernan for A Mallon (27), B Mallon for T Kernan (61), P Duffy for Vernon (69), B Donaghy for Bellew (71).
FERMANAGH: R Gallagher; P Sherry, S McDermott, S Goan; D Kelly (0-1), R McCluskey, T McElroy; M Murphy, M McGrath; C McElroy, M Keenan, M Little (0-1; 1f); E Maguire (0-2), L McBarron, R Keenan (0-1).
Subs: T Brewster (0-2; 1f) for M Keenan (27), B Owens for McBarron (39), S McCabe (0-1) for C McElroy (43), J Sherry for Owens (49), S Doherty for R Keenan (65).
Referee: M Deegan (Laois).
Attendance: 32,121.
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