Gormley vows to learn lesson

ON a day when he scored his first goal for Tyrone, Conor Gormley also had the dubious distinction of getting both yellow cards for the All-Ireland football champions in Clones yesterday.

Luckily for him – and the team – the second one came two minutes from the end of time because an earlier dismissal might very well have been costly at a stage when they were desperately defending a one-goal lead.

And, in keeping with the general bonhomie generated by the good-natured way in which the teams contested the game, not only did the Carrickmore man not question referee Pat McEnaney’s decision to send him off but actually praised him for refereeing the game ‘very fairly.’

Agreeing he was ‘living on the edge’ after some few tackles on Ronan Clarke following his first yellow card (when trying to stop him scoring the Armagh goal), he revealed McEnaney warned him he was in danger of being sent off.

“There were a couple of times I shouldn’t have fouled,’’ he commented. “Nobody wants to get a red card. It’s a learning point for me. I take it on the chin.’’

On a happier note, he delighted in scoring his goal, admitting that he ‘panicked’ for a while after seeing the ball ricochet off the bar.

“It’s a long way up the field, but a longer way back up. I went in support and the next thing Mugsy (Owen Mulligan) played to ball to Stevie (O’Neill).

“I shouted to him flick it on, which he did. Then I was one on one and had a bit of a wobble.’’

Manager Mickey Harte felt that while the scoring of the goal (five minutes into the second half) was ‘a real bonus,’ it did have the effect of lulling them into a false sense of security.

“Maybe it is typical of these things that people tend to relax a little bit. They never intend to do that but the evidence is there that they did. And Armagh stepped up a gear.

“It is always a concern when a team comes back at you when it seems you are in an unassailable position. We had a lot of possession right after Conor’s goal but we didn’t make much of it. Call that complacency, call it what you will. But we are guilty of that.’’

Equally, he acknowledged that the effect of Clarke’s goal (nine minutes later) was to put his team under a lot of pressure, forcing them on ‘the back foot.’ And that was when their experience shone through, agreeing that it was the ‘vital ingredient’ in deciding the game.

“Our players have been around the block a few times. They have been in tight situations before and this was another one today that will go down into the cupboard of experience.’’

Once more he paid tribute to his outstanding captain Brian Dooher, who had been prevented from starting by a recurring groin problem but made an immediate impact after coming on in the 50th minute.

“It’s what you would expect from him.

“We didn’t put him in to stand about. We put him in to do a job which he did. That was his first inter-county football since the All-Ireland final last year. You would hardly ask any other player to do it, but Brian Dooher is Brian Dooher.’’