Orchard boys’ late smash and grab raid bears fruit

IT was a match where they were strongly challenged, but during the critical closing phase Armagh produced the goods to swing yesterday’s ESB All-Ireland MFC final at Croke Park in their direction.

The Orchard County youngsters have looked irrepressible at times this season, most pertinently in the Ulster championship against Tyrone and in the All-Ireland semi-final with Kerry. But on the biggest day of all they found their efforts to generate free-flowing football stifled by a dogged and unyielding Mayo team.

The game was a scrappy affair, yet Armagh proved adaptable to the conditions. They grimly stayed in contention throughout, played with plenty of force and resilience, and when the finish line was in sight they burst for it with serious conviction.