Laois shoot to top

Laois 1-13 Armagh 0-8, O'Moore Park

Laois shot to the top of the Division 1B standings after an excellent display in a 1-13 to 0-8 defeat of Armagh at O'Moore Park.

Despite losing goal scorer Brendan Quigley to a 27th-minute red card, Laois effectively had the points in the bag as they led 1-8 to 0-2 at half-time.

Michael Tierney was an able deputy for the injured Ross Munnelly while the home fans were in raptures when midfielder Quigley netted in the eighth-minute.

Quigley saw red for striking as the first half came to a fractious finish.

The visitors included Kieran McGeeney and Diarmuid Marsden but they were second best throughout and are now in serious danger of plummeting into Division Three for next year.

The Orchard men were guilty of another poor start as Laois left them in their wake. Liam Kearns' home side were 1-4 to 0-1 to the good by the first half's midpoint.

Brian 'Beano' McDonald Tierney each sent over a free before some neat build-up play from Darren Rooney allowed Quigley to stride through and left-foot to the Armagh net.

Quigley's inclusion allowed Padraig Clancy forage in the half-forwards and Laois looked close to their attacking best in the opening stages, roared on by a vocal crowd.

Steven McDonnell's tenth-minute point got Armagh on the scoreboard, after some early wides from Marsden and Finian Moriarty. However, that was the 2005 league champions' only point from play in the entire first half as Paddy McKeever added their second score from a free.

Two more Tierney points, coupled with white flags from David Murphy and McDonald, saw Laois push on for a 1-6 to 0-2 buffer before Quigley's part in a melee saw him earn a straight red card.

Laois were not deterred and the sending-off hardly put them off their stride as two more Tierney frees saw them move eight points ahead for the interval.

Armagh's fortunes improved slightly on the resumption when McDonnell and McKeever (free) cancelled out points from McDonald and Clancy, who fisted clean over the bar.

But Chris Conway, who fitted easily into the role as Laois' play-maker, increased his influence with a lovely point from the right wing.

Conway added his second soon after, but Armagh had a slight spell of dominance with Paul McGrane, Marsden and McDonnell all bisecting the posts.

Nevertheless, the scores dried up and Martin O'Rourke's injury-time point was only a consolation for Joe Kernan's side as it followed an impressive over from Laois' Peter O'Leary.