McDonnell praises Armagh's battling qualities

After guiding Armagh to the Ulster SFC title in his first season in charge, Peter McDonnell hailed his side's determination to see out a 1-11 to 0-08 win in yesterday's replayed final against Fermanagh.

Having opened up a four-point gap, Armagh came alive in the final few minutes at Clones with Steven McDonnell's 69th-minute goal crowning the county's seventh Anglo Celt Cup success in ten years.

Both sides failed to spark in a disappointing first half which ended in a 0-04 to 0-04 stalemate.

Fermanagh should have gone in ahead at the break, as they had played the better football but nine wides really came back to haunt them.

The Orchard men, with five players on board from their breakthrough 1999 win, used all their experience to gradually get on top.

Speaking afterwards, manager McDonnell said: "Where we lost out last week (in the drawn game) was in an area that asks questions about masculinity and that's breaking ball.

"That was a big insult to our footballers last week that we were prepared to concede so much of it and therein lay the challenge ahead of us for this week.

"That's what we tackled, that's what we dealt with and that gave us the platform to go ahead and win this game."

The Mullaghbawn man suggested that yesterday's success may mean more to the players than their previous Ulster final wins, given that 'the era of Armagh football success was supposed to be behind us.'

"Fellas could quite easily have given up the ghost after last week.

"But they looked at themselves very closely this week, reflected and answered their critics which were many."

McDonnell also paid tribute to the young players who have come on board, with the likes of Charlie Vernon and Kieran Toner making a real impact.

"The young fellas that have come in have proved to be mighty men.

"I'm just so happy for all of those players, for all the hard work from last October," he added.

Fermanagh, of course, will have a second bit at the championship cherry as they enter the third round of the All-Ireland qualifiers - last night's draw pitted them against Kildare.

Reflecting on his side's replay defeat, the wides tally of 14 was the major talking point for Fermanagh manager Malachy O'Rourke.

"We could have been ahead at half-time but it was even. Then in the second half, we lost the ball in the tackle (too much) and Armagh got the chances and put them away.

"We have no complaints. None of the boys went out to hit wides," he said.

"They worked very hard between the two games on frees and it's frustrating but nobody meant to miss them."

Losing two-time All-Star Barry Owens to a knee injury, 13 minutes into the second half, was a blow the Ernesiders could have done without.

Whether Owens will be fit for next weekend's clash with Kildare remains to be seen but either way, O'Rourke will have to work quickly to rally his troops for that game.

"In one way it's the beauty of championship (to be back playing next weekend) but in another way it's really hard work.

"It would have meant so much for the boys to win the Ulster title because they've invested so much emotionally and everything else," he added.