Armagh power back to defeat Kerry

Armagh 2-10 Kerry 0-10

Ulster champions Armagh produced a superb second-half display at Croke Park today as they overcame the challenge of Kerry to qualify for the ESB All-Ireland Minor Football Championship final on September 20.

Two-goal hero Gavin McParland bulged the Kerry net after 31 and 43 minutes and Rory Grugan took his tally to six points, helping the Orchard County outfit recover from a 0-7 to 0-4 half-time deficit.

Eanna O'Connor, son of Kerry senior manager Jack O'Connor, landed four well-struck frees to put Kerry in the driving seat at the break.

The sides were level on three occasions before scores from O'Connor and Jack Sherwood had Kerry ahead by 0-5 to 0-3.

Eugene McVerry worked his way through for Armagh's fourth point, throwing a neat dummy before bisecting the posts.

But O'Connor gave Kerry a decent cushion to take into the second half, and their goalkeeper Paul O'Sullivan was also a key figure.

He was very much the busier of the two net minders and did brilliantly to deny Conor King and get the bouncing ball away from his line after it struck the post.

But John Kennedy's Kerry charges came under immediate pressure on the restart, leaking a goal to McParland after only 12 seconds.

Peter Carragher made a surging run through the middle, he found the unmarked McParland with a handpass to his right and the corner forward took his chance well, slipping the ball under the advancing O'Sullivan.

O'Sullivan and O'Connor stood out as Kerry's heroes on the day but their influence waned as Armagh clinically converted score after score.

They hit 2-2 without reply at the start of the second half, with Grugan kicking two frees and then Robbie Tasker and McVerry combined to set up McParland for his second goal.

Again O'Sullivan tried valiantly to narrow the angle but with the Kerry defence all at sea, he could do little to stop the low, driven shot.

O'Connor stopped the rot with a much-needed free for 2-6 to 0-8, only for Armagh to quickly reply.

Grugan raised another white flag, after some industrious play by Tasker, and the hard work paid off for McVerry when he lobbed over a point after sniffing out an interception.

O'Sullivan produced a brilliant double save to keep out a certain goal as Armagh piled forward.

O'Connor's sixth successful free cut the gap to five points again but Grugan's fifth and sixth points of the afternoon sealed the win.

In between, Armagh goalkeeper Stephen O'Reilly pulled off an impressive save to push a Niall O'Shea shot over the crossbar for Kerry's 10th and final point.

Managed by Paul McShane, the victorious Orchard County side will await the winners of next weekend's semi-final between Down and Mayo.

Armagh only have one All-Ireland MFC title to their name - they were winners back in 1949 and last contested the final in 1992.