Armagh win to set up Down quarter-final

Armagh 3-20 Tyrone 2-9

Armagh will meet Down in the Ulster SHC quarter-final, following their comprehensive defeat of Tyrone at Casement Park.

A Brian McNaughton hat-trick inspired the Orchard men to the last four, with sharpshooter Paul Breen contributing nine points.

Tyrone did make a game of it with a plucky second-half display, but they had left themselves too much to do.

Breen rattled off five points, three of them from frees, in the opening 10 minutes to set the trend.

Midfielder Barry Breen also fired over a couple of scores as the Orchard men forged into a 0-8 to 0-0 lead.

David Lavery got Tyrone’s opening score in the 16th minute, and added another from long range to raise Red Hand spirits.

But Armagh men stepped up the tempo again. A couple of Fiachra Bradley points and well taken Ger Enright effort made it 0-13 to 0-3, with Cormac McHugh getting Tyrone’s score.

And two goals in the space of a minute from full forward Brain McNaughton all but sealed Tyrone’s fate.

First he got in behind the defence to blast home, then showed his predatory instincts to finish from close range after Nicky McBride had made a superb save from Bradley.

Tyrone’s Conor Grugan could only manage a point from a stoppage time penalty, and at the break, Armagh held a commanding 2-14 to 0-5 lead.

But after being reduced to 14 men with the dismissal on a second yellow card of defender Nathan Curry, Armagh found themselves forced onto the back foot by the resurgent Red Hands.

Substitute Shea McKiver pulled back a couple of Tyrone points, and Grugan scrambled a 56th minute goal.

Three minutes later, Lavery darted through for as superb individual goal, and a 17 points deficit had been trimmed back to 10.

But Armagh managed to lift the siege, for McCormack to plunder another goal to complete his hat-trick on 64 minutes.

Armagh: J Burke, B Mallon, F McMullan, N Curry, D Carvill, P McCormack, B McCormack, B Breen (0-3), C Carvill, R Gaffney (0-1), G Enright (0-2), F Bradley (0-3), P Breen (0-9, 6f, 1 ’65), B McNaughton (3-1), C Christie (0-1).

Subs: J Corvan for Enright, P Burke for B McCormack

Tyrone: N McBride, M Kelly, B McGilloway, J Patton, SP Begley, D Maguire, S McCrory, J Kelly (0-1), L Moore, G Fox, C McHugh (0-1), A Kelly, C Grugan (1-1, 0-1 pen), D Lavery (1-4, 0-2f), P O’Connor.

Subs: S McKiver (0-2) for Fox, M O’Gorman for M Kelly

Referee: O Elliot (Antrim).