Two-goal Armagh claim win in Tralee

Armagh 2-8 Kerry 0-10

Goals in either half were the catalyst for victory as Armagh made the long journey to Tralee worthwhile to claim a four-point win tonight.

Brian Mallon and John Kingham netted the visitors' goals in a game where the Orchard County were always in the lead.

Armagh held total control in the opening quarter, racing into a 1-2 to 0-0 lead after 10 minutes, with the Kingdom rearguard under huge pressure in the opening minutes.

Kerry goalkeeper Brendan Kealy pulled off a fine save early on from a Eugene McVerry shot, but scores from Aidan Forker and Anthony Mackin gave the Ulster outfit an early 0-2 to 0-0 cushion.

Brian Mallon breached the Kerry goalmouth for the first time in the 10th minute, as Armagh moved 1-2 to 0-0 clear.

A high ball was played into the Armagh attack, Mallon gather possesion ahead of Killian Young, and with his left boot sent a low shot past Kealy.

Armagh opened up a 1-3 to 0-0 lead, before Kerry's first score arrived at the start of the second quarter. James O'Donoghue was goal-bound and one-on-one with the Armagh goalkeeper, but was caught from behind by Brendan Donaghy.

O'Donoghue fired over the resulting free, before a Sean O'Sullivan point from play left the score at 1-3 to 0-2 after 21 minutes. The sides traded points before the break, with Armagh ending the half with a 1-4 to 0-3 advantage.

The visitors continued to force the pace on the restart. John Kingham capitalised on a mistake between Kealy and one of the Kingdom defenders to register the visitors' second goal inside two minutes of the restart.

Kingham's green flag pushed Armagh seven points clear, but Jack O'Connor's home side, impressive winners over Dublin last weekend, responded well to the challenge.

Bryan Sheehan and Declan O'Sullivan were among the hosts' scorers as they strung together four unanswered points to cut the deficit to three points in the 49th minute.

Armagh bounced back with two more scores over the next 11 minutes, before O'Donoghue left five points between the sides with 10 minutes left on the clock.

However, Kerry lost Tomas Ó Sé to a red card in the closing stages - he kneed an Armagh player in the midriff. The likes of substitute Colm Watters contributed to the Armagh account late on, despite the best efforts of Sheehan for the hosts.

Armagh also had Finnian Moriarty dismissed late on, but it mattered little as Paddy O'Rourke's charges held out for their first win of the 2012 league campaign.