Armagh 1-11 Fermanagh 0-8: ARMAGH DO not lose replays and the postman always rings twice. It was business as usual in Ulster yesterday as Armagh extended their reign in the province.
This convincing win over Fermanagh marked their seventh year of leasehold on the Anglo-Celt Cup in the last decade. Few replays exceed the original for quality and this match was no exception.
The sudden arrival of Riviera weather conditions made for a slow-burning, tense sort of match and the favourites cruised home as the Fermanagh challenge, so gallant last week, ran of steam here.
Afterwards, the old amphitheatre turned orange as Paul McGrane lifted the cup and when the players emerged from the dressingroom half an hour later, they were given a guard of honour by their supporters as nearby, the shop stewards packed up the melting Mars bars and closed the shutters.
It has got to the point where even the Armagh fans know the drill when it comes to winning Ulster finals. But the great secret to their record of local excellence is that familiarity has never bred contempt. Be sure that this Armagh side will be just as hungry for number eight as they were this year.
So there was to be no epic parties in the Erne river towns last night. When the Fermanagh chiefs sit down and review this defeat, they will have no major complaints. Their most troubling task now will be to get themselves shipshape again for what promises to be a very tough qualifying game against Kildare.
In general, this was not a good performance by Fermanagh and their ponderousness in front of goal troubled them badly. They were the superior side in a fairly dismal first half but shot nine wides in that period - broken by a terrific Tom Brewster point. And when they found themselves in a position similar to that of a week ago - three points down and chasing the match going into the last 10 minutes - they were unable to produce the signature brilliant points-from-the-blue when it mattered.
Perhaps their day turned when Barry Owens lay crumpled on the ground after competing for a ball with Francie Bellew. The Crossmaglen stalwart was second to the ball and tested the jersey fabric of Owens but still managed to get fingertips to the ball. Owens fell awkwardly and Armagh broke up field for a move that resulted in a Ronan Clarke point and a 0-7 to 0-5 lead.
Owens had the athleticism and presence to make life troubling for Bellew but after he left the field, Fermanagh were in trouble. A county the size of Fermanagh does well to have a plan A when it comes to football: Plan B was Owens. And impressive as Malachy O'Rourke has been, he is not a magician. There was no Plan C. The Armagh defence fell into military precision mode and almost courteously shepherded the light-footed Fermanagh runners down blind alleys. Fermanagh either coughed up possession or took wildly speculative shots.
This was no vintage Armagh performance. For long periods, they were locked in a fairly grim deadlock, thanks to a solid Fermanagh defensive effort. Shane McDermott has proven a worthy heir to Barry Owens' number three jersey: he had a fine match here.
Ryan McCluskey also had a classy, imposing game and Shane Goan had a riveting battle with Steven McDonnell. Going into the 60th minute, Goan had held the Killeavy man scoreless and made the defensive play of the day with a marvellous strip in the 45th minute, when McDonnell was eyeing up the posts. But McDonnell has that unbreakable patience that distinguishes the great scoring forwards from the merely very good. In the 60th minute, he faked Goan for the first time, pivoted the other way and hit his first score. Three minutes later, he delivered a free. Then, after Stephen Kernan made a daring solo run, McDonnell was perfectly placed to collect a Ronan Clarke shot that crashed off the crossbar.
Referee Maurice Deegan might as well have scribbled the goal in his notebook before McDonnell struck 1-2 in 10 minutes and it was good night Fermanagh.
This has been a very convincing return to form for Armagh after last summer's brief campaign and the departure of Joe Kernan. The fundamental strengths were very much in evidence here. Paul McGrane had a very big game and alongside him, Kieran Toner ran the field like a man trying to keep warm on an icy night. His energy and tackling was phenomenal and set the tone.
Brian Mallon, Aaron Kernan and Kieran McKeever saw plenty of ball and if a Gaelic football team can have a quarterback, then Armagh's is Aidan O'Rourke. Yet again, the Dromintee veteran quietly called the shots out on the field.
All of a sudden, Armagh have a persuasive blend of former All-Ireland senior medal winners and a host of young guns intent on emulating the class of 2002. The old hallmarks of that team are there to be seen. Armagh concentrate on not making stupid mistakes and on capitalising on their opponent's mistakes.
They commit most of their fouls in the safe middle third of the field and then re-align their defence during the break in play. They do not crib at one another and players stick to their tasks. It could be they will be over-reliant on the Clarke-McDonnell axis when the action moves to Croke Park but then again, there has been enough to suggest that one of the Kernan boys or Brian Mallon can give them that extra push on the scoreboard. And, of course, Oisín McConville is no stranger to big days in Dublin. Armagh will have a big say.
Can Fermanagh embark on another fearless run through the qualifiers? They won't lack heart but they have to be considered vulnerable now and tiredness is bound to be a factor. They put their hearts into this and an appearance in a first Ulster final since the 1980s is a measure of how far they have travelled.
But as McGrane lifted the cup and the crowd roared in the warm evening air it all looked so familiar, that elusive, winning feeling must have felt as far away for Fermanagh folks as ever.
ARMAGH: P Hearty; A Mallon, F Bellew, F Moriarty; A Kernan (0-4, frees), A O'Rourke, K McKeever; P McGrane, K Toner; C Vernon, B Mallon (0-1), M O'Rourke; S McDonnell (1-2, one free), R Clarke (0-2), T Kernan (0-2, 1 free). Subs: P Kernan for A Mallon (27 mins inj); S Kernan for T Kenran (63 mins); P Duffy for C Vernon (67 mins); B Donaghty for F Bellew (70 mins).
FERMANAGH: R Gallagher; S Goan, S McDermott, P Sherry; D Kelly (0-1), R McCloskey, T McElroy; M Murphy, M McGrath; K McElroy, M Keenan, R Keenan (0-1); E Maguire (0-2), L McBarron, M Little (0-1, free). Subs: T Brewster (0-2, one free) for M Keenan (21 mins); B Owens for L McBarron (39 mins); S McCabe (0-1) for C McElroy (43 mins); J Sherry for B Owens (49 mins); S Doherty for R Keenan (64 mins).
Referee: M Deegan (Laois).
