Some day soon, a championship team is going to line out with just 14 men. Armagh enjoyed something of a rebirth in Clones yesterday when they had a man sent off. They saw off Down in a tempestuous second half of typical Ulster fare which may signal a fallow period a Down side who burned the provincial torch for most of the decade.
Enda McNulty was sent to the line after scything through the on-running Patrick McKeever early in the second half, but Armagh manager Brian Canavan had the situation in hand. "We had worked on the extra man from both perspectives during training so we were prepared whether we lost or gained the advantage."
Down did look as though they might utilise their numerical supremacy initially, with Greg McCartan tapping over a 25-metre free before Shane Mulholland latched onto a through ball from Conor Deegan and lofted a fine point after 44 minutes to leave them 0-9 to 0-8 ahead.
From that point on, though, Down were forced to endure a bleak, scoreless spell from which they never looked like finding sufficient momentum to recover. Armagh opted to run at the opposing defence and crowded midfield. The half-back trio of Justin McNulty, McCann and McGeeney combined well with the free-roving forward six. While McConville made himself useful in the corner, Marsden repeatedly came deep to collect quality ball lobbed towards the flanks and from there he wasted little time in burning his markers, first Brian Burns and then Malachy McMurray.
He fired over a 43-yard free and chipped home another two minutes later to establish an Armagh lead they never looked like relinquishing. Paul McKeever curled another point for Armagh and then on 51 minutes Marsden added another free after Simon Poland had hacked at McKeever. Ahead 0-12 to 0-9, Armagh again won the break and Paul McGrane spotted Marsden with unmanned yards ahead of him and the forward steamed down field before chipping another point.
Ger Houlahan had been introduced at half-time when Cathal O'Rourke retired injured. Houlahan snatched a ball which Micheal McGill fumbled and sent over yet another Armagh point after 61 minutes to push his side into a 0-14 to 09 lead. Down, almost dazed by the seemingly irresistible fashion in which Armagh forged ahead, finally broke free in the hope of a late charge.
In the first half, they had looked comfortable at midfield and trailed by just a point while looking as though they would have the capacity to open out offensively. McCartan and Linden probed deep for ball and showed a keenness to take men on while Mulholland also promised much with a lively first half.
But with just five minutes remaining, James McCartan did show us ghosts from a few summers past, turning on a dime and whipping over a long-range point, but Armagh still led by four and although Marsden conspired to miss a simple free, Houlahan then took a long ball and cut in field before hammering it over the bar.
Ross Carr, who had a subdued game, pitched over a late score for Down and although Mulholland forced a fine save from Brendan Tiereny, Armagh were back on the rails and Clones erupted at McConville's jubliant finishing point.
Canavan said afterwards: "You only had to look out there today to see the rise that has given Armagh people after watching us go out in the first round for the past four years. But this is only a small step up the ladder. Derry will be the benchmark for this team, they are the quality side in Ulster now."
And what of Down? Team manager Pete McGrath said that while he knew certain panel members would mull over their futures, he hoped they wouldn't act hastily. He pointed out that Down had lost some key players since 1995, men whose shoes it will take time to fill. Did they under-perform yesterday or were Armagh just on fire?
"That's always the conundrum when you lose," he said. "Armagh played close, smart football today, and in the second half certainly got to the breaking ball first. They have worked hard for this and maybe showed the sort of hunger and spirit that only an upcoming team can," he shrugged.
Diarmuid Marsden quietly concurred afterwards. "We had to beat Down today, simple as that. If we didn't it would have been a long way back for Armagh football."
