Keith Duggan talks to the Armagh manager about the difficult task facing his charges in the All-Ireland semi-final against Dublin

Now is the real beginning for Armagh. Joe Kernan has guided the county back to the previous summits of 1999 and 2000 when they last contested All-Ireland semi-finals. When he led the Armagh midfield a generation ago, Dublin were the hot news. And so it will be again when the Ulster champions face the city team on Sunday week.

"Dublin always had great fans, they always drew a fairly sizeable support. But what is going on this summer is incredible. I think a lot of that is down to Tommy (Lyons). He has got the person on the street caught up in all of this, people who maybe would not normally become so enraptured by it.

"He's a character, Tommy, and his enthusiasm has caught the imagination. And it's great. What it means for other teams is that Croke Park is a very daunting place now, as I'm sure Donegal found on Saturday."

But it is within that palace that Kernan has always quietly insisted that this Armagh team have to prove themselves. Armagh's meagre record in headquarters has led to the theory that the Orchard County is jinxed on the Jones Road. Having repeatedly led Crossmaglen to club success there, it is a notion that Kernan refuses to entertain. Already Armagh have played one game in Croke Park under Kernan, the drawn quarter-final against Sligo. The victory has yet to come.

"This is where we have wanted to be. There are going to be 50,000 Dubs coming along to Croke Park in two weeks' time bringing a very special atmosphere. I just hope that Armagh gets a decent allocation because I think we will bring 25,000 or 30,000 and make it a day to remember. We haven't really got round to studying Dublin yet but have been following them with the same wonder as everyone else. And we know we have to improve in many facets of our game if we are to beat them."

The lingering criticism from the 140 minutes of football that Armagh played against Sligo is that they are a defensive and cautious county who lack sufficient boldness to put teams away. It is a slight that Kernan is somewhat baffled by.

"I think the one thing that has emerged from those games is just how vastly people underestimated Sligo. People said that we got the easy draw in that round. Sligo are no easy team, believe me. They are like the boxer that is hit and hit and won't go down. Now, if you look at any of our games prior to Sligo, we finished strongly.

"Sligo just kept on coming and coming at us. What are you meant to do if you have wing backs and players from the full back line and midfielders streaming through at you?" counters Kernan.

"Elsewhere, it was suggested that Oisin McConville wasn't tacking back far enough. So you get criticised for falling back and also for forwards not falling back. What I do know is that when we get the ball, we are all about attacking football, looking for scores. You have to adapt to situations.

"I remember the great Pat Spillane, a forward, spending a lot of time around his own back line without it being suggested he did anything wrong. Meath, Kerry, a lot of teams, bring players back but for some reason when it comes to Armagh, it gets singled out for attention."

Not that Kernan will worry that much. He is not as flamboyant as Tommy Lyons but he has the same easy-going nature and an absolute conviction in his principles and ambitions that is impressive.

Kernan had everything to lose by taking charge of a squad that many felt had mellowed beyond redemption. Already his season has been a success but if he fails to lead Armagh back to an All-Ireland final, he will be bitterly disappointed.

He readily accepts that the Dublin game is the key challenge in the evolution of this particular Armagh generation. In 1999 and 2000, they were ascending and learning. Now, they have absorbed as much information and experience as any side needs.

"Some of our lads have been around six years and more. It is a long time. Look, we are not codding ourselves. We know we have got to go out and do it. But we also know that there are many elements that we really will have to improve upon to beat Dublin. This is a team on song. We have two weeks now to get ourselves in order to meet that challenge."

Although he was tempted to go to Dublin to see the Dublin-Donegal replay, Kernan couldn't but concentrate on Armagh's task in hand. What he saw of the city team's demolition of Donegal surprised him.

"Donegal were impressive in the draw but Dublin evidently learned the most from that game, which matters. And their key players were brilliant at the weekend.

"You know, they must be delighted with the return from Ray Cosgrove and especially the way Ciarán Whelan has responded to the role he has been given."

These and more are the problems that will confront Joe Kernan over the next fortnight. He wouldn't have it any other way.