ARMAGH 3-17
DONEGAL 0-16
Declan Bogue reports from Clones
ONE OF THE quickest ever goals in Championship football came after nine seconds here, when Armagh’s Rian O’Neill caught the throw-up and let fly with a delivery into the square.
Rory Grugan — no man’s idea of a colossus — caught it clean and lashed it to the net, setting this game on fire instantly.
One of the big questions Armagh had to answer was how they would deal with Ethan Rafferty being forced to go long with his kickouts. And it wasn’t great for him, giving up four in the first half alone.
But it was Shaun Patton’s own kickouts that brought catastrophe. After losing two kickouts in the middle of the pitch, resulting in points for a Rian O’Neill free and Jarlath Óg Burns, he wanted to go short.
He clipped one to Odhran McFadden-Ferry but Jason Duffy was alive to it and handpassed to Stefan Campbell. His point-blank range shot was scrambled off the line by Caolan Ward and O’Neill converted the resulting ’45 to level the scores, 1-6 to 0-9.
Undeterred, Patton tried the next one short to Brendan McCole but they made a mess of it. O’Neill and Grugan combined to ship it to Aidan Nugent who was taken down by a desperate Patton.
Referee Brendan Cawley gave Patton a black card and Armagh the penalty. Rian O’Neill crashed it into the corner beyond stand-in goalkeeper Caolan McGonagle.
They quickly added two more from Grugan and Jason Duffy and went in at the break 2-8 to 0-10 up.
As much as Donegal looked like they were up for the fight, they never showed up for the second half as they were outscored by 1-9 to 0-6.
Even when Donegal started winning successive Armagh kickouts, the final goal came as the ultimate coffin nail.
Jarlath Óg Burns made a relieving catch from a Rafferty kickout and it was worked through O’Neill and Ben Crealey to put midfielder Stephen Sheridan clear to clip home at the near post and leave them in the hat for the All-Ireland quarter finals.
Scorers for Armagh: R O’Neill (1-7, 1-0 Pen, 2 frees, 1x’45), R Grugan (1-3, 1 free), J Óg Burns (0-3), S Sheridan (1-0), C Turbitt (0-2), S Campbell, J Duffy (0-1 each)
Scorers for Donegal: M Murphy (0-6, 0-5 frees), S O’Donnell (0-4), A Doherty, R McHugh, J McGee, C Thompson, P McBrearty, N O’Donnell (0-1 each)
ARMAGH: E Rafferty; J Morgan, A Forker, A McKay; C Mackin, G McCabe, J Óg Burns; S Sheridan, B Crealey; R Grugan, S Campbell, A Murnin; A Nugent, R O’Neill, J Duffy
Subs: C Turbitt for Murnin (57 mins), J Hall for Sheridan (64 mins), M Sheilds for Nugent (66 mins), C Higgins for Duffy (71 mins), J Kieran for C O’Neill (74 mins)
DONEGAL: S Patton; C Ward, B McCole, A Doherty; R McHugh, EB Gallagher, O McFadden-Ferry; C McGonagle, J McGee; C Thompson, P Mogan, M Langan; P McBrearty, M Murphy, S O’Donnell
Subs: M Lynch for McBrearty (30 mins), Patton for Lynch (37 mins), J Brennan for Thompson (46 mins), C O’Donnell for Ward (58 mins), N O’Donnell for Langan, J McKelvey for McHugh (both 64 mins)
Referee: Brendan Cawley (Kildare)
Great performance from Armagh
Hammmered in the end. Can’t blame Bonner for those restart meltdowns at the end of the first half when we were well on top but he needs to step aside now. Probably overstayed his welcome by 2 years and need a new direction. Best of luck to Armagh. I do enjoy watching them.
@Gareth Keenan: Donegal need a good few new faces. Seemed to accept their fate as soon as the black card happened.
New manager to instill some freshness would help but the likes of Murphy, McBrearty & McHugh etc have a lot of mileage on the clock.
@Gareth Keenan: and you were giving it to me tight last week. I haven’t seen Donegal as bad since pre McGuinness
@mel roberts: you deserved it though! Ah Jesus no I wouldn’t say this year has been any worse than the last 4 or 5. Fairly comfortably a division 1 team but making no progress.
@Gareth Keenan: we were shambolic last week but weren’t nearly as bad as you lot today. There’s hope for us yet but there’s none for you while that man’s in charge
@mel roberts: what an argument
@Gareth Keenan: Yep. No excuses today. Beat by the better and hungrier team. I just hope they don’t get derry tomorrow as ulster teams tend to draw each other a lot in quarter finals
@Gareth Keenan: Bonner should have been sacked after the 2020 ulster final.
He has wasted 6 years of Michael Murphy.
They have the talent.
Rian o Neill , one of the best in the business
Anti-football bandwagon very quiet this weekend after another great game. No talk of poxy hand pass rules after that funnily enough!
@John Smith: so one game with a bit of football in it cures all. I very much doubt it
@John Smith: I am a hurling man, but I have enjoyed Armagh since the league, they are refreshing
@Tom kenny: lovely team to watch play.
@Tom kenny: and a good hurling man you were too Tom. Yourself and Jerry did wreck out midfield there for a few years!
Plenty of good football matches in this championship bad ulster final aside!!