In the Ulster SFC quarter-final, Armagh managed to secure a convincing 11-point victory, beating Fermanagh by 3-11 to 0-9. Using a trio of first-half goals as a solid foundation, The Orchard, under the guidance of Kieran McGeeney, steadily sailed through to the semi-finals of the Ulster Championship where they will face off against Down.
Fermanagh’s repeated mistakes of turning over the ball were repeatedly and ruthlessly exploited by Armagh who rapidly broke at speed, finding the net on multiple occasions. This allowed them to establish a significant half-time lead with a scoreline of 3-4 to 0-2. Armagh maintained their control throughout the match’s second half, preparing them for their semi-final face-off with the Mournemen.
In the early stages of the game, Armagh established their dominance with Andrew Murnin and Rian O’Neill securing the primary scores. Fermanagh missed a critical chance in the 5th minute as Oisín Smyth was unsuccessful in turning an Ultan Kelm pass into a goal, thanks to Aaron McKay’s outstanding block for Armagh.
The Erne men’s situation worsened as Kelm was shown the black card for bringing down Murnin, leaving them a man down. This event was followed by Armagh striking twice, significantly strengthening their hold on the match.
After a brilliant solo effort from Rory Grugan who then set up Conor Turbitt, Armagh’s first goal was in the books. Shortly thereafter, Armagh struck the back of the net again, courtesy of Jarly Óg Burns who took a chance on a loose ball. Fermanagh finally managed to get on the scoreboard in the 22nd minute with a free shot from Seán Cassidy, but Armagh promptly answered with goals from Ciarán Mackin and Óg Burns, displaying their prowess on the pitch.
In a distinct turn of events, Fermanagh yet again lost control of the ball, resulting in a strategic play by Turbitt, Joe McElroy, and Murnin that led to Stefan Campbell making a palm in at the back post. By the 28th minute, Campbell’s action had effectively rendered the game out of reach for Ernemen.
While Fionan O’Brien did manage to score a late point for the home team within the first half, the advantage clearly sat with Armagh , who were ahead by 11 points at half-time.
The commanding lead held by the Orchardmen was effectively maintained throughout the duration of the second half. This was apparent when Turbitt and Garvan Jones exchanged points before Mackin scored for McGeeney’s team, boosting the score to 3-6 to 0-3.
There was also a splendid free-point by Grugan from the right-hand sideline, and another point from Campbell, which further pushed Armagh ahead. However, Fermanagh did not lie low and managed to counter with points from Kelm and O’Brien.
By the end of the game, Campbell had scored an impressive 1-2 tally with an additional point, even though Fermanagh had managed some last-minute scores courtesy of a brace from substitute Conor Love, a third point by O’Brien, and a contribution from Conor McShea.
However, Armagh took the win, wrapping up the game with points from substitutes Barry McCambridge and Oisín O’Neill. The final score was 3-11 to 0-9 in Armagh’s favour.
Fermanagh’s team included R Bogue, L Cullen, C Cullen, O Smyth, D McCusker, S McGullion, C McManus, among others. Substitutes of note were J Largo Elis, B Horan, and C Love. Unfortunately, this wasn’t enough to secure a win.
The Armagh squad consisted of B Hughes, P Burns, A McKay, P McGrane, J McElroy, Ciarán Mackin who scored 0-2, A Forker, R O’Neill with a score of 0-1, B Crealey, S Campbell who made a notable 1-2, R Grugan with a free 0-1, C Turbitt scoring 1-1 and a free 0-1, O Conaty, A Murnin making 0-1 and J Óg Burns scoring 1-1.
Substitutions included B McCambridge, who managed a score of 0-1 for McKay at 45 minutes, O O’Neill who scored 0-1 for Óg Burns at 48 minutes. Connaire Mackin replaced Rian O’Neill and A Nugent took over from Murnin at the 56th minute, followed by T Kelly substituting Turbitt at minute 63.
The match was presided over by Referee J McQuillan from Cavan.