Crossmaglen in different class

This match's relatively close finish might have been in character for Crossmaglen Rangers but they won it decisively. Na Fianna fought bravely and staged a determined rally but the AIB club All-Ireland football title remains in south Armagh.

This was Crossmaglen's best final display since they came to prominence just over three years ago. In the first half particularly their game was played with a sweep and verve that few teams could have matched. Their taste for dicing with death still survives but having tantalised the Dublin champions with the glimmer of hope, Crossmaglen snatched back control in the dying minutes.

Their style is as well known as their black and amber jerseys at this stage but no one seems any closer to finding a method of combating it. Colm O'Neill dropped back to midfield and lent his considerable physical presence to that sector - and indeed deep into the defence. He caught a stack of ball and covered enormous amounts of ground to launch wave after wave of attacks.

If his performance dipped in the second half, O'Neill had already made a big impact and overshadowed Na Fianna's personnel in the middle where Kieran McGeeney had a very disappointing afternoon against his countymen and brought his inspirational season to an anti-climactic end.

All around him Crossmaglen moved with pace and purpose. Despite the question marks over their full-back line, the champions acquitted themselves very well and never allowed Na Fianna to exert the sort of pressure which might have exposed any notional weaknesses.

Donal Murtagh was sound at full back. Not the most mobile member of the team he was nevertheless composed, physically assured and performed his duties well. Once in possession he and his fellow defenders worked the ball out carefully for the packed central sector to take their choice of the free-running forwards.

The dramatic second-half recovery by Na Fianna was the team's second of the match. Cross opened with a blitz which very nearly buried their opponents in the first quarter. A succession of points in the first 10 minutes could well have been complemented by two goals.

Oisin McConville threatened both. His first shot in the fifth minute rapped off the inside of the post and popped up conveniently for Na Fianna goalkeeper Stephen Grey. Seven minutes later, Grey made a fine save after Gavin Cumiskey had sent in McConville.

The challengers steadied themselves and two points in quick succession levelled the match by the 19th minute.

Senan Connell made two of the scores with fast breaks up from his wing back posting and it set the tone for a display in which he excelled in carrying broken ball to his attack, but which was correspondingly loose at the back.

Before the interval Crossmaglen reasserted themselves. Some lovely breaks from the McEntee twins, John and Tony, playing as usual all over the field, and typical raids and probing ball from the energetic Cathal Short - en route to the sponsor's Man of the Match award - helped the team rattle off five points for a half-time lead of 0-9 to 0-4.

Jim McConville, frequently such an influence for Cross, had to be helped off at the end of the first half with damaged ankle ligaments. His replacement, the ever-reliable Michael Moley, filled in with distinction causing flutters in Na Fianna's defence and taking two second-half points.

After an initial exchange of points early in the half, Crossmaglen struck for the decisive score of the match. An enchantingly quick movement between Tony McEntee, Cumiskey and Oisin McConville was finished by McConville to open up the lead to 1-10 to 0-5.

McConville was once more immense for his club. Over three AllIrelands, he now averages more than eight points a match. His speed, control and prolific scoring was at the heart of several attacks. He ended with 1-6 but it could just as easily have been 3-10.

Whatever it is about Crossmaglen, they don't seem happy unless there's an element of competition about a match. Eight points to the good, they went back on the ropes and an element of sloppiness entered their game.

Their manager Joe Kernan bemoaned their inaccurate passing during this phase, but to give credit to Na Fianna, they picked themselves up off the floor and patiently picked off the points. They outscored the champions 0-7 to 0-1 in the 18 minutes which followed.

Dessie Farrell and Mick Galvin worked hard to engineer a response and Jason Sherlock showed tirelessly but the scores weren't easily got against a massed defence and even with the margin down to two points - courtesy of a magnificent point by Galvin - Crossmaglen hadn't lost their nerve or focus.

Having been in tighter corners before, they simply went up a gear once more and in the closing five minutes added three more points as McConville, Moley and Cumiskey got a rhythm going again in attack.

Crossmaglen are off to Las Palmas on Monday for a well-earned break. "No question of a replay," commented Kernan cheerfully, but he added that they are back in action in the Armagh championship at the end of April.

New records beckon his remarkable team.

CROSSMAGLEN: P Hearty; M Califf, D Murtagh, G McShane; J Fitzpatrick (0-1), F Bellew, J Donaldson; J McEntee (0-2), A Cunningham (capt.); C Short (0-2), T McEntee (0-1), O McConville (1-6, points from five frees, one 45); J McConville, G Cumiskey, C O'Neill. Sub: M Moley (0-2) for J McConville (33 mins).

NA FIANNA: S Grey; P McCarthy, B Quinn, T Lynch; S Connell (0-1), M Foley, S McGlinchey; S Forde, K McGeeney; K Donnelly (0-1), D Farrell (0-2), M Galvin (0-5, two frees); D Mackin (0-1), J Sherlock, A Shearer (0-1). Subs: D Keegan for Forde (half-time); I Foley (0-1) for Shearer (38 mins); N O Murchu for M Foley (45 mins).

Referee: M Curley (Galway).