Armagh expect a good Reid to provide a happy ending

Armagh's passage to their second successive Ulster final has been underpinned by consistent performances throughout the team, but one area which has proved less than settled is full back, where last year's incumbent Ger Reid has been perceived as the weak link in an otherwise solid defence. In this year's first-round match against Tyrone, Reid was replaced by Crossmaglen's John Donaldson. Although he made his name with Louth as a half back - and won a Railway Cup with Leinster - Donaldson is an accomplished footballer, and it was believed that he had a good chance of making the transition to the edge of the square. Against Tyrone, he played well, and started Sunday's semi-final with Fermanagh.

Fermanagh full forward Stephen Maguire played a stormer, however, and gave Donaldson a wretched afternoon until he was replaced by Reid for the final quarter. But Armagh joint-manager Brian Canavan has offered a different perspective on recent events. "What happened is that three weeks before the Tyrone match, Ger Reid hurt his ankle and we thought he wouldn't make it. We then had a look at John Donaldson. Ger got better and we named him in the team but he twisted his ankle before the match started.

"John came in and played reasonably well. Ger recovered but said that he'd feel better about coming off the bench rather than starting. So that's the way we decided to go."

Canavan is critical of the negative publicity which Reid has generated over the past year. "It doesn't stand up to logic. I think what happened him is that he got an awful doing on the television and people got the impression that he was a certain type of player. But that was unfair, he's a gentleman.

"Last year the names of the players he played well against is impressive. He marked Tony Boyle, Ciaran McCabe and Enda Muldoon and did well. There was a lot of talk about the Meath match but Graham Geraghty didn't play that well until Ger was sent off."

Canavan's argument stands up to an extent. Donegal's Tony Boyle took 1-2 from play off Reid over two matches, Muldoon was held scoreless in the Derry match and McCabe got two points for Down in the Ulster final. In the All-Ireland semi-final against Meath, though, the argument is on less sure ground. Reid fouled Geraghty on a number of occasions and was sent off after earning a second yellow card. "Until Ger Reid was sent off," argues Canavan, "we were leading and I just didn't see Meath winning." In fact Trevor Giles equalised from the free which Reid conceded before being sent off. But the impact on Armagh's morale was considerable.

For now, Reid remains the number one choice. "He's tried and trusted. It's a very difficult position because so many teams play through the full forward. On Sunday, Ger was happy enough going into the match."

It is also worth pointing out that Reid was the only player to mark Maguire not to be shown a yellow card.

Further upfield, Armagh are hopeful that leading forward Diarmuid Marsden will be fit in time for Sunday fortnight's Ulster final against either Antrim or Derry. Marsden had to retire 13 minutes into Sunday's match with an ankle injury.

"It was ligament damage," according to Canavan. "The doctor has given him a week before we'll get a good idea of the damage, but at least he didn't wipe him out immediately. It's not an injury Diarmuid's had before. Ankles can be bad or they can recover quite quickly. We'll be hoping for the best."

News about the county's other injury concern, Cathal O'Rourke, is better. "Cathal was concussed. He was semiknocked out and fainted when he came back to the dugout, but the break will sort him out. He'll be okay."

O'Rourke has had a significant return to form. The county's highest scorer in the early to mid 1990s, the Dromintee clubman has played his way back onto the team after being a fringe figure during last year's championship success. Canavan has high praise for the player.

"He's been unlucky with injuries. He's always picked up something . . . last year particularly. When he's injured, weight walks onto him. This year he's slimmer and played really well against Fermanagh. I'd say he was our man of the match, although John McEntee made a huge contribution at midfield."

Meanwhile, Fermanagh's manager Pat King has stepped down after Sunday's defeat. The move wasn't unexpected, as King had considered leaving after last year's heavy defeat by Tyrone. The former Tyrone player and father of Fermanagh's corner forward Shane had been in charge for four years. His tenure brought a big improvement in the county's fortunes, which included an All-Ireland B title and championship wins over the last two years.