Armagh hang on in tense finale

In conditions which would strain the patience of ordinary mortals, Armagh held on gamely at Pearse Park yesterday, despite not registering a single score in the second half, against Sligo.

Armagh won, narrowly it has to be admitted, but it was because they made better use of the chances which came their way in the first half when a gale-force wind and driving rain was behind their efforts.

In that period they scored six points, four of them from frees by Cathal O'Rourke, while Sligo could manage only one and that from a free by Dessie Sloyane.

Sligo managed another four in the second half while Armagh stayed scoreless. The joint manager of Armagh, Brian McAlinden, admitted afterwards that he felt that had the game gone on much longer, Sligo might have drawn level and even might have won, so persistent were their efforts.

Nor would he disagree that a draw might have been a fairer result which would have given both sides an opportunity to meet again in conditions more suitable for football.

At the same time he was happy enough to be meeting Dublin in the semi-final in two weeks time. "We have no fears of meeting Dublin in Croke Park. We like Croke Park," he said with a grin. "We always play well there".

It would have been churlish to remind him of a goal by Jimmy Keaveney of Dublin in the 1977 All-Ireland final, which left him stranded and baffled in the Hill 16 goal.

The Sligo manager Micky Moran was forced to cope with the unexpected problem of having to replace his potent scoring force, Paul Taylor, as a result of a morning fitness test. He might indeed also have regretted his decision to line out without his three under-21 players.

Taylor and John McPartland, one of the under-21 heroes, made belated appearances in the second half; but to little effect as the Armagh defence stoutly cut off Sligo's best efforts.

Central to that defensive effort were Gerard Reid at fullback, Kieran McGeeney and Jarleth Burns.

Sligo's manager Micky Moran regretted Sligo's lack of fire power in the second half.

"We were happy at half time that we could haul down their five point lead; but we missed too many chances - five in all, from reasonable positions. At the same time we put up a good performance and we have no problems as we face into the Connacht under-21 final against Roscommon next week," he said.

The Armagh midfielder Jarleth Burns, who played a highly influential role in Armagh's staunch second half resistance, believed that Armagh had not underestimated Sligo's challenge. "We knew well that Sligo have made great strides in recent years and they can't be ruled out a good run in the championship. Anyone who takes them for granted is foolish," he said.

The early exchanges were informative as the Sligo defence and midfield closed down Armagh's best efforts. In this area Paul Durcan and Eamonn O'Hara in particular limited Armagh's somewhat disjointed efforts and the Ulster team was limited to scores from frees by Cathal O'Rourke, who had them four points clear of Sligo after 20 minutes, as the win and the rain swept in behind them.

David Wilson tagged on two points from play as the first half drew to a close before Dessie Sloyane broke Sligo's duck with a point from a free just before the break.

When Eamonn O'Hara struck for Sligo's first point from play in the first minute of the second half, the Sligo supporters, who won the decibel count by a wide margin in a crowd of 4,000, were ready for anything.

Armagh's resistance was sound, however, as Sligo failed to make most of the gale. As they stepped up the pace in the final quarter, the scores began to come and Ken Killeen and Tony Brennan began to find the range, while Gerry McGowan was also causing considerable anxiety in the Armagh defence. Paul Taylor's appearance after eight minutes of the second half in the Sligo attack added to Armagh's problems.

To Armagh's credit they held out.

ARMAGH: B Tierney; E McNulty, G Reid, M McNeill; K Hughes, K McGeeney, A McCann; J Burns, P McGrane; A O'Neill, J McNulty, J Rafferty; D Wilson (0-2), C O'Rourke (0-4, frees), P Kelly. Subs: J McEntee for O'Rourke (37 mins); P Loughran for Wilson (55).

SLIGO: P Walsh; J Joyce, C White, M Cosgrove; R Keane, N Clancy, T McGuinn; P Durcan, E O'Hara (0-1); B Walsh, D Sloyane (0-1, free), K Killeen (0-1); P Bree, G McGowan, B Kilcoyne. Subs: P Taylor for McGuinn (36 mins); T Brennan (0-2) for Bree (48); J McPartland for B Walsh (49).

Referee: J Bannon (Longford).