Armagh have platform to build for more success

Preview Armagh v Donegal: For Armagh to win this season's Bank of Ireland Ulster Championship, they'll have to travel a remarkably hard road. After being drawn in the preliminary round, the National League winners' task would include beating three counties who had been All-Ireland semi-finalists within the past two years - Fermanagh, Donegal and Derry - before they even reach next month's final.

But on the plus side one of those teams has already been dispatched. Fermanagh, even on their own admission, placed few demands on their opponents but Armagh were still undeniably impressive. Choked for possession by Paul McGrane's towering performance at centrefield, Charlie Mulgrew's side lost every sector of the field and but for the now legendary 22 wides would have been dismembered.

Tomorrow's task should be harder. Donegal have a couple of injuries but have been a competitive force this year despite getting relegated in the league.

They went down with the fourth best scoring difference in the division, evidence of the narrowness of their defeats. More significantly they have given Armagh a lot of trouble in two of the past three years. The trouble is that the exception on Croke Park's Ulster final day last July was an awful beating that suggested Brian McEniff's team had lost ground on their opponents.

At least the air of demanding expectation has dissipated in Donegal and many of the county's best results under McEniff have been when least anticipated and vice versa. Last season's defeat of then All-Ireland champions Tyrone was a case in point when the crafty Donegal manager came up with the right game plan to derail the favourites. But similarly when the team got to the provincial final with hopes high they failed to perform.

On that basis at least, this fixture should suit Donegal because their opponents have been giving high-octane performances and on, the evidence to date, are hot favourites.

But how exactly McEniff can engineer an upset isn't immediately obvious. He may have been heartened by the squanderlust of the hitherto prolific Armagh full forwards, the concern in Armagh early in the week about the fitness of Steven McDonnell and Ronan Clarke, both of whose form in the concluding stages of the league was phenomenal.

But manager Joe Kernan has pronounced himself happy with his players' fitness. Yet it's hardly a secret McDonnell's uncharacteristic blank in the Fermanagh match was at least partly attributable to the nagging effects of an ankle injury. Tomorrow will be the gauge of his recovery.

McEniff can rationalise last year in that the sandbagging on the scoreboard involved being clattered 2-3 to 0-1 in the last 10 minutes. There wasn't much else to mitigate the hammering apart from a slightly forlorn reference to Colm McFadden's shot off the woodwork that could have cut the deficit to two points early in the second half.

Overall though it was a cowed display by Donegal and tomorrow's side would be strikingly similar but for unavailability with Paul Durcan, Niall McCready, Brendan Boyle and Stephen McDermott missing whereas Armagh's seven changes are largely optional with only the retired Diarmuid Marsden unavailable. This change of personnel is in Armagh's favour.

Donegal have lost their centrefield and in the absence of Boyle and McDermott, McEniff improvised by calling up Neil Gallagher and converting former All Star wing back Kevin Cassidy. The former has the centrefield acumen and the latter the championship experience but neither possesses both assets and with McGrane and John Toal in such powerful form, Donegal are rolling the dice.

It is noticeable Armagh's defence has stepped up in pace. Andy Mallon and Paul McCormack are very quick in the corners and on the wings, Aaron Kernan and Ciarán McKeever from last year's All-Ireland under-21 champions, are also tremendously mobile. The upshot has been to allow Kieran McGeeney re-invent himself very successfully as a man marker.

During the All-Ireland semi-final of two years ago Donegal's success in challenging Armagh was based on the county's traditional short game, operated at pace.

It caused great problems. But what happened a year ago? Armagh clamped the middle of the field and Christy Toye, Donegal's foremost attacking ball carrier, found running from deep to be an arduous experience and was hors de combat by half-time.

But the league semi-final indicated that Armagh can still be attacked from deep. Mayo's wing back Peadar Gardiner scored two points, was fouled for a converted free and provided a final pass for a ball kicked badly wide. Martin O'Rourke was replaced in that match but his work rate since would indicate that he's learned the lesson.

After disappointing challenge outings against Galway, Mayo and Sligo, Donegal certainly have the element of surprise on their side but they look on the back foot in the important middle third of the pitch and are facing an improved Armagh defence.

Armagh may well labour at some stage of the Ulster championship but not just yet.

ARMAGH: P Hearty; A Mallon, F Bellew, P McCormack; A Kernan, K McGeeney, C McKeever; J Toal, P McGrane; M O'Rourke, J McEntee, O McConville; S McDonnell, R Clarke, B Mallon.

DONEGAL: M Boyle; E McGee, R Sweeney, K Lacy; D Diver, B Monaghan, S Carr; N Gallagher, K Cassidy; C Toye, M Hegarty, B Roper; C McFadden, B Devenney, A Sweeney.

Referee: J McQuillan (Cavan)