ULSTER FOOTBALL FINAL/Armagh 1-14 Donegal 1-10: They are promising deliverance now. Three years ago, Armagh came and splashed an orange innocence around Clones, winning an Ulster title that made a good season wonderful. Yesterday, the same group of players did a professional job on a young Donegal team and went through the celebratory motions. But it wasn't the same.
There is a sense of impatience about this Armagh team, an anxiety to return to Dublin where they deeply believe they left an All-Ireland title behind them in 2000.
The arrival of Crossmaglen legend Joe Kernan has converted a road show that had gone stale. They have lost the callow romance and talk about taking this championship with cold maturity.
Although this match was poised uneasily for a long time, Armagh had the firmer grip from the time of John McEntee's second-minute goal, the result of a fumble from Donegal goalkeeper Tony Blake. That margin divided the teams for more or less the duration of a typically cagey and fretful Ulster showpiece.
The time-lines of both teams were perfectly illustrated in the manner of the scores. Donegal, despite a few gorgeous touches, were hesitant and ponderous. This was partly due to Armagh's tendency to drop deep behind the ball, suffocating the opposition play area. It had the effect of dulling the presence of Brendan Devenney and Adrian Sweeney, Donegal's prized scoring duo.
Although they combined for 0-7, they were hindered by a lack of confidence that at times seemed to afflict the entire team. Frees that they have been tapping over since minor days went astray and the assurance of earlier championship days was absent. Perhaps Donegal wanted this too badly.
Armagh, in contrast, were calm and watchful and utterly precise. They scored in bursts, as has been their nature throughout this era of provincial domination, and always had a response that subdued a number of brave Donegal rallies.
They were also brutally economical, with Diarmuid Marsden registering the only first-half wides. His first miss of two, on eight minutes, was critical, when he tore on to a spilled catch from Shane Carr and let fly across Tony Blake but the ball scooted harmlessly past the post. Another goal then would have had a catastrophic effect on Donegal's fragile temperament.
But they recovered and enjoyed a brief but attractive spell that stretched the Armagh defence. Christy Toye landed two lovely scores to level matters and it looked as if the occasion was going to flower.
Instead, a more negative pattern emerged, with Armagh soaking up the Donegal short game and then stinging their opposition with their own long and direct style. In Stephen McDonnell, Ronan Clarke, Oisin McConville and Marsden, Armagh have a deft and fast forward unit that at times looks as if it is about to obliterate the opposition. The speed with which they fired scores made Donegal's cautious approach look all the more slow and unsatisfying.
But even at their bleakest, Donegal were stubborn and honest and hung in for a long period in the second half where a score either way would bring them back in or push them completely out of touch. Armagh's failure to storm away during this period, when they were 1-11 to 0-9 ahead, is something they may well examine before their next big day out.
Instead of coasting home they found themselves contemplating a cliff-hanger with 10 minutes to go after Jim McGuinness fired a marvellous goal that looked to be the break Donegal needed. It was no less than they deserved, with John Gildea, Sweeney, McGuinness, Brian Roper and Noel McGinley working hard. But they needed to capitalise on the adrenaline of the McGuinness strike and that never happened.
Armagh's cool ability to absorb that goal was significant and two minutes later McConville landed a gorgeous point. With two minutes left, the difference was still three points. With the game all but up, McGuinness again fired low but that deflected shot was smothered by Benny Tierney.
The final act was appropriate, with Armagh captain Kieran McGeeney steaming out of defence with the ball before hitting long for McDonnell, who snapped the insurance score.
The close was tough to stomach for Donegal, who have now failed to bridge a decade of hard-luck Ulster stories. Manager Mickey Moran has the consolation of the qualifiers and took heart from the way his side battled. But Donegal's obsession with maintaining possession is a debilitating factor and they are going to have to approach the qualifiers with a boldness that will liberate the talent that they have up front.
Armagh have spent five years reaching this point, with Kernan now expanding on the philosophy initiated by the Canavan/McAlinden administration. Kernan's club feats should stand to the county. It is high time Armagh won in Croke Park. They are promising the entire pie now and won't forgive themselves for anything less.
HOW THEY LINED OUT
ARMAGH: 1 B Tierney, 2 E McNulty, 3 J McNulty, 4 F Bellew, 5 A O'Rourke, 6 K McGeeney, 7 K Hughes, 8 J Toal, 9 P McGrane, 10 P McKeever, 11 J McEntee, 12 O McConville, 13 S McDonnell, 14 R Clarke, 15 D Marsden.
Subs: B O'Hagan for McKeever (29 mins); P Loughran for J Toal (51 mins).
Booked: J Toal (14 mins), E McNulty (19 mins)
DONEGAL: 1 T Blake, 2 S Carr, 3 M Crossan, 4 N McGinley, 5 R Sweeney, 6 B Monaghan, 7 K Cassidy, 8 J Gildea, 9 J McGuinness, 10 C Toye, 11 M Hegarty, 15 P McGonigle, 13 A Sweeney, 14 B Devenney, 12 B Roper.
Subs: D Diver for Carr (30 mins), C McFadden for Toye (48 mins); E Doherty for Crossan (48 mins); K Rafferty for McGonigle (53 mins), B Boyle for Roper (62 mins).
Booked: B Roper (37 mins), J Gildea (42 mins), K Cassidy (53 mins).
