A power-packed second half performance highlighted by some clinical finishing helped Armagh carve out a handsome victory over Westmeath at Crossmaglen yesterday. The visitors' commitment and endeavour sustained them in the first half and they trailed by just 1-3 to 0-5 at the break, but when Armagh moved up a gear on the resumption, the outcome was never in doubt.
Skipper Kieran McGeeney played a pivotal role in the home defence while Paul McGrane and John McEntee imposed themselves eventually at midfield with Oisin McConville, Stephen McDonnell and Diarmaid Marsden forming the cutting edge of a fluent home attack.
McDonnell's two goals severely dented Westmeath's morale although Martin Flanagan's goal for the midlanders was one of the best scores of the match.
McConville and Marsden tortured the Westmeath rearguard in the closing stages as Armagh unleashed a scoring blitz.
ARMAGH: B Tierney; E McNulty, G Reid, A O'Rourke; J McNulty, K McGeeney (0-1), A McCann; P McGrane, J McEntee (0-3); M O'Rourke, T McEntee, O McConville (1-4); S McDonnell (2-0), D Mackin (0-1), D Marsden (0-4). Subs: P McKeever for M O'Rourke; G O'Reilly for McGeeney; J Toal for McCann.
WESTMEATH: A Lennon; D Brady, D Mitchell, F Murray; D Healy, A Canning, J Keane; R O'Connell, D Hughes; F Wilson (0-4), P Conway, M Emmett; C Kane (0-1), M Flanagan (1- 1), G Heavin (0-1). Subs: B Morley for Hughes; B Loughrey for Heavin.
Referee: D Joyce (Galway).
:quality(70)/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/YVIRIOZQ35EWRPZXR27KGMO6YU.png)