Down had no answer to twin strike force

You have to give great credit to Armagh for this comprehensive and deserved victory. They definitely had their homework done and with a tireless work-rate, were very impressive throughout the field.

It was clear from the early trend that Down, even with more possession, were finding it difficult to get scores. Armagh were channelling back both midfielders and wing forwards to limit the space for the Down forwards and even though Mickey Linden, in particular, was winning a lot of the ball, the scores were just not coming.

In contrast, the twin strike force of Diarmuid Marsden and Oisin McConville seemed to be operating in wide open spaces. The Armagh tactic was clearly to hit long ball for both these forwards to latch onto. It was clever as well to move Cathal O'Rourke outside and he delivered some quality ball for these two forwards inside. The big advantage they were getting there was obvious.

Ciaran McCabe looked threatening early on but was still playing into Gerard Reid's hands in moving outfield too much.

Armagh also had Linden and Shane Ward shackled from the start and as a result there were very few penetrative moves by the Down forwards. In comparison, the Armagh inside unit, who were well able to beat their markers, were finding there was no extra cover in the Down defence to trouble them. Therefore, the Down inside backs were very exposed and when you have two quality forwards like Marsden and McConville then you had to expect the scores to come.

From the start it was difficult to see where Down could find the backs to mark these two players no matter what switches they would have made. Still, I felt that Down might make a comeback if they could hold on to their share of possession but they failed to capitalise on any of the chances that came their way. For all their opportunities, they failed to make enough count while on the other side McCovnville just had one of those dream days when everything goes between the posts.

And if Down were to claw back, they had to make an impression early in the second half. This didn't materialise, and it actually took them almost 10 minutes to register their first score. After that I always felt there was only going to be one winner and the penalty was certainly the deciding factor. It was game over after that.

On the whole, it looked to me like Armagh were always the more experienced side, especially in their composure on the ball and their ability to find the supporting man. Even though the Down forwards worked hard to close them down, the Armagh backs were still able to work the ball out to midfield and then deliver the long ball.

It also took superior belief and fitness levels for Armagh to apply that tactic throughout the game but they were really growing in confidence as well. By the end Down just didn't have any answers. Great credit must go to Armagh midfielders Jarlath Burns and Paul McGrane who worked tirelessly as both defenders and in supporting the attack. I felt Down lacked a bit of the mobility around midfield that they showed in the Tyrone game as they were unable to counter this running game of Armagh.

At times, Down were guilty of poor passing but the Armagh defence always had a player in an open space and that meant that Down didn't have one clear cut goal chance in the whole 70 minutes.

There's no doubt that we saw Marsden at his best in this game. His explosive power was so evident, especially in his ability to get away from his marker but he also showed that his upper body strength in the way he shielded off his marker to set up his goal, and of course display that clinical finishing ability. On top of that, he showed tremendous fitness levels by moving into the defence and selflessly bringing the ball out. He's the complete footballer that we rarely see nowadays.

Paddy McKeever was very impressive on the wing, with power and pace to bring the ball from defence. He showed maturity beyond his years and I'm sure he can come into his own a little more, which he'll need to do in the later stages.

There wasn't much that manager Pete McGrath could do either. When we didn't see the switches in the back line, it didn't look good in terms of depth on the bench. Bringing on James McCartan towards the end was a desperation move.

Armagh will have to get their feet back on the ground and keep their heads. It's a very good looking all round team and with the work-rate that they have, they will make formidable opponents for Meath.

In an interview with Ian O'Riordan