Lightning doesn't strike twice

ARMAGH...2-19 MONAGHAN...0-10: Any fears about Armagh's ability to attain the required hunger and drive for this Ulster opener, were assuaged as early as the 16th second when Steven McDonnell polished off a slick five-man move for the first point.

The colourful Armagh following, in the crowd of 25,486, sensed from that moment their team were up for it and revenge for last year's shock defeat was inevitable.

The one-sided story of the subsequent play is easily told for that opening show of cohesion was carboncopied with monotonous regularity throughout the rest of the match.

Monaghan manager Colm Coyle understandably administered a little slap on the wrist to his players, as he declared: "some of them put their hands up in surrender. It is something I would never do myself, but to be honest Armagh were on a different level today".

Coyle spent most of the match standing in despair on the sideline, generally with both hands to his head. Even the optimistic among the Monaghan supporters who beforehand believed lightning would strike twice, were not shy to join the march towards the exits long before the finish.

Armagh manager Joe Kernan expressed the view, "we are not Rolls Royces, We are amateurs who are capable of going into overdrive like today."

Kernan addressed the crestfallen Monaghan players with, "I know you hurt, and hurt badly; but don't think its all over for you".

Kernan added "I am very proud of my players. We stuck at it after ye fellas beat us last year. Never throw the towel in," he emphasised to the shell-shocked Monaghan players.

Armagh based their authority and high-powered performance on sturdy defence, and they always seemed to have a man over, even before John Paul Mone was red-carded by Longford referee John Bannon for a second yellow-card offence in the last quarter.

Armagh hit the Monaghan net for two great goals in the first half. It might easily have been three for star turn Martin O'Rourke struck the butt of the near post with Glen Murphy beaten all hands up.

McDonnell, the inspiring force in the Armagh attack along with O'Rourke, could not be marked by different Monaghan defenders. He hit the first goal after a McConville centre came off a cluster of defenders on the half hour and Ronan Clarke netted a second on 34 minutes for a 2-7 to 0-2 lead.

Monaghan's inadequate scoring rate was underlined when Paul Finlay scored their third point just before the break and 26 minutes after centre back Dick Clerkin had scored their second.

Armagh led by 2-8 to 0-3 at half time and it was only when they appeared to relax a little that Monaghan looked likely to achieve a semblance of damage limitation.

The uncertainty of this Monaghan side was clearly to be seen at the start by the number of positional switches they deployed; notably in defence with Clerkin moved into attack. There was a bonus for the Monaghan side in that Armagh hero Kieran McGeeney did not line out due to a groin injury and his place was taken at centre back by Kieran Hughes.

Easily the best work turned in by the Armagh defence was that of full back Francie Bellew whose shadowing of full forward Raymond Ronaghan was a feature of Armagh's determination; the Armagh midfield were inspired by Philip Loughran and up front, O'Rourke consolidated the excellent work of McConville, McKeever and of course the ever-excellent McDonnell, who finished up with a goal and four points.

ARMAGH: P Hearty; E McNulty, F Bellew, A Mallon; A O'Rourke, K Hughes, A McCann; P Loughran, P McGrane; P McKeever (0-5, one free), T McEntee (0-1), O McConville (0-5, two frees); S McDonnell (1-4, one free), R Clarke (1-2), M O'Rourke (0-1). Subs: B Mallon (0-1) for Clarke (58 mins), K McElvanna for McCann (65), S Kernan for M O'Rourke (67).

MONAGHAN: G Murphy; G McQuaid, J Coyle, Edmund Lennon; D Duffy, D Clerkin (0-2), V Corey; J Hughes, Eoin Lennon; P Finlay (0-4, one free), T Freeman (0-1), D Mone (0-1); K Tavey, R Ronaghan, D Freeman. Subs: R Woods (0-2, one free) for Tavey (25 mins), D McDermott for Edmund Lennon (32), J P Mone for Corey (31), J Conlon for Hughes (half time); N Corrigan for Ronaghan (56).

Referee: J Bannon (Longford)