Armagh ... 3-12 Antrim ... 1-11: Armagh maintained their push for promotion by beating Antrim at Casement Park yesterday. It was a deserved win, even if the margin was a little flattering.

Leading 1-7 to 0-5 at the break - Stephen McDonnell scored their opening goal - Armagh cemented their position on the restart, Oisín McConville pointing a free-kick and Ronan Clarke fisting home a cross from interval substitute Patrick McKeever.

McDonnell then added a point to make it 2-9 to 0-6 with only seven minutes of the second half gone.

Three points without reply from Antrim narrowed the yawning gap and when Kevin Madden put Brady through for a 61st minute goal, the deficit was down to four points (2-10 to 1-9).

Centre back John Kelly raced upfield to point for Antrim but the revival died out and after points by McConville and McKeever for Armagh, substitute Diarmuid Marsden sealed victory with a thunderous shot to the net right on full-time.

ARMAGH: B Tierney; E McNulty, J McNulty, P McCormack; K Hughes, F Bellew, A McCann; P McGrane, P Loughran (0-1); R Clarke (1-0), J McEntee (0-1), O McConville (0-6); S McDonnell (1-2), B Duffy, T McEntee (0-1). Subs: P McKeever (0-1) for Duffy (half-time); D Marsden (1-0) for J McEntee (55 mins); A O'Rourke for McCann (62 mins).

ANTRIM: S McGreevy; T Convery, M Mulholland, N Ward; G Adams, J Kelly (0-1), A Finnegan (0-1); M McCrory, G Flynn; E McCann (0-1), O Doherty, P Close; K Doyle (0-3), K Brady (1-0), K Madden (0-5). Subs: S Kelly for Ward (26 mins); J Murphy for Doherty (45 mins); P McCann for Convery (67 mins).

Referee: B Duffy (Kildare).