Defensive errors costly yet again as Armagh overwhelm Derry

Armagh 3-17 Derry 0-15

Free-falling Derry, the saga continues.

It was undoubtedly Armagh’s day at Celtic Park but after three consecutive championship defeats for Derry, it is starting to look increasingly unlikely that it will be the Oak Leaf’s year.

“If look at the evidence to date from when the championship started, you would say that would be a very long odds,” conceded Mickey Harte when asked about his side’s Sam Maguire chances now.

“I suppose it’s a sort of a three-in-a-row disappointment, that they’re just not reaching the levels they did in the league, and particularly the league final, and it’s very hard to explain what has happened.

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“We can only look at it and see what our eyes are telling us that we’re getting bad beatings, you know, and it’s very hard to put your finger on it.

“Yes, Armagh played with a huge intensity there today, but I think we gifted them the key to the door, so to speak.”

Armagh won by 11, and in truth it could have been more as they overwhelmed a lacklustre Derry side who constantly got turned over high up the field and left themselves totally exposed at the back. Sound familiar?

The Derry fans in attendance were made sit through a repeat viewing of what happened against Donegal in April. No lessons were learned in the making of this latest Derry defeat.

On each occasion swarms of Armagh players – in their sleek all black kit – poured forward towards the green empty spaces where the Derry defence ought to have been, it was like watching history repeat itself.

The sight of Odhran Lynch frantically back-peddling towards his goal has become one of the reccurring images of this year’s championship.

In their last three championship games, Derry have conceded nine goals – three v Armagh, two v Galway and four v Donegal. At the other end, Derry have posted zero majors.

But this loss is the biggest gut punch of the lot because the haemorrhaging of goal chances has clearly not been addressed. In fact, it now seems opponents target Derry’s defence as a real weakness which can be exploited.

Time and time again, that is exactly what Armagh set out to do. They led 2-8 to 0-6 at half-time having created at least four goal-scoring opportunities.

Armagh deserve huge credit for how they have responded to their Ulster final loss – this is their second win on the bounce, having overcome Westmeath in their opening group fixture. They had 12 different scorers here and registered 3-14 from open play.

“Yes, it’s a good result,” said McGeeney. “But we played just as well against Donegal in terms of getting scores and stuff like that there, but I suppose we got a couple of goals today and that gave us a bit of a cushion.”

Armagh have been hit by several serious injuries recently, with Conor O’Neill rupturing his Achilles against Westmeath while in training last week Ciarán Mackin suffered a cruciate knee ligament tear – just over a week after his sister, Aimee, was also struck down by the season-ending injury.

“When somebody does your cruciate in front of you, I know the feeling because I’ve done both of mine, it’s a devastating blow, not just to the player themselves, everybody feels for it,” added McGeeney.

“I’m proud of the fellas, the way they carried themselves today and the result that they got.”

If Armagh’s squad absorbed those blows, the depth of Derry’s panel is again in the spotlight. Despite being totally outclassed, Harte only called upon two players to come in from the bench – and one of those was sent off, Ciarán McFaul in the 59th minute.

The game was long up as a contest by that stage, but the sending off – on a yellow and then a black card – summed up their afternoon.

The first warning signs of what was the come arrived in the seventh minute when a long direct clearance was patted down to Oisín Conaty, and he took off unimpeded through the heart of the Derry defence. You’ve seen the movie before.

Conaty unleashed a thunderbolt that beat Lynch, but the ball smacked the underside of the crossbar and bounced away to safety for Derry.

In the 13th minute Tiernan Kelly turned over Barry McCambridge and vast swathes of Celtic Park suddenly opened up in front of Armagh. The ball eventually made its way to Ross McQuillan, who had only entered the game moments earlier as a blood sub, but he made no mistake with his finish as he drilled it beyond Lynch, 1-3 to 0-3.

Armagh’s squeeze on Derry’s restarts was causing the home side problems and whenever Lynch was forced long, the visitors capitalised – with Ben Crealey making some huge plays for the Orchard County.

In the 20th minute Derry’s aggressive press left them exposed at the back again and an uncharacteristic misplaced pass by Brendan Rogers sent Armagh through on a three v one attack.

The only threat to Turbitt was the fact he had too much time to contemplate what to do, as there were two teammates completely unmarked to his left. In the end, he shouldered the responsibility himself, 2-3 to 0-4.

Derry were shellshocked and at half-time the Armagh fans rose to their feet to applaud their team off the field. The league champions shuffled off already looking every bit the beaten docket.

They did score the first three points of the second half but just five minutes after the restart Armagh broke away again but butchered a goal-scoring chance by overcomplicating it with too many passes.

Rian O’Neill made no mistake in the 53rd minute though when – directly from a kickout – he raced through and netted Armagh’s third goal, 3-10 to 0-11.

Armagh are now two from two in the group stages. Back on the road.

Derry have lost three on the bounce and the road ahead looks very unclear.

One thing which is for certain, though, is that a perceived top three of Dublin, Kerry and Derry is now very much a top two once again.

Armagh: Blaine Hughes; Aaron McKay, Barry McCambridge (0-1), Peter McGrane; Connaire Mackin, Tiernan Kelly (0-2), Aidan Forker (0-1); Rian O’Neill (1-1), Ben Crealey (0-1, one mark); Stefan Campbell, Niall Grimley (0-1), Joe McElroy; Rory Grugan (0-1), Conor Turbitt (1-4, one free, one mark), Oisín Conaty (0-2).

Subs: Ross McQuillan (1-0) for McGrane (blood sub, 10 mins-62 mins), Jason Duffy for Campbell (50 mins), Oisín O’Neill (0-1) for R O’Neill (55 mins), Greg McCabe for Forker (55 mins), Shane McPartlan (0-1) for Crealey (65 mins), Aidan Nugent (0-1, one free) for Turbitt (66 mins), Darragh McMullen for Mackin (blood sub, 72 mins).

Derry: Odhran Lynch; Conor McCluskey, Chrissy McKaigue, Diarmuid Baker (0-1); Donncha Gilmore, Brendan Rogers, Conor Doherty; Conor Glass (0-3, one mark), Emmet Bradley (0-1); Ethan Doherty (0-1), Eunan Mullholland, Paul Cassidy (0-1); Niall Toner, Shane McGuigan (0-7, four frees), Lachlan Murray (0-1).

Subs: Ciarán McFaul for E Bradley (42 mins), Declan Cassidy for Toner (46 mins).

Referee: David Coldrick (Meath)

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