ULSTER SFC FIRST ROUND REPLAY/Armagh 2-13 Tyrone 0-16: Up North, the future is orange. Tyrone, murmured all year as the real contenders from the Ulster pack, were yesterday expelled by an Armagh side that looks reborn under Crossmaglen's Joe Kernan.
A crowd of 30,158 descended on Clones for this Bank of Ireland first-round replay and again it carried a heavy resonance. When these neighbouring counties meet in any summer month, a positive result leaves them knowing a bit more about themselves.
Tyrone were all surprises before the start, with Peter Canavan, listed in the corner, scurrying away to take his place in the stand before the throw-in.
Although the Ulster holders' defence was resolute over the first half-hour, with Chris Lawn giving a telepathic reading of the game, the Canavan void told. Stephen O'Neill excelled but in general the half-forward line failed to deliver, with Brian Dooher and Gerard Cavlan marginalised.
Kevin Hughes was also the only potent threat inside and his two companions did not reappear after half-time. Armagh took a hold on the game with John McEntee's inspired goal with the very last kick of the first half.
Over the past eight days, they have shook off the cobwebs acquired from languishing in the lowers divisions of the league. The defence was solid, with Cross' man Francie Bellew justifying his conclusion by forming a robust alliance with the McNulty boys in the full-back line. Kieran McGeeney was, as ever, a colossal influence, directing deep passes at a forward unit that has developed an encouraging sense of balance.
Paul McGrane and John Toal won a significant share against Tyrone's prize midfield axis. And Steven McDonnell, held for most of the afternoon, got free when it mattered. Armagh are no longer just the Oisín McConville and Diarmuid Marsden show up front. The reserve of skill and experience these players possess will come to the fore in the dustier paths of this campaign but yesterday John McEntee was the controlling force, with McDonnell and young substitute Barry Duffy providing the killer scores.
It was an absorbing 70 minutes and remarkably high scoring given the combustible and nervous opening period. Tyrone suffered a 23-minute scoring lapse in the first half and Armagh also went through a barren patch before recovering with McEntee's thundering strike, delivered low and through a crowd after a flat hand pass from Kieran Hughes.
The second half was awesome, the equivalent of two heavyweights slugging it out. Both sides contributed some monumental defensive stops and also delivered cracking scores. Tyrone's scoring rate improved dramatically and they did little wrong over the final 35 minutes while never attaining the phenomenal attacking imagination they have demonstrated over the season.
As the game entered its final period, however, they at least appeared to have recovered the swagger of winter, rocking Armagh with a streak of points from O'Neill, Declan McCrossan and Barry McGuigan. All three strikes were from distance and emphatic and with Canavan stretching in the substitutes' zone, everything seemed perfect.
Armagh's goal, coming out of the blue, finished that. Toal snatched a ball from the alligator pit of midfield. McConville came deep and collected the pass. For once, Tyrone were a mess at the back and lost substitute Duffy. An eternity seemed to pass before McConville delivered the pass with the deft thrust of a swordsman. Duffy was cool with the finish, hitting low and beyond Peter Ward.
McDonnell hit a flashy insurance point as Canavan disappeared again, the day done before he had a chance to make an impression. Tyrone's two injury-time points, from Ryan McMenamin and Seán Cavanagh were just consolation.
Armagh, bruised and tired after a seismic eight days that announced the proper beginning of the Kernan era, have a fortnight to recover before facing Fermanagh, a county that troubled them during their back-to-back Ulster title years.
Crestfallen as Tyrone were, failing to make good on last week's stunning renaissance, they are also now wary of the joys of winning Ulster following last year's experience. The qualifiers can be a lucky lottery and no team will fancy meeting them But Armagh, written off as a spent force 12 months ago, are the fashion again and if they get on a roll, the lessons from all the disappointments of the past few years will stand to them.
HOW THEY LINED OUT
ARMAGH: 1. B Tierney, 2. E McNulty, 3. J McNulty, 4. F Bellew; 5. A O'Rourke, 6. K McGeeney, 7. A McCann; 8. J Toal, 9. P McGrane, 10 P McKeever, 11. J McEntee, 12. O McConville; 13. S McDonnell, 14. R Clarke, 15. D Marsden. Substitutes: K Hughes for A McCann (20 mins), B Duffy for R Clarke (48 mins), P Loughran for D Marsden (67 mins). Bookings: J McEntee, K Hughes, F Bellew.
TYRONE: 1. P Ward; 2. C Gormley, 3. C Lawn, 4. B Robinson; 5. R McMenamin, 7. C Gourley, 18. P Jordan; 8. C McAnallen, 9. C Holmes; 10. B Dooher, 11. S O'Neill, 12. G Cavlan; 19. S Cavanagh, 14. C Hughes, 21. R Thornton. Substitutes: D McCrossan for Jordan (half-time), P Canavan for P Thornton (half-time) B McGuigan for G Cavlan (56 mins). Bookings: C Holmes, S O'Neill.
