Record-breaking Armagh thump Down to reach Ulster final
Record-breaking Armagh marched into their fourth successive Ulster Senior Football final with an astonishing 3-33 to 0-14 victory over Down at St Tiernach's Park - a result which condemns the Mournemen to Tailteann Cup football this summer. In scoring 42 points, Armagh broke the record for the highest single-team score in an Ulster SFC match, a mark they set in last week's quarter-final win over Fermanagh. Aiming to back up that win in Enniskillen, Kieran McGeeney's side again displayed the scoring power in their ranks and were 2-12 to 0-7 clear at half-time, with Tomas McCormack and Conor Turbitt both grabbing goals.
Down were unable to conjure a response as Armagh strolled to victory, with Turbitt scoring a superb third goal for his side. Having come through an an intense battle with Donegal last week, Down were unable to produce a similarly inspirational performance and wilted in the face of Armagh's power and precision in front of a 27,423-strong crowd at Clones. Down's sense of dejection was only deepened by missing out on a place in the All-Ireland series following Westmeath's extra-time win over Kildare in the Leinster semi-finals.
Armagh, whose most recent Ulster title came back in 2008, will face Monaghan in the 17 May decider - their first final meeting since 1938 - after the Farney's heart-stopping extra-time win over Derry on Saturday. Live-wire Armagh forward Oisin Conaty caused all sorts of problems for the Down defence Going into Sunday's game at Clones, Down faced the challenge of emulating the emotion and intensity that carried them to a stirring win over holders Donegal in Letterkenny. And for the first 10 minutes, they seemed to have unlocked the formula once more, with an early marker laid down by Daniel Guinness and Odhran Murdock, two of the outstanding performers from the Donegal game.
After Murdock rose highest to win the throw-in, Guinness scampered clear and split the posts. A Pat Havern free, Guinness' second score, Shane Annett's effort and a superb point from influential Mourne skipper Murdock - which he scored after launching his side's attack with a turnover at the other end - had Down 0-5 to 0-2 in front. Armagh, in contrast, struggled to find their range during the opening exchanges.
While their first two scores came from Oisin Conaty and Conor Turbitt, they were guilty of three bad wides during Down's ascendancy. But after a score from the excellent Jarly Og Burns was followed by Andrew Murnin kicking the Orchard's fourth wide, Armagh decided enough was enough, and after captain Aaron McKay showed exceptional grit to win a breaking ball and send his side down the field, Tomas McCormack sidestepped Peter Fegan and beat Ronan Burns with a low drive into the net. While Og Burns and Guinness traded scores after the goal, Armagh stormed clear with an unanswered 1-8.