Armagh make first Ulster SFC final in 15 years

Armagh reached their first Ulster SFC final since 2008 after a convincing 4-10 to 0-12 win over Down.

They say goals win games, and Armagh bagged two in each half to hit Down where it hurts and set up an Ulster finale against Derry on Sunday, 14 March.

Conor Laverty's Down went into the game in Clones as underdogs and they would have been content going in at the break only four points behind.

However a physically stronger Orchard controlled the second half.

Andrew Murnin was magnificent around the middle but he was at the edge of the square on 22 minutes to connect to with Shane McPartlan’s long ball in for Armagh’s first goal.

Route one was the tactic favoured by the Orchard but Shane McPartlan broke from that tradition to bustle thorough the Down defence with players hanging off him, to ram home the second goal.

That gave Armagh a 2-03 to 0-03 lead with 26 minutes gone, with Down’s points coming from Pat Havern frees, while Aidan Forker, Jason Duffy and Rory Grugan were on target for the Orchard and Conor O’Neill chipped in with the fourth point.

Down finished the half with scores from Patrick Branagan, Liam Kerr and Ryan Johnston but in the second half Armagh used the width of the pitch and kept Down scoreless for 20 minutes, in which period Duffy, Jemar Hall and substitute Stefan Campbell peppered over points.

Crucially, Ciaran Mackin punched into the net after Rian O’Neill’s long delivery and then the Crossmaglen frontman squeezed in the Armagh’s fourth goal to end the contest on 57 minutes.

Conor Laverty’s side rallied but it was pot-shots, with 11 going wide, while keeper Niall Kane pulled off three stunning saves. They will compete in the Tailtainn Cup, where they will fancy their chances of grabbing silverware.

Armagh: Et