Tyrone defeat condemns Armagh to Division 2 football

Armagh's three-year spell in Division One came to an end as a disappointing season finished in despair with defeat to Ulster rivals Tyrone at O’Neill’s Healy Park.

A derby thriller was level on eleven occasions before the Red Hands pulled away to win by two and confirm their survival in the top tier.

Relegation came as a bitter blow and a regrettable twist in a story of development and emergence for an Orchard squad that had dipped to Division Three in recent times.

Now they have to pick themselves up and regroup for an Ulster championship clash with Antrim in a fortnight.

For Tyrone, this was a positive conclusion to a league campaign that started with three defeats in the first four games, but ended with three wins on the spin as they prepare for a provincial clash with Monaghan at Healy Park next month.

Conor Turbitt came in for the injured Rian O’Neill and justified his selection with accurate finishing which saw him shoot three points in the opening 13 minutes.

He kept the wind-assisted Orchard County in front, but they were unable to shake a Red Hand side that countered for Darren McCurry and Peter Harte to fire over points.

Niall Grimley’s mark stretched the lead to two, but three on the spin saw the home side go in front for the first time in the 22nd minute, with full-back Ronan McNamee, making his first appearance of the season, sending McCurry in to hit the target.

Armagh frustrated their opponents with a string of turnovers, with Turbitt and Aidan Forker, with a sliced gem from distance, bringing them level.

But it was Tyrone who closed the half strongly, with Darragh Canavan denied a goal by a terrific Ethan Rafferty save, after he had dispossessed a hesitant Aidan Nugent.

Deep into stoppage time, McCurry’s fourth