Galway let five-point lead slip as Armagh advance directly to quarter-final
Armagh 1-12
Galway 0-15
ARMAGH STAGED A remarkable comeback to secure the draw which sends them directly into the All-Ireland quarter-finals and, for the second year in a row, puts Galway in a preliminary quarter-final.
Kieran McGeeney’s men seemed destined for defeat when they trailed by five points with 12 minutes remaining, playing into a stiff breeze at Markievicz Park.
But Armagh regrouped and with Galway goalkeeper Connor Gleeson, the hero of their Connacht final win, twice having short kickouts intercepted, McGeeney’s men, needing just a draw to top the pool, recovered and clawed back the deficit.
Last year Rory Grugan was the hero as he landed an injury-time point for Armagh’s first ever championship victory over Galway and this time substitute Stefan Campbell was the hero when he fisted the equaliser in the fourth and final minute of added time.
Such an outcome seemed unlikely at the interval after Armagh played with the breeze in the opening half but went in trailing by 0-8 to 0-6 at the end of a 35 minutes where Galway played a lot of possession football in front of a crowd of 8,870.
Galway’s patient build-up, often moving the ball laterally inside halfway before prising openings, paid dividends during a half where the sides were level five times. Galway let Armagh go short with their kickouts — they won all 11 kickouts from Blaine Hughes with the Tribesmen collecting just seven of their dozen — but when Padraic Joyce’s men had the ball they held on to it and by the break had recorded 66% possession.
Indeed, the sides exchanged points five times in the opening half hour with Armagh taking the lead three times through Tiernan Kelly, Conor Turbitt and Andrew Murnin before Matthew Tierney and two from Rob Finnerty, one of them a free, responded for the Tribesmen.
Rian O’Neill is tackled by Cein Darcy. Ben Brady / INPHO
Ben Brady / INPHO / INPHO
Cillian McDaid edged Galway in front for the first time after 20 minutes following another patient build-up but Armagh hit back and restored their lead with efforts from Ben Grealey and a second from Turbitt.
Galway then stepped up a gear. Finnerty pointed a free to end a ten-minute scoreless spell and veteran Paul Conroy went forward and landed one before Shane Walsh struck two excellent efforts from the left, one off each foot, as Galway pushed three in front.
Armagh pulled one back when Rian O’Neill, starved off possession in the opening half when they shot six wides to Galway’s three, floated over an excellent point from the left.
The sides twice exchanged points in the opening seven minutes of the second half before Galway hit three in a row from Conroy, Dylan McHugh and Liam Silke to lead by 0-13 to 0-8 after 54 minutes.
But then Turbitt pointed Armagh’s first free after 58 minutes before he intercepted a poor kickout from Gleeson and he set up Tiernan Kelly for a goal — the first conceded by the Tribesmen in this year’s championship.
Three minutes later O’Neill tied the side before Turbitt again intercepted a kickout from Gleeson and fisted them in front with eight minutes left on the clock.
Walsh pointed a free for Galway and then edged them back in front at the start of four minutes of stoppage time. Galway had possession to seal the win but in a final attack Armagh, needing just a draw to advance, worked the ball into Campbell and he made the most of the chance to fist the equaliser.
That sends them straight into the quarter-finals in two weeks but Galway, with Sean Mulkerrin and Cein Darcy added to an injury list that sees Damien Comer still out and question marks over the fitness of skipper Sean Kelly and marksman Finnerty, must now regroup for a home preliminary quarter-final next weekend.
Scorers for Armagh: Tiernan Kelly 1-1, Conor Turbitt 0-4 (0-1f), Rian O’Neill 0-3, Andrew Murnin 0-2, Ben Crealey 0-1, Stefan Campbell 0-1.
Scorers for Galway: Shane Walsh 0-5 (0-3f), Rob Finnerty 0-3 (0-2f), Paul Conroy 0-2, Matthew Tierney 0-1, Cillian McDaid 0-1, John Maher 0-1, Dylan McHugh 0-1, Liam Silke 0-1.
Armagh:
1 Blaine Hughes (Carrickcruppen)
2 Barry McCambridge (Clann Éireann) 3 Aaron McKay (Dromintee) 4 Peter McGrane (Ballyhegan)
5 Ciaran Higgins (Maghery) 6 Tiernan Kelly (Clann Eireann) 7 Aidan Forker (Maghery)
8 Niall Grimley (Madden) 9 Ben Grealey (Maghery)
10 Joe McElroy (Armagh Harps) 11 Rian O’Neill (Crossmaglen Rangers) 12 Oisin Conaty (Tir na nÓg)
13 Rory Grugan (Ballymacnab) 14 Andrew Murnin (St Paul’s) 15 Conor Turbitt (Clann Eireann)
Substitutes:
25 Stefan Campbell (Clann na nGael) for Higgins (half-time)
19 Ross McQuillan (Cullyhanna) for Conaty (48)
24 Aidan Nugent (Cullyhanna) for Forker (54)
22 Oisin O’Neill (Crossmaglen Rangers) for McGrane (65)
Galway:
1 Connor Gleeson (Dunmore McHales)
2 Johnny McGrath (Caherlistrane) 17 Séan Mulkerrin (Oileáin Árann) 4 Jack Glynn (Claregalway)
5 Dylan McHugh (Corofin) 7 Liam Silke (Corofin) 3 Seán Fitzgerald (Bearna)
8 Paul Conroy (St. James’) 9 Seán Kelly (Moycullen)
10 Matthew Tierney (Oughterard) 11 John Maher (Salthill-Knocknacarra) 12 Cein Darcy (Ballyboden St. Enda’s)
13 Rob Finnerty (Salthill-Knocknacarra) 14 Shane Walsh (Kilmacud Crokes) 15 Cillian McDaid (Monivea/Abbeyknockmoy
Substitutes:
6 John Daly (Mountbellew/Moylough) for Mulkerrin (47)
23 Cathal Sweeney (Salthill/Knocknacarra) for McDaid (54)
24 Johnny Heaney (Killannin) for Kelly (61)
19 Daniel O’Flaherty (Salthill/Knocknacarra) for Darcy (68)
25 Tomo Culhane (Salthill/Knocknacarra) for Finnerty (70)
Ref: Sean Hurson (Tyrone)
