Armagh are promoted so          its worth popping Cork

Armagh 2-21 Cavan 0-12

By Steve Malone

ARMAGH manager Kieran McGeeney said that his team won’t be taking their foot off the gas when they make to trip to Cork on Sunday, despite having already secured promotion.

But he hinted that he is yet to decide whether his team will go full-tilt to win the Division Two title against Jim McGuinness’ Donegal in Croke Park on Easter Sunday.

That’s because Armagh’s Ulster Championship campaign gets underway a fortnight later in Enniskillen, when they face Fermanagh.

Armagh are promoted after a convincing 15-point win over Ulster rivals Cavan on Saturday evening, which pleased the Orchard boss.

“That's us up, so it's a good day,” said McGeeney.

“The boys played well today, so we're extremely happy. It's nice to be able to get back up there.

“They have played well to date, but that's the thing about sports: you're always judged on your next one.“To date, they have done all that they have been asked for. We were in Division Two three or four years ago, and we struggled in every game, or we scraped by them. 

“We seem to have done much better this time around. We have greater depth and a lot of younger players coming through.“We have two more games now, so we'll see how we get on in them.”

One of those games is Sunday’s trip to the Rebel County and the Orchard boss insisted he won’t be going easy on any team.

“I don't think it works that way,” McGeeney said.

“We have tried that before in other divisions and we've learned that you just have to go out to win.

“Cork are a good team. It would be nice to push on, go for it and get the win, but when it is as close as this to the Championship, you have to take games too. 

“We will be trying to do our best, because Cork will give us a tough game.”

Played in the Box-It Athletic Grounds, Armagh had one foot in Division One by half-time and only a complete collapse would put that in doubt.

The Orchard side looked sharper, with a killer instinct whereas Cavan struggled to break Armagh’s solid defence down.

Yet again Carrickcruppen’s Blaine Hughes was on point with his kick-outs, while Shane O’Neill’s Greg McCabe was outstanding and playing a commanding role, scoring two fine points and keeping Dara McVeety quiet, which impressed his manager.

“Dara [McVeety] is a handful any day of the week. Players always seem to get yellow cards when they're marking him, because he's that type of player – a player you don't like when he's playing against you, but you would love him if he was on your team. He's a tough boy,” said McGeeney.

“But I thought that Greg did a good job, and he got two scores himself.

“It was a good performance that we put in today.”

It was also an early evening when Andrew Murnin, Rory Grugan, Conor Turbitt and Stefan Campbell clicked. No small feat.

Peter McGrane’s goal on 28 minutes looked to have the game wrapped up after Connaire Mackin’s classy pass over the top. That gave Armagh a 1-10 to 0-03 lead but Conor Turbitt’s converted penalty seconds before the break to put the Orchard 14-points in front (2-12 0-04).

Cavan started the second half with 14 men as Cillian Brady served his sin-bin after conceding the spot-kick and as he went back on Cian Reilly was black carded too, making it mountain for the Blues to climb.

The third quarter was rather forgettable, although Oisin Conaty and Turbo tagged on another two points to Cavan’s Dara McVeety’s reply.

Rian O’Neill was on the pitch only seconds when he pointed has Armagh finished strongly. Conaty and Ryan O’Neill traded points, as Aidan Nugent, Oisin O’Neill and Jemar Hall also came off the bench.

Cavan finished with a nice flurry of points but at the other end Grugan was making shapes to line up a shot on goal but he opted for his fifth point of the day.

It is a massive achievement to secure promotion with a game to spare and next weekend’s trip to Cork will be a chance for players to fight for their position.

It was a magnificent display, again Aaron McKay was magnificent in defence, Connaire Mackin too, put in a tremendous shift and while it seems unfathomable to leave out players of Jarly Og Burns and Niall Grimley’s quality, the young players such as Peter McGrane and Oisin Conaty have grasped their chance. Yet Burns, Grimley and Ciaran Higgins have big parts to play, while Ethan Rafferty and Crossmaglen duo Callum Cumiskey and James Morgan are yet to return to fitness.

“Peter [McGrane] and Oisin [Conaty] were superb today,” said McGeeney.“Both of them are very quick and that's a big 'keeper [Gary O'Rourke], there are very few forwards that slip a ball away like that, but he has been doing it all year.

“He has been extremely good for us, he's a tight marker too, which is his number one job.

“The young fellas have done well, and they're putting it up to the older boys, and showing that they want to keep those jerseys.”

Regardless of the result on Sunday, Armagh have a chance to win a trophy in Croke Park on Easter Sunday, March 31. The Orchard boss says his team will want to win it but not at all costs.

“There is no team that goes out to lose. Definitely not.“I'm sure Donegal will want to beat us, and we will want to win it,” McGeeney said.

“I suppose it comes down to what it will cost you. We're in the Championship two weeks after that, and there are training camps and all that sort of stuff that you're trying to fit in.

“But listen, if you were asking me at the beginning of the year would I like to have that quandary? I'd say 'yeah, I'll take it'.”

Not a bad position to be in.

ARMAGH: Blaine Hughes, Paddy Burns, Aaron McKay, Peter McGrane 1-0, Greg McCabe 0-2, Aidan Forker, Joe McElroy, Barry McCambridge, Ben Crealey 0-1, Stefan Campbell 0-1, Rory Grugan 0-5 (3f), Connaire Mackin, Conor Turbitt 1-4 (1pen, 2f), Andrew Murnin 0-2, Oisin Conaty 0-3.

Subs: Ross McQuillan for P McGrane (Blood Sub), Tiernan Kelly for G McCabe, Ross McQuillan 0-1 for P Burns, Aidan Nugent for C Turbitt, Rian O’Neill 0-1 for A. Murnin, Jemar Hall for B Crealey.

CAVAN: Gary O’Rourke, Cian Reilly, Cillian Brady, Oisin Kiernan, Dara McVeety 0-2, Niall Carolan, Brian O’Connell, Killian Clarke, James Smith, Ciaran Brady, Cian Madden, Tiarnan Madden 0-1, Ryan O’Neill 0-3, Paddy Lynch 0-5 (5f), Ryan Donohoe 0-1. 

Subs: Oisin Brady for C Madden, Conor Brady for N Carolan, Tristan Noack Hofmann for J Smith, Luke Fortune for C Reilly.

Referee: Liam Devenney (Mayo).