Richard Bullick
Armagh will face their former manager James Daly’s Donegal at (NAME VENUE) this Saturday (TIME) in the Orchard outfit’s first ever Senior Championship relegation play-off after their earliest All Ireland exit since 2016.
Until a badly depleted team’s narrow loss to Kildare in the Athletic Grounds two weekends ago, Armagh had qualified for at least the All Ireland quarter-finals in all but one of the previous 11 seasons, a proud record for a relatively small county.
The Ulster champions were expected to see off Kildare but injury-ravaged Armagh came up short on an afternoon when several key players were absent and others only managed a restricted contribution at Orchard headquarters against an impressive visiting team.
That 1-12 to 1-10 Orchard defeat means Armagh have won only one of their last six games since they recorded a fifth consecutive victory under new managers Joe Feeney and Darnell Parkinson by beating Kildare in the NFL fixture at Silverbidge back at the start of March.
The sole victory was against second division Donegal in May’s Clones showpiece when Armagh retained their provincial crown with a straightforward win which gave the orangewomen their fifth Ulster title in six seasons this decade.
With traditional rivals Donegal currently in a period of transition, Armagh should secure their Senior status at the first attempt this Saturday without needing a second chance the following weekend in a straight shoot-out to avoid the drop.
That would almost certainly be against last season’s All Ireland Intermediate title winners Leitrim, who didn’t make it out of Division Four this spring and are expected to lose to fellow Connacht team Mayo in this weekend’s other relegation semi.
With no disrespect to Donegal, Armagh’s greatest challenge going into this Ulster derby might be getting their heads right after the shattering disappointment of that Kildare loss and the end of their All Ireland dream for another year.
Last season’s National League title winners and TG4 Senior Championship semi-finalists Armagh have been seen as genuine All Ireland contenders in recent years so not getting out of a group they went into as top seeds has been a bitter blow.
Four points up against recent All Ireland champions Meath in the closing stages in Navan, the Orchard crew were pegged back to a draw, though any victory over Kildare would have been enough not only to progress but secure a home quarter-final.
But Armagh’s home defeat to Kildare meant the Lilywhites went through as runners-up with Meath as group winners, and the quarter-final draw would just have served to rub salt in the Orchard’s wounds.
The Royals landed the easiest last eight tie on paper when being paired with Tipperary, who just edged Donegal for second place in the group topped by Connacht champions and last season’s losing All Ireland finalists Galway.
Kildare’s reward for their upset of Armagh is a trip to tackle All Ireland champions in their Tralee backyard while the other quarter-finals see Galway host dark horses Waterford and Dublin have home advantage against Cork.
Those eight teams will all go into this weekend with aspirations to extend their season by at least another two weeks whereas Armagh’s aim is to put out of its misery a campaign which at one stage promised plenty.
The year began brightly with notable away wins against both Kerry and Dublin in their first three NFL fixtures and a place in April’s Division One showpiece at Croke Park was secured with two rounds of regular league games to spare.
But after being thumped by Waterford away and edged by Meath at home in the two dead rubbers, Armagh suffered a chastening 15-point hammering by Kerry in the first division decider as they relinquished their title in emphatic fashion.
Armagh got back on the horse with that routine victory over Donegal in the Ulster final in a packed Clones but knew there would be tougher tests to come in the All Ireland series, starting with those group games against Meath and Kildare.
They emerged from Navan with a very creditable draw, achieved away from home against strong opposition in the absence of both Mackin sisters, Louise Kenny, Dearbhla Coleman and Moya Feehan compounded by losing captain Clodagh McCambridge in the warm-up.
Roisin Mulligan and Eve Lavery weren’t fit to start, so sharing the spoils in Pairc Tailteann was a good result for Armagh in the circumstances and scoring more times than Meath – it finished 3-8 to 2-11 – meant the orangewomen were still in control of the group.
Meath’s narrow away win against Kildare sent the Royals through to the last eight and meant the final fixture in the group was effectively a knockout tie, with the Lilywhites needing to win in order to progress and Armagh’s requirement being to avoid defeat.
McCambridge wasn’t even named in the matchday squad – along with Dearbhla Coleman, Kenny and Feehan – and Armagh suffered another big blow with the withdrawal of All Star forward Aoife McCoy due to a hamstring problem.
Blaithin Mackin only lasted until half-time, when she was replaced by Lavery, while her elder sister Aimee Mackin’s comeback more than 13 months after rupturing her cruciate in last season’s Ulster final was restricted to just six minutes at the end.
There was an ominous feeling for much of a hot afternoon on which Armagh looked very vulnerable at the back in the absence of the commanding McCambridge and really missed compact menace McCoy’s cutting edge in attack.
Kildare seemed to have a lot of space, and were able to get the ball inside a bit too easily, though Armagh were reprieved by several excellent saves by imposing goalkeeper Anna Carr, the first of them inside the opening 40 seconds.
At the other end, Armagh got turned over very effectively on several occasions by the Kildare defence, who were also willing to foul when needed, resulting in Caroline O’Hanlon successfully converting four first half frees.
Acting captain Lauren McConville and Emily Druse, arguably Armagh’s player of the season, made numerous searing bursts deep into opposition territory but the hosts could have done with McCoy carrying them on in that fluid link she has developed with Niamh Henderson.
Several very promising Orchard attacks came to nothing but they went in level six points apiece at the interval with the other Armagh scores in that opening period being a Henderson point from play and Niamh Reel free from close in.
That free had been accompanied by a Kildare defender being sinbinned for halting a trademark McConville surge with a dangerous high tackle but Reel missed her next set-piece attempt after a brilliant save by Carr was followed by an Armagh breakout.
Armagh begun the second half brightly but with little scoreboard award, with several chances created but not taken adding to a sense that this might not be the Orchard’s day even before Kildare struck for what felt like a very significant goal in a low-scoring game.
Former skipper Kelly Mallon was wide with a low shot from an acute angle between Kildare’s two points within the first three minutes after the resumption and Derrynoose youngster Caoimhe McNally soon squeezed an effort just past the near post after a lovely run.
Reel converted a free after Lavery had been off-target with the referee playing advantage before McConville pulled an attempt agonisingly just wide after bursting up the right flank and cutting in threateningly.
Mallon should have had a free in for being bundled over trying to take a pass from Armagh Harps clubmate Druse but the referee gave nothing and, from the latter’s recycle, McConville hoisted a high shot which shaved past the right post.
Reel couldn’t convert a free between two Kildare wides as McNally gave way to rookie Eimear McConaghy, a surprise introduction, and the inexperienced Clann Eireann forward kicked a wide ahead of the visitors going two up.
Henderson halved the deficit midway through the half by doubling her own account but those Armagh misses started to feel very costly when Kildare captain Laoise Lenahan palmed to the Orchard net and Aoife Ratigan quickly added a point to put five between the teams.
Goalkeeper Mary Hulgraine got away with a blatant charge on Mallon and soon saved brilliantly under her crossbar when the same player rose to palm a ball across from Niamh Coleman goalwards after a good interception by Druse downfield.
Druse pulled a point back by bursting through at pace and finishing nicely just before Mallon gave way to Wolfe Tones youngster Eimear McGeown, presumably to give Armagh a tall target inside if things got desperate. Maeve Lennon and Catherine Marley didn’t feature.
Kildare went five ahead again with a free but captain McConville gave Armagh a lifeline, steaming through for a low finish after O’Hanlon had won a great turnover in defence and launched a counter-attack featuring Coleman, Henderson and Druse.
The goal celebration was followed by further cheers from the depressingly small crowd to greet the overdue return of Aimee Mackin – replacing Reel – and she soon converted a free which had already been signalled when corner back Roisin Mulligan chipped wide.
Unfortunately, Kildare cancelled it out to leave Armagh needing a goal to snatch victory and an absolutely brilliant turnover by inspirational skipper McConville in defence led to a frenetic finale as the hosts desperately sought to salvage their season.
O’Hanlon dropped in a tantalising free from 40 metres out which McGeown swished at but Kildare mopped up possession and the ball also refused to go into the Lilywhites net when Mackin drilled in a last-gasp free from out on the left just before the full-time whistle.
The Orchard’s All Ireland dream was over for 2025 but Armagh now find themselves in this unfamiliar play-off purgatory and must be wary of an ambush by Daly’s youthful Donegal outfit, who they beat in May’s Ulster final.
ARMAGH: A Carr; M Ferguson, C Towe, R Mulligan; E Druse (0-1), M McCann, G Ferguson; N Coleman, C O’Hanlon (0-4, 4f); C McNally, B Mackin, L McConville (capt; 1-0); K Mallon, N Henderson (0-2), N Reel (0-2, 2f). Subs used: E Lavery for B Mackin (ht), E McConaghy for McNally (40mins), E McGeown for Mallon (49), A Mackin (0-1) for Reel (54).
KILDARE: M Hulgraine; R Sargent (0-1), L Lenehan (capt; 1-1), M Doherty; L Shaw, L Murtagh, M Aspel; L Reilly, C Moran; C Wheeler (0-1), A Rattigan (0-2), L Curran (0-1); G Wheeler (0-1), A Prizeman (0-2, 2f), R Byrne (0-1). Subs used: M Ryan (0-2) for Murtagh (43), E Dowling for Rattigan (50), A Mahon for G Wheeler (57).
Referee: Eddie Cuthbert (Down).
