Ulster SFC preliminary quarter-final (AET): Armagh 1-17 (1-1-15) Tyrone 1-16 (1-2-12)
Several chimney stacks behind the stands at the Athletic Grounds were already busy puffing plumes skyward by the time the most eagerly awaited contest on the opening weekend of the championship finally produced a winner.
Conor Turbitt’s fisted point, late in extra-time and with daylight beginning to trail away, proved to be the winning score of a gripping Ulster preliminary heavyweight bout which looked destined for a penalty shoot-out on what was a wintry day for summer football.
Niall Morgan had a chance to level matters in the 89th minute but the Tyrone goalkeeper, who was carrying a leg injury from earlier in the game, dragged his 45 wide of the Armagh posts.
Seconds later, after a ferocious scramble for possession, the final whistle sounded. Following 90 energy-sapping minutes, and with the clock moving towards 7pm, we had white smoke. But if orange was the colour, relief was the emotion among the home support.
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“I’m around Ulster football for almost 40 years now and I’ve yet to see Tyrone put out a bad team,” said Armagh manager Kieran McGeeney afterwards in relation to the prematch build-up which billed his side as strong favourites.
Ultimately, Armagh had to do it the hard way. They played extra-time with only 14 men after Darragh McMullen had been sent off on a second yellow card three minutes from the end of normal time.
The Orchard County, who weren’t at their best all day, led by three points at that stage, but Tyrone manufactured a late raid on the Armagh goal and Ben McDonnell coolly placed the ball through a forest of bodies in the 68th minute to send the game to extra-time, 1-10 to 0-13.
As the teams made their way off the field ahead of the extra periods, all the momentum appeared to be with the visitors with most of the 16,091 in attendance fearing the noisy neighbours were primed to pull off an ambush.
But Armagh made four changes to their team for the start of extra-time, two which – the reintroduction of Ross McQuillan and Tomás McCormack – proved inspired. McQuillan popped over a point after just 20 seconds and then broke down the resulting Tyrone kickout, leading to McCormack netting an Armagh goal. In the space of 56 seconds at the start of extra-time they had raced out to a four-point lead.
With the Athletic Grounds on wheels again, Tyrone refused to be swept away. They wrestled back the impetus almost immediately with Michael McKernan and Conn Kilpatrick both floating over wonderful two-pointers to once again increase the anxiety levels among the locals.
Kilpatrick was the standout player on the field throughout the entire contest – the powerful midfielder arguably delivering his most complete performance since Tyrone’s 2021 All-Ireland winning campaign.
After losing captain Brian Kennedy and star forward Darragh Canavan to injuries in the first half, when Tyrone needed a leader to stand up Kilpatrick shouldered the responsibility.
But at the heart of Tyrone’s rally too was Mattie Donnelly, who came off the bench and was instrumental in guiding the Red Hands back into contention having slipped 0-6 to 0-1 behind early in the contest.
Donnelly pushed Tyrone 1-15 to 1-14 ahead late in the first half of extra-time but two frees by the equally impressive Oisín O’Neill sent Armagh in at the interval leading by the minimum.
But back came Tyrone again. Eoin McElholm sent over a good point shortly after the restart to level matters once more. Then, with every mistake having the potential to prove detrimental, there wasn’t a soul at the Athletic Grounds worrying about getting home in time to watch the Masters. It was gripping, everything-on-the-line stuff.
Armagh, despite being a man down, turned over two of Tyrone’s kickouts in the second half of extra-time. And after registering a pair of wides, they finally cut through the Tyrone rearguard in the 87th minute and Turbitt fisted over.
Tyrone had three minutes and an extra man to create at least one more scoring chance. They would construct three, but take none.
At the end of a neat move, McEholm raced through on goal at a narrow angle but rather than pop over a point he went for the jugular, only to pull his shot wide of the far post. Moments later Lorcan McGarrity pulled the trigger, only for Paddy Burns to block his shot and sent it out for a 45.
Morgan came up the field to take the kick but his effort sailed wide. And with it went Tyrone’s last shot at pulling off an upset. Armagh had survived.
“In fairness to the fellas, down a man in the modern game, it’s very difficult,” added McGeeney.
“To do that for the last (few) minutes of the game and the whole of extra-time and to come out winners, it says a lot for them, although not playing at their best.”
Armagh led 0-8 to 0-4 at half-time after what had been a somewhat dour slugfest of a contest. Both teams were guilty of handling errors and some wayward shooting. By the end of the game Tyrone would have 16 wides to Armagh’s 14.
But having failed to punish Tyrone in that first half, Armagh found themselves dragged into a proper battle in the second with full back Peter Teague bringing the visitors level for the first time in the 54th minute. McKernan then nudged them in front.
But O’Neill sent over a brilliant two-pointer just before the hour mark for Armagh and then added a further two points to see them lead by three coming down the straight. But the drama was only starting. And it would take extra-time to produce a winner.
Ultimately, Tyrone defied the epitaph writers but still lost the game.
Armagh march onwards to an Ulster quarter-final against Fermanagh. Tyrone enter the qualifiers. Both feeling they will have a significant say in this year’s championship yet.
ARMAGH: B Hughes (0-0-1′45); P McGrane, A McKay, G Murphy; R McQuillan (0-0-2), T Kelly, J Óg Burns; C O’Neill (0-0-3, 2f), B Crealey; D McMullen (0-0-1), G McCabe, T McCormack (1-0-1); C McConville (0-0-1), J Duffy, O Conaty. Subs: C Turbitt (0-0-2) for McCormack (43 mins), O O’Neill (0-1-4, 1tpf, 3f) for McConville (50), J McElroy for McQuillan (56), R Grugan for C O’Neill (65), R McQuillan for McElroy, T McCormack for Murphy, Paddy Burns for McGrane, C McConville for Crealey (all ft), J Duffy for McCabe (87).
TYRONE: N Morgan; C Quinn, P Teague (0-0-1), J Clarke; C Daly (0-0-1), N Devlin, M McKernan (0-1-1); B Kennedy, C Kilpatrick (0-1-2); S O’Donnell (0-0-1), R Cassidy, B McDonnell (1-0-0); D McCurry, E Jordan (0-0-2, 1f), D Canavan. Subs: M Donnelly (0-0-3) for Canavan (19 mins), K McGeary for Kennedy (27), E McElholm (0-0-1) for McCurry (49), L McGarrity for Jordan (57), C Bogue for Cassidy (65), A Donaghy for Daly (73), B Cullen for McGeary (78); A Clarke for Quinn (85).
REFEREE: N Mooney (Cavan).
