Disappointing Derry fall to Orchard men

Derry 1-7

Armagh 1-10

While Derry played poorly in the second half in front of over ten thousand spectators at Celtic Park they can have plenty of cause for complaint. Eoin Bradley was the most fouled player on the field with his maker Andy Mallon escaping censure, then the Glenullin man was harshly booked and after committing his first foul picked up a second yellow card and got sent off when the game was in the balance.

With five minutes left Derry were awarded a penalty when Finian Moriarity committed a head high tackle on Paddy Bradley. Captain Gaerard O'Kane took the kick which was saved by the tall Armagh keeper Hearty who was six feet off his line. It should have been retaken.

That said Derry were far too negative in the second half, their passing movements were broken up by the packed Armagh defence and on three occasions Sean Leo McGoldrick, Michael Bateson and Brian Og McAlary lost possession when things looked promising.

The general passing and handling of Derry was extremely poor and it's hard to see where the team goes from here. They have a six week wait for the first round of the qualifiers and on this performance no team will be quaking at the prospect of meeting them.

If Derry are to progress they must get back to basics and play a more direct game. A return of 1-7 for a seventy minute game and five of the points coming from frees tells its own story. However injuries to centre half Barry McGuigan and midfielder Fergal Doherty did not help the cause.

Armagh were no great shakes but they were better organised and physically stronger than Derry, their ace marksman Steven McDonnell scored just once from play but a couple of the frees he converted after his team were denied a stonewall penalty in the first half were mysterious to say the least.

Derry goalie Barry Gillis did well but had no chance with the goal scored by sub Jamie Clarke whose push on full back Kevin McGuckin went unnoticed. At that stage just a point separated the teams and the goal proved to be the killer for Derry.

Fergal Doherty and Patsy Bradley were expected to have the upper hand at midfield but Doherty was below par before picking up a hamstring injury and Bradley persisted in punching the ball instead of catching it.

Mark Lynch played well in attack as did Eoin Bradley before his dismissal but generally there was a lack of cohesion in this department.

The teams were level on 0-4 each in a cat and mouse affair when Mark Lunch burst through the mile and passed to Fergal Doherty who set Paddy Bradley up for a superb goal after thirty minutes.

Derry failed to push on and Armagh with the help of some frees were level at half time 0-8 to 1-5.

In a turgid second half when both teams went ultra defensive it was the dismissal of Eoin Bradley followed by that Clarke goal that set up Armagh for a quarter final meeting against their neighbours and great rivals Monaghan.

Armagh scorers Steven McDonald 0-5, 0-4frees, Jamie Clarke 1-0, Aaron Kernan 0-3, 0-2frees, Ryan Henderson and Charlie Vernon 0-1 each.

Derry scorers Mark Lynch 0-4, 0-3frees, Paddy Bradley 1-2, 0-2frees and Eoin Bradley 0-1.

Armagh. P. Hearty, A. Mallon, K. Toner, B Donaghy, P. Duffy, C. McKeever, F. Moriarity, C. Vernon, J Lavery, M. Mackin, A. Kernan, G. Swift, B. Mallon, S. McDonnell, R. Henderson.Subs V,> Martin for J Lavery and J. Clarke for R. Henderson.

Derry. B. Gillis, B. McAlary, K. McGuckin, D. McBride, G. O'Kane, B. McGuigan, M. Bateson, F. Doherty, Patsy Bradley, S.L. McGoldrick, M. Lynch, D. Mullan, P. Bradley, E. Bradley, R. Wilkinson. Subs B. McGoldrick for B. McGuigan, J. Diver for F. Doherty, J. Kielt for R. Wilkinson, M. Craig for M. Bateson, E. Muldoon for S.L. McGoldrick.

Referee Maurice Deegan Laois.