Down v Armagh

:00:32. > :00:38.# Neighbours, everybody needs good neighbours... # Just a friendly wave

:00:39. > :01:03.each morning... They are nearest of neighbours and

:01:04. > :01:07.our keenest of those, down through the generations, a fixture which has

:01:08. > :01:09.captivated all generations and they've all come out this afternoon

:01:10. > :01:25.to Pairc Esler. The meeting of Down vs Armagh. No Kieran

:01:26. > :01:33.McGeeney. The manager, Eamon Burns off the bus. In the midst of them,

:01:34. > :01:37.Kevin McKernan. They will require big games from their big-name

:01:38. > :01:44.players. Good afternoon and welcome to Pairc Esler nestled in the

:01:45. > :01:52.foothills and Armagh and Down are ready to rumble. Welcome, gentlemen.

:01:53. > :01:57.A reminder that we welcome your views and observations so do get in

:01:58. > :02:06.touch. You know the form by now. For the record, it's on your screen. You

:02:07. > :02:12.are both captivated by this match, a chance at the death for Armagh. Yes,

:02:13. > :02:17.Kelly had a fantastic game for Armagh. We've all missed penalties

:02:18. > :02:22.in big games and unfortunately he had a great game but was a fantastic

:02:23. > :02:27.save. I think they deserved to win over the course of the 60 minutes.

:02:28. > :02:31.It's a good start for Down today. Where people asking why you were not

:02:32. > :02:37.playing today? Everyone knows I'm looking after my health. It's

:02:38. > :02:41.difficult to walk past because it's been such a long time here, but the

:02:42. > :02:45.boys out here are more than capable of getting the job done today. Do

:02:46. > :02:50.you know what great about having you here, you get to steal his thunder

:02:51. > :02:54.before we show you what it was capable of. Let's go to Thomas. We

:02:55. > :03:01.are hearing there's been a few changes in both sides, what have you

:03:02. > :03:08.got for us? Yes, Down make two such as. O'Hagan has had a knock and

:03:09. > :03:16.won't be involved today. He is replaced by Ryan Johnston who had a

:03:17. > :03:19.hamstring problem and he passed a late fitness test. Murphy drops out

:03:20. > :03:30.of the starting 15 because of a knock and incomes Peter Turley. He

:03:31. > :03:36.will play in a sweeper role. For Armagh, Kieran McGeeney is facing a

:03:37. > :03:41.ban. He can be in communication with his team throughout the game. Denis

:03:42. > :03:47.Hollywood will call the shots. He wasn't in the dressing room. He is

:03:48. > :03:51.here and he will be in constant communication with the management

:03:52. > :03:56.setup fourth in terms of team changes, Grimley drops out of the

:03:57. > :04:03.starting 15 and incomes mackerel Roy. One other note in the Armagh

:04:04. > :04:09.side, Rafferty has played as a forward and the midfielder during

:04:10. > :04:12.his time at county level. He is an option for Kieran McGeeney. There

:04:13. > :04:16.were lots of rumours around the ground he could be playing out of

:04:17. > :04:22.the field and Armagh could make a late switch. But it is shoes who

:04:23. > :04:27.lines up between the posts. That was pretty comprehensive. I have to

:04:28. > :04:34.begin with a beautiful thing. Member the last time these two met, the

:04:35. > :04:39.Ulster championship, 2011? Martin Clark top scored, landing this truly

:04:40. > :04:43.memorable point. There you go, that is what Down are missing today but

:04:44. > :04:54.we are delighted to have in the studio with us. One bullock at James

:04:55. > :05:00.McCartney. He was stunned. Many players on his tail, it didn't

:05:01. > :05:06.matter, over the top it went. Oisin, the reason we do not share any of

:05:07. > :05:12.your great shots, was because there were too many and we did know which

:05:13. > :05:16.one to go for. It is over. Thomas told us about the changes in the

:05:17. > :05:26.Down team. I know you will take a quick look at Down. Varies the Down

:05:27. > :05:37.team the changes. Harrison is in the forward line. Down is in defence.

:05:38. > :05:44.I'm glad to see them in. I was very surprised by O'Hagan. They went with

:05:45. > :05:52.training form over league form. They got a good result. I think it's

:05:53. > :05:56.quite dangerous. To look too much into training form. He's awarded

:05:57. > :06:00.guys who have trained well. But some guys have not played many minutes in

:06:01. > :06:08.the league and are fundamental. It's a brave move. You've opted for

:06:09. > :06:14.Darren O'Hagan? Here's the best defender in Down, and he has been

:06:15. > :06:18.for a number of years. In club, training, you can't get away from

:06:19. > :06:23.it, he so committed, great captain. He will be powering forward, getting

:06:24. > :06:28.on the scoresheet today. It's been a difficult time to lead Down, but he

:06:29. > :06:37.has done it well. He is an unsung hero, class act. Before we go to

:06:38. > :06:43.Armagh, it was uprising to that O'Hagan was not included today. A

:06:44. > :06:49.big surprise? A massive surprise. He wins the ball so cleanly. He was

:06:50. > :06:53.playing as a lone forward almost and directly, really well. He has flaws

:06:54. > :06:57.in his game. He tries to do so much. For him not to start today is a

:06:58. > :07:05.massive call and a lot of fans are scratching their heads about that

:07:06. > :07:11.one. I never thought I'd say this, but I'll would be delighted to hear

:07:12. > :07:14.you talk us through Armagh, please. Looking to pick this Armagh income

:07:15. > :07:25.it goes along the lines of what most people would have thought. Armagh

:07:26. > :07:28.have not nailed down a system. They play something different in each

:07:29. > :07:38.game. People are excited about the forward line. Grugan. The full line,

:07:39. > :07:45.it's a forward line people get excited about. If they can get

:07:46. > :07:50.another ball there, Armagh could pull out a big score. Surprise

:07:51. > :07:59.surprise, you're one to watch is not Jamie Clark. No, it is number 15

:08:00. > :08:08.swine being I've picked Andrew Murnin because he's different to

:08:09. > :08:16.Campbell or Clarke. He will take it on, slip it outside, and get on the

:08:17. > :08:19.attack. I like Murnin because he is different, with brilliant hands and

:08:20. > :08:24.that's what you need. Whether he will get any room in there today, I

:08:25. > :08:27.don't know, but he should excel in a game like that. The sun has come

:08:28. > :08:33.out, the fans have come out. Optimism is come out. The opening

:08:34. > :08:39.few games have been drudgery without disrespecting Ulster. Can we expect

:08:40. > :08:46.Ulster will potentially catch fire? I'd just think they are two evenly

:08:47. > :08:51.matched against. Armagh have come into this with optimism. These

:08:52. > :08:58.supporters are really enthusiastic. The thing about Down, they have

:08:59. > :09:01.managed to stay in division two, and it's all pessimism. I would not be

:09:02. > :09:09.to test the mystic about their chances. I think they have a forward

:09:10. > :09:20.line # I would not be too pessimistic about their chances. --.

:09:21. > :09:23.Do you think that will have any sort of bearing on today's game, the fact

:09:24. > :09:30.that they retain to that status at the end of the championship, and

:09:31. > :09:36.ended up possible to pity -- and ended up positively? There's very

:09:37. > :09:41.little between these two teams. Down had a fantastic job, they were

:09:42. > :09:44.completely written off after two games. They were doomed, not going

:09:45. > :09:49.to win a game all year and were written off, so the boys done a

:09:50. > :09:57.fantastic job to stay in the division. They will be confident. An

:09:58. > :10:01.entire generation of Down fans have missed this. It's been so long since

:10:02. > :10:06.it happened. I think they will carry that into the game. Brilliant

:10:07. > :10:11.atmosphere. The place is packed. It's the first time we have come to

:10:12. > :10:15.an Ulster championship this year where we think we are not 100% sure

:10:16. > :10:18.who's going to win the game. The previous three games you knew the

:10:19. > :10:24.division one teams were always going to edge ahead. They were exceptional

:10:25. > :10:29.teams. These two teams are below that. Because they are so very

:10:30. > :10:35.evenly matched, I think that's why there is excitement around this

:10:36. > :10:45.game. Kieran McGeeney, Thomas said he will be in contact with his side.

:10:46. > :10:48.How is his absence likely to impact on Armagh's performance? I wasn't

:10:49. > :10:57.sure whether he would be able to be in contact. The same rule applies.

:10:58. > :11:03.Not having in the changing room beforehand, at half-time, but I'm

:11:04. > :11:09.sure they are paid for that. Kieran McGeeney has always said he wanted

:11:10. > :11:15.to be a player led thing. The players know what's going on.

:11:16. > :11:20.Everybody has got a stats man. You know what's expected of you in the

:11:21. > :11:25.second half. The I like about it is, he gets very involved in games.

:11:26. > :11:32.He'll be able to see things today he may not have seen in the past.

:11:33. > :11:37.Thanks, Oisin. We invited clubs to get in touch to let us know what's

:11:38. > :11:41.going on at grassroots level. Of course, you have been doing that for

:11:42. > :11:49.the last week it was Belfast sure road. This club boasts

:11:50. > :11:52.state-of-the-art facilities including a revolutionary perimeter

:11:53. > :11:57.walk for babies, and you can get much more of that online at the BBC

:11:58. > :12:04.sport website. And the Facebook page so do get in touch. We would like to

:12:05. > :12:14.hear from you. OK, guys, it is predictions time. Martin, can Down

:12:15. > :12:20.edge it? I think Armagh have too much going for Down. They are

:12:21. > :12:24.further down the line under Kieran McGeeney, and he knows exactly the

:12:25. > :12:30.way they want to play. More consistency. It will be Armagh for

:12:31. > :12:38.me, unfortunately. I still think Armagh will win by five or six

:12:39. > :12:45.points. It live and uninterrupted so can the pick of Down unpick Down?

:12:46. > :12:48.Your commentary team, Martin McHugh and Thomas Niblock.

:12:49. > :12:56.COMMENTATOR: Thank you. The players are here. We have the picture and

:12:57. > :13:00.the two teams are balanced looking in. One might think three weeks

:13:01. > :13:05.later than envisaged, the championship may have arrived?

:13:06. > :13:10.Exactly, it's a lovely pitch. It's perfect. We always said Down like

:13:11. > :13:14.perfect weather, and we may have a shower later on but the crowd is on

:13:15. > :13:20.top of the pitch, which creates a great atmosphere. Both teams broke

:13:21. > :13:28.away from the parade. It's a long time since we had Kieran McGeeney in

:13:29. > :13:32.the stands. Both teams have no form going into it. Maybe Down are

:13:33. > :13:36.slightly better but I'm excited about those forward lines,

:13:37. > :13:39.particularly Armagh. We are about to have a moment 's silence coming up

:13:40. > :13:46.very shortly before the match takes place in memory of Dominic early,

:13:47. > :14:09.who died in a car accident during the week.

:14:10. > :14:19.APPLAUSE The cabin stats man who died earlier

:14:20. > :14:23.this week in a car accident remembered here at Pairc Esler.

:14:24. > :15:28.A massive game. APPLAUSE

:15:29. > :15:32.We have Mr these championships and we're going to have a great one

:15:33. > :15:39.today, fascinating clash between Armagh and Down and the winners will

:15:40. > :15:45.play Cavan or Monaghan. There is a match referee from Cork

:15:46. > :15:54.who refereed last year's all Ireland final between Kerry and Dublin and

:15:55. > :15:58.Kieran McGeeney are in the cup final against UCD. What can we expect?

:15:59. > :16:07.It's going to come down to having leaders on the pitch, and I'm

:16:08. > :16:18.looking forward to seeing how Jamie Carr goes today. Of the other thing

:16:19. > :16:24.is, Mooney, back from Australia, I expect a big performance from him.

:16:25. > :16:30.The referee blesses himself. The ball is thrown into the middle of

:16:31. > :16:38.the field. Donaghy at the heart of this Armagh defence. At hand to

:16:39. > :16:43.tackle. He wins the ball. Support straightaway leading from defence.

:16:44. > :16:50.Great play so far. Going into the Down half of the field. He is

:16:51. > :16:58.certainly feeling that. Diagonal ball. Andrew Maginn. The ball in the

:16:59. > :17:12.hands of the quarterback, Paul Hughes. A lively start. Yes, it's

:17:13. > :17:20.very hard to get down the middle. Here is Peter Turley. Trying to

:17:21. > :17:25.place the ball into the hands of Jerome Kern is an. He tries to

:17:26. > :17:29.continue his run but taken out of it. The referee does not see. Down

:17:30. > :17:34.continue to play. WHISTLE

:17:35. > :17:41.The referee says a throw in ball. Our early observations seems the

:17:42. > :17:46.referee may let things go a little. It's the one big talking point we've

:17:47. > :17:51.had this year. Referees are going to ground, looking to change their

:17:52. > :18:01.studs at half-time. I think it's been a good start. Both teams are

:18:02. > :18:08.going all out. Jamie Clark with his first touch for two years. It is one

:18:09. > :18:13.he will want to forget. Down trying to get the free straightaway. It's

:18:14. > :18:21.always important to win the first tackle. Jamie Clark says, I will

:18:22. > :18:28.take it on. He's the best defender. Brilliant defending. Kevin McKernan

:18:29. > :18:42.looks for the return pass and gets it. Donnelly gives it back. Blocked

:18:43. > :18:49.line. Picked up by McKernan. He has got his free in. The Down forwards

:18:50. > :18:57.trying to go for the ball, create some space. Route one, adventurous

:18:58. > :19:06.pass, does not quite make it. Charlie Vernon. As light pass. He

:19:07. > :19:11.has put Armagh under pressure. Brilliant play by Mooney. Pops it

:19:12. > :19:16.over the bar. A super point from Down and a super point from Mooney

:19:17. > :19:21.with a point to prove. He's got tremendous pace. He and Kevin

:19:22. > :19:29.McKernan will be big for them. Great pace. That's a good start. Armagh

:19:30. > :19:35.will have to take a look at him and stop them getting forward. Here's a

:19:36. > :19:47.big man to play at wing half. A good start by him and Down. Is not a

:19:48. > :19:53.great start from Hughes. Into that half of the football pitch. Nothing

:19:54. > :19:59.on, from it in. That is a great pass. Paterson goes wide. Vernon

:20:00. > :20:07.keeps on his feet. Great defending from Vernon. Trying to take on his

:20:08. > :20:15.manner. He gets in second time of asking. Important and link that time

:20:16. > :20:24.from Donaghy. They get the break of ball. 2-0, four minutes,. He lost

:20:25. > :20:32.the ball going through and went to ground. He will have to look at his

:20:33. > :20:40.studs there. What a tackle. Peter Turley made that tackle. Doherty,

:20:41. > :20:47.playing a super, drops back. The turnovers are very important. That

:20:48. > :20:53.was brilliant play by Down. The referee chatting to Grugan and

:20:54. > :21:03.O'Hanlon. The referee is happy with a talking to. Well one in the end by

:21:04. > :21:11.Sheridan. An awkward one right at his feet and it will be a free for

:21:12. > :21:15.Armagh. Murnin tries the shot. Has it got another energy? It doesn't,

:21:16. > :21:23.and drops into the hands of Cunningham. Down have all the time

:21:24. > :21:29.in the world to build from the back. Millar brings it in midfield. He

:21:30. > :21:37.gives it to Peter Turley. Switches the angle of attack. The left-hand

:21:38. > :21:41.side. O'Hagan, it's not often you see quarterback trying to take on

:21:42. > :21:48.his man in the opposition half of the football field. The referee said

:21:49. > :21:54.he illegally slid in. Inside the 45, inside the scoring zone. They

:21:55. > :21:57.started better upfront. They put far more pressure on the Armagh

:21:58. > :22:03.offenders coming out than Armagh do at the other end. A very good Armagh

:22:04. > :22:07.forward. It's not about individuals but how they play together as a team

:22:08. > :22:17.and they have not started well. Jamie Clarke, he's actually not

:22:18. > :22:21.playing in the right position. The goalkeeper, Michael Cunningham will

:22:22. > :22:30.take this. For the first time ever in Gaelic football, his entire warm

:22:31. > :22:38.up routine was just before throwing. He practised 45s. All three went

:22:39. > :22:48.over the bar. This one is slightly inside the 45 metre line. He goes

:22:49. > :22:51.for the flag. Three points. Perfect start from Down. Yes, practice makes

:22:52. > :22:58.perfect and he was right to practice at the other end. He will be used to

:22:59. > :23:02.training through the week. A great start. That puts pressure on the

:23:03. > :23:09.Armagh offence not to give away long range threes. Clarke takes it past

:23:10. > :23:14.the third. He's still going and the referee stopped it.

:23:15. > :23:19.WHISTLE On early evidence, is going to let

:23:20. > :23:24.it go. I've thought Clarke was filed there. The rules state you can't put

:23:25. > :23:32.a hand on a player in Gaelic football. He has been fouled. That

:23:33. > :23:43.is unfair. Three or four times, he was fouled. That's a bad refereeing

:23:44. > :23:50.decision. Spinning around. Here is Millar. The referee says play on. It

:23:51. > :23:57.will be a free for Down. 25 metres for goal. Let's look at this again.

:23:58. > :24:03.Is there much difference in this? Seemingly, when you have two or

:24:04. > :24:11.three, there is no different in attacking. He make that call to give

:24:12. > :24:16.a free. I see no difference. Down are hungry, up for the match and the

:24:17. > :24:19.crowd are getting behind them. The sun is baiting in Pairc Esler,

:24:20. > :24:25.absolutely perfect conditions. Beautiful afternoon, two evenly

:24:26. > :24:29.matched teams before throwing as we saw it. Judging by the opening nine

:24:30. > :24:34.minutes, only one team is really in it and that is a black and red of

:24:35. > :24:42.Down. An opportunity to extend their lead. Puts the ball on the turf. The

:24:43. > :24:55.man taking it is Jerome Kern is to. -- Jerome Kern is in. -- Jerome Kern

:24:56. > :25:01.Johnston. He could not have hit it any better. Nine minutes,. Armagh

:25:02. > :25:07.but no pressure on the free kick at all. The same things for Michael

:25:08. > :25:13.Cunningham. They need to put pressure on him to get 30 metres

:25:14. > :25:26.away. Brilliant free kick. Ball in hand. Still going, came up against a

:25:27. > :25:32.big midfielder. Jamie Clark. Set can he keep it in play? It will be a

:25:33. > :25:42.sideline ball to Down. Early observations? It is all Down.

:25:43. > :25:45.Donaghy caught the throw in in the air and they started well and have

:25:46. > :25:51.carried on from that. Armagh are not got up for the match and have not

:25:52. > :25:59.started playing yet. The referee is blowing the whistle. A file adjudged

:26:00. > :26:06.to have been committed. A free to Down inside their own half, taken by

:26:07. > :26:16.O'Hagan. Five County championships won in succession. Last autumn.

:26:17. > :26:23.McKernan tries to give it to the full-back, McGovern, but here come

:26:24. > :26:31.Down a game. Johnston coming. Looks for support, finds it. Mooney

:26:32. > :26:42.switches the play. 40 yards behind him. He keeps possession of the

:26:43. > :26:49.ball. O'Hanlon to Millar. Very patient from Down. They are not

:26:50. > :26:55.panicking. The sweeper is big thing. Armagh need to push up on McKernan.

:26:56. > :27:00.Plenty of the ball seen in the opening stages of this game. Strong

:27:01. > :27:08.tackle. Illegal tackle according to the referee. O'Hanlon will have felt

:27:09. > :27:13.that. Down are controlling the whole match, playing the ball to the left

:27:14. > :27:18.side and then the right side. They have worked really well with a

:27:19. > :27:22.sweeper system. They got the sidelines. That the best way to go.

:27:23. > :27:28.Armagh, whatever system they are playing, it's not working. Down are

:27:29. > :27:36.going up the sidelines with the ball. Here comes Michael Cunningham

:27:37. > :27:40.again. A bit more difficult now. It certainly is. Much to ponder, those

:27:41. > :27:45.Armagh supporters. They don't know what's going on. One of those points

:27:46. > :27:51.was from the goalkeeper, Cunningham, who has already hit a free from just

:27:52. > :28:01.outside the 45. This one is just inside. Cunningham goes for it. Does

:28:02. > :28:12.it stay in? Brilliant catch and it is a free out. Armagh build a game

:28:13. > :28:19.from the back. Charlie Vernon passes it to McKay. Forker trying to find

:28:20. > :28:27.Jamie Clarke. He's out in front of his man. Over the sideline, the

:28:28. > :28:32.referee says yes, and be a free. Armagh, right on the sideline. No

:28:33. > :28:42.real question about this. It's a great battle. Jamie Clark was

:28:43. > :28:50.pushing up the field. Down are happy to run the ball. Armagh seem to want

:28:51. > :28:53.to kick the ball and they must change the system. When it's not on

:28:54. > :29:04.they need to run the ball. When Armagh get the ball, they should get

:29:05. > :29:10.the players back. O'Neill to take this on the sideline. A very

:29:11. > :29:16.difficult first free. Hits it high. It's dropping short. Brilliant

:29:17. > :29:23.catch. Clarke, a chance. What a finish! Shields finds the back of

:29:24. > :29:27.the net. A fantastic finish into the top corner and all of a sudden,

:29:28. > :29:38.despite that brilliant start from Down, they are only had by one. It's

:29:39. > :29:47.a big score. The Armagh player got to it. Murnin in the air. That's a

:29:48. > :29:50.brilliant catch. It ended up being all the better. Jamie Clarke did

:29:51. > :29:54.really well. They thought it was going to turn it in. It is game on.

:29:55. > :30:04.This should left Armagh. Down on the attack straight with

:30:05. > :30:13.Mooney trying to drift it into Johnson. He gets there. James Morgan

:30:14. > :30:19.is there for company. Armagh building from the back. The captain

:30:20. > :30:28.of the side. Trying to drive his troops and his team-mates. Tried to

:30:29. > :30:33.play inside. Brilliant hand in. The goal was on. Very unlucky, but good

:30:34. > :30:38.defending. What a brilliant start. Darragh O'Hanlon slows it up and

:30:39. > :30:50.finds Conor Maginn. Ryan Johnston still going, but

:30:51. > :30:57.fouled just inside the 65. Thought he was going to thump it in, but

:30:58. > :31:00.thinks twice. Peter Turley down the left side. Tries to play through and

:31:01. > :31:13.does. Finds Nile Donnelly. Johnston tries to go through. The

:31:14. > :31:21.referee says it's a free in. I challenge from Joe McIlroy. -- high

:31:22. > :31:28.challenge. They are over the top on their tackling. Some of them seem

:31:29. > :31:39.too fired up. I think the referee is happy enough not to give out a

:31:40. > :31:42.cardia. Is it a black card? We don't know what different referees will

:31:43. > :31:47.do. He's telling him, you're lucky, but next time you will be under

:31:48. > :31:53.pressure. The Down supporters are not happy. Downward pressure, when

:31:54. > :31:58.you poll a player down like that, a lot of referees would give a black

:31:59. > :32:01.card. Off-camera he went to the linesman and had a brief

:32:02. > :32:08.conversation to check what he saw. Decided against giving the black

:32:09. > :32:13.card, but it's still a free in. Down expected to score, and they do. Two

:32:14. > :32:18.points between the sides and 15 minutes gone. It's a different

:32:19. > :32:23.tactic. Armagh kicking the ball, looking to get longer to be from

:32:24. > :32:27.forward line while Down are running the ball and causing problems

:32:28. > :32:30.running the ball. Another kickout goes wrong. Sunglasses, very much

:32:31. > :32:45.the order of the day. The kickout isn't quite what he

:32:46. > :32:51.wanted, and neither is the sideline kick. The referee over talking to

:32:52. > :32:57.the Armagh support staff. Paddy getting some telling off. He must

:32:58. > :33:02.have put some pressure on the down kicker, Conall McGovern. The

:33:03. > :33:06.kickout, tries to find his man, and that's a brilliant kick. Rochina

:33:07. > :33:13.O'Neill trying to get there in front of his man. Three men down on the

:33:14. > :33:24.turf. The referee says it will be a sideline ball. To Armagh. Paul

:33:25. > :33:30.Hughes. Will he go backwards? Trying to urge everybody up front. Throws

:33:31. > :33:34.it in. A brilliant pass, chance of another goal for Armagh. The

:33:35. > :33:38.goalkeeper came out, the umpires look at one another and it goes over

:33:39. > :33:50.the bar. It's brilliant. We got a great view of it. Give Jamie Tarik a

:33:51. > :33:55.lot of credit for that. What a ball from Paul Hughes, a brilliant ball

:33:56. > :33:58.in. It was the wing halfback who got up the field and it could have been

:33:59. > :34:06.another goal. We don't give enough credit to people running off the

:34:07. > :34:14.ball. Brilliant play by Jamie. Clarke creating the space. A

:34:15. > :34:18.brilliant pass inside. Could have been a second Armagh goal. But it

:34:19. > :34:22.isn't. Two points between the teams. Down with it in the middle. Miller

:34:23. > :34:29.on the left-hand side, floating the ball in. Chance to put it in, he

:34:30. > :34:33.misses. The rebound still isn't clear. Eventually Morgan dives on it

:34:34. > :34:38.and picks it up. Armagh breathe again from the back. What an

:34:39. > :34:43.opportunity. Ball over the top catching them out again. I thought

:34:44. > :34:47.what Harrison should have done, he should have gone past the goalkeeper

:34:48. > :34:55.and tapped it into the empty net. A lot of goal chances. A brilliant

:34:56. > :35:00.game so far they try to keep it in play and eventually the ball goes

:35:01. > :35:04.wide. Don't know if it's brilliant play or awful play. Nonetheless,

:35:05. > :35:18.it's fascinating to watch. Who cares! Bad mistakes by the

:35:19. > :35:21.defenders, ball coming in, trying to isolate, and he's so strong in the

:35:22. > :35:29.air. What great save from the goalkeeper. Brilliant save, credit

:35:30. > :35:39.to the keeper. But who would be a manager in that situation, we see

:35:40. > :35:45.Eamon Burns on the sideline. We are having goal chances now. And it's

:35:46. > :35:48.great, exciting, a lot of mistakes, but it's exciting stuff White one

:35:49. > :35:56.goal and one point from the Armagh backline. Hughes making his

:35:57. > :36:02.championship debut today. He was down and receiving treatment. The

:36:03. > :36:05.physiotherapist moving his hand from left to right, getting him to follow

:36:06. > :36:13.it. One player you definitely don't want to have problems is the

:36:14. > :36:15.goalkeeper. Ethan Rafferty is the substitute goalkeeper, who has

:36:16. > :36:20.played all his football out in the field. I wonder how he feels now.

:36:21. > :36:29.Straight into the full forward line. Brilliantly won. It has the

:36:30. > :36:44.direction. Great score from Down. Two points between the teams.

:36:45. > :36:53.Brilliant by Conall McGovern and a great foot pass in. Opportunity

:36:54. > :37:06.presented itself. Still going, it doesn't curl in. Armagh's second

:37:07. > :37:14.wide of the day. Enjoyable start. Halfbacks doing most of the scoring.

:37:15. > :37:18.A great chance, the whole thing opened up in front of him. Head for

:37:19. > :37:26.the goal and even fist the ball over the bar. It will be a goal kick

:37:27. > :37:39.straightaway, out into the middle of the field. Brilliantly won by Armagh

:37:40. > :37:42.in the middle of the field. Joe McIlroy driving forward, try to give

:37:43. > :37:46.it to Mark Shields. The referee said it was over carrying. That's the

:37:47. > :37:53.third time he has called for that same offence. They have definitely

:37:54. > :37:58.had a decision made. They have referees' meetings every now and

:37:59. > :38:08.again. The ball in a hands-on Aidan Forker yet again, giving it to Oisin

:38:09. > :38:15.O'Neill. Clarke takes on two men, tries to give it inside, a brilliant

:38:16. > :38:19.pass. Opportunity again for Armagh. Brilliant save. Rebound, into the

:38:20. > :38:25.back of the net and it's a goal for Armagh. Despite Down's dominance,

:38:26. > :38:36.it's Armagh with their noses in front. I don't understand looking at

:38:37. > :38:44.it. A brilliant ball forward. Great save by Cunningham, but that man is

:38:45. > :38:55.causing problems, Andrew Murnin. Again Jamie Clarke running and fist

:38:56. > :39:00.the ball inside. Kieran McGeeney would have liked that. He's in the

:39:01. > :39:06.clubhouse behind the goal that Down are defending. He will have had a

:39:07. > :39:11.great view of that Armagh on the attack again. For the last five

:39:12. > :39:15.minutes Aidan Forker has been brilliant. He hit a wide, set up a

:39:16. > :39:27.goal and scored a point. It's all about his work rate. They were

:39:28. > :39:31.kicking long balls in and it wasn't working, but now they are running

:39:32. > :39:38.with the ball. It's important to vary it. A shaky start, but they

:39:39. > :39:40.have settled in well. Ten scores in this game of football and ten

:39:41. > :39:51.different scorers, coming from everywhere. It will be a free in.

:39:52. > :39:57.Ticking backwards. Suddenly we have time to have a bit of rest. Perhaps

:39:58. > :40:01.not. McKern and down the left. Turley just throws it in. Johnston

:40:02. > :40:11.in front of two men. Down to the ground. Johnston has it again. Ryan

:40:12. > :40:22.Johnston tries to take the game to the Armagh defence. James Morgan is

:40:23. > :40:31.there to win it. Free in yet again on the 45 metre line. Conceded by

:40:32. > :40:36.Aidan Forker. A lot of mistakes being made. Armagh showing a lot of

:40:37. > :40:45.indiscipline in their tackles. That's the one thing Kieran McGeeney

:40:46. > :40:51.will be disappointed in. Stop with your body, and get them stopped.

:40:52. > :40:56.Stefan Forker, the scorer of a point, helping to set up the goal.

:40:57. > :41:01.It's been a good few minutes, but he has been caught twice around 45

:41:02. > :41:08.metre line, conceding a free. The first one he conceded wasn't

:41:09. > :41:16.punished, but perhaps this one will. Tyrone Johnston will take the free.

:41:17. > :41:26.His brother Ryan is in the shot. Johnston, left footed. Doesn't have

:41:27. > :41:39.the direction. It stays in play. Miller stoops down to pick it up.

:41:40. > :41:45.Caolan Mooney finds Turley who tries to play a precise ball through. So

:41:46. > :41:52.difficult to do that. He has been caught again. Stefan Campbell, the

:41:53. > :42:03.top scorer for Armagh. His operating around the halfback line.

:42:04. > :42:20.Brilliant tackle from Darren O'Hagan. Down attack from the back.

:42:21. > :42:27.Ryan Johnston again. The referee says to go back. It's a free income

:42:28. > :42:34.taken quickly. O Hanlon. Tries to give it inside to Conor Harrison.

:42:35. > :42:47.Brendan Donaghy tackling. Harrison gets away. Outside of the right

:42:48. > :42:54.boot. Chance of a goal, it's fisted and Armagh win it yet again, out

:42:55. > :43:01.from the back. Brilliant game of football. Very enjoyable game. A lot

:43:02. > :43:06.of mistakes, but very enjoyable. Charlie Vernon, he's the full-back,

:43:07. > :43:13.attacking well, taking on a second man, and the referee says no free.

:43:14. > :43:22.Oisin O'Neill picks up the pieces and Clarke, he can turn on a

:43:23. > :43:25.sixpence. Shot from distance, Paul Hughes, the cornerback, hitting his

:43:26. > :43:34.shot like a corner forward. Brilliant score for Armagh. Jamie

:43:35. > :43:38.Clarke playing well. He's drawing out players, getting the ball, and

:43:39. > :43:43.very unselfish. He laid off a great ball to Paul Hughes. The cornerback

:43:44. > :43:48.on his left foot, very confident. That's what you need for anybody to

:43:49. > :43:52.kick points. Great start from Paul Hughes. Attacking well and doing his

:43:53. > :43:57.bit in defence. Great catch from Turley. Ryan Johnston goes himself,

:43:58. > :44:27.he has Miller outside him. Superb score from the half wingback.

:44:28. > :44:34.Superb score. Working the ball really well. Two great scores.

:44:35. > :44:41.Anything Paul Hughes can do, O Hanlon can do the same at the other.

:44:42. > :44:46.Down win it in their own defence. Armagh were attacking down the

:44:47. > :44:52.middle of the field, but Shane Miller has been everywhere during

:44:53. > :45:01.the first 28 minutes. Harrison with an attempted shot. Great point from

:45:02. > :45:05.Down. Armagh leading by a single score. Good response considering

:45:06. > :45:09.Armagh got the two goals. Miller has been everywhere on the field. Great

:45:10. > :45:16.to have forwards who are confident to kick scores. Good game, exciting

:45:17. > :45:22.game, end to end stuff. And well refereed, letting it go. Armagh are

:45:23. > :45:36.the team that scored more points than anyone else on the

:45:37. > :45:51.island of Ireland. He's moving around the midfield area now. Good

:45:52. > :45:56.target for free kickouts. Forker hits with the outside of the boot

:45:57. > :46:01.but it goes wide. A great player to have, but his workrate is

:46:02. > :46:08.unbelievable at wing half forward. Armagh leading by a single score.

:46:09. > :46:14.Defence have been on top so far. Kieran McGeeney, he won't be happy

:46:15. > :46:18.with the Armagh defence. They are indiscipline. Both attacks have been

:46:19. > :46:24.on top, and we haven't said that in a long time in Gaelic football. Down

:46:25. > :46:33.in possession inside their own half. Brilliant tackle. Fabulous, and the

:46:34. > :46:33.full forward step in, Campbell. Forker does well to maintain

:46:34. > :46:51.possession. Brendan Donaghy from the Clonmore

:46:52. > :46:56.club in North Armagh. Charlie Vernon driving at the Down defence, finding

:46:57. > :47:02.Clarke. He's not tempted by the score. Instead he goes for Vernon,

:47:03. > :47:09.who goes for the fisted point, but it's fisted wide. Good chance for a

:47:10. > :47:12.score. Maybe that's why he wears number three, but he works really

:47:13. > :47:18.hard. Jamie Clarke causing the problems again. He's taking on the

:47:19. > :47:21.extra man. Charlie Vernon has moved to the midfield area. They have made

:47:22. > :47:26.that switch and he's improved things. All eyes on Jamie Clarke

:47:27. > :47:30.ahead of this game. People expect him to have a brilliant game, but

:47:31. > :47:36.it's a brilliant game in a different way to perhaps Down envisaged. Visit

:47:37. > :47:40.is important in football nowadays, more than anything else. He's

:47:41. > :47:45.creating the problems. The crowd getting behind both teams. Oisin

:47:46. > :47:50.O'Neill is by the tackle as if it didn't happen. The captain of his

:47:51. > :48:00.side leading by example. Goes for the score left footed. It goes wide.

:48:01. > :48:13.8-2.3. A penny for Eamon Burns' thoughts. It's all about turnovers.

:48:14. > :48:18.Maybe for Eamon Burns and Kieran McGeeney it's not so good. The other

:48:19. > :48:21.forwards are panicking and taking the wrong option. Especially when

:48:22. > :48:28.running through. They seem happier when they kick the ball from out the

:48:29. > :48:33.field, the Armagh forwards. Charlie Vernon in a midfield giving it to

:48:34. > :48:40.Jamie Clarke, who looks to off-load. Tackle from behind, unbelievably

:48:41. > :48:49.still winning it. O'Hagan again finds Kevin McKernan. Driving at the

:48:50. > :48:55.Armagh defence. O Hanlon is the man outside, he finds in. Shane Miller

:48:56. > :49:01.with the chance of a skull. Shooting outside the D. It goes over and Down

:49:02. > :49:05.have the skull. The Ulster Championship, having an average of

:49:06. > :49:09.12 points on average between the teams, now it's approaching

:49:10. > :49:17.half-time with the sides level. We see Eamon Burns again happy on the

:49:18. > :49:20.outside. Brilliant play by O'Hagan, the captain, the cornerback.

:49:21. > :49:27.Brilliant play to dispossess Jamie Clarke. That's what they do, pushing

:49:28. > :49:34.up the field. Kevin McKernan needs to do more of that. Campbell looking

:49:35. > :49:38.for the offer on, doesn't have one so goes himself. He goes for the

:49:39. > :49:43.skull from way out on the right. It stays in play. Andrew Murnin jumps

:49:44. > :49:47.and catches. Brilliant sleep. Driving at the heart of the Down

:49:48. > :49:53.defence, but gives it to the Down captain. O'Hagan leading again.

:49:54. > :49:58.Looking for the return pass. Ryan Johnston hazard. He has seen a lot

:49:59. > :50:07.of the ball during the opening half. Two minutes to go until the first

:50:08. > :50:11.half injury time. O Hanlon, every opportunity he has attacked from

:50:12. > :50:16.wingback. Conor Harrison took an awkward bounce ahead of him. It

:50:17. > :50:21.gives an opportunity for Armagh to get back and it's a free out. I

:50:22. > :50:24.can't understand why Down persisting kicking the ball in that situation.

:50:25. > :50:35.When they run the ball they cause all kinds of problems. Down made a

:50:36. > :50:43.brilliant recovery in the latter stages of the league season, saving

:50:44. > :50:46.their skin in Division 2. Despite conceding two goals, they have come

:50:47. > :50:52.right back and the sides level. Perhaps there is more character in

:50:53. > :50:57.the Down team than people observe. Joe McIlroy try to give it to Jamie

:50:58. > :51:04.Clarke, under severe pressure. Jamie Clarke doesn't go for the shot, a

:51:05. > :51:12.brilliant dummy. The pass was just in front of Andrew Murnin. Off the

:51:13. > :51:16.post, and Down clear. Just when you thought the half couldn't get any

:51:17. > :51:20.better, what an opportunity for Armagh. Two attempts after the

:51:21. > :51:25.initial shot. They wanted the goal. They just didn't get it. Caught

:51:26. > :51:31.brilliantly by Jamie Clarke. That's what you pay money to see. If the

:51:32. > :51:36.pass was better the ball was in the back of the net again. He's creating

:51:37. > :51:40.a lot of problems. Very unselfish. Andrew Murnin just wants to score

:51:41. > :51:45.goals. He doesn't like scoring points. He goes for the goal but

:51:46. > :51:51.hits the post. Fantastic effort. It's exciting stuff, and the crowd

:51:52. > :51:55.really it. A picture tells its own story. We have to give the referee

:51:56. > :52:00.credit, he has contributed by letting it go. Give him credit and

:52:01. > :52:02.the two teams as well. It's all out, everybody going for it, and it's a

:52:03. > :52:17.great game. That's the point I'm making, why are

:52:18. > :52:26.they kicking the ball in? Run with it and cause problems.

:52:27. > :52:37.The cornerback, Paul Hughes, perhaps looking for another point. They shot

:52:38. > :52:44.comes in from a long way out from Sheridan. Absolutely fantastic. The

:52:45. > :52:47.Down fans in front of us were jeering as the shot went over

:52:48. > :52:53.because they initially thought it was going Myles White. It just crept

:52:54. > :52:57.in and Armagh are just in front as we approach half-time. Stephen

:52:58. > :53:03.Sheridan not known for his ability to kick points, but he's a really

:53:04. > :53:08.hard worker. Great kick, and he is also picking up McKern and when he

:53:09. > :53:11.comes forward. Paul Hughes is having a storm at cornerback coming

:53:12. > :53:17.forward. The referee blows the whistle. The ball into the middle of

:53:18. > :53:23.the field. The sun remains. What half of football. Despite its Armagh

:53:24. > :53:26.leading by a point at the break. A very interesting quick story that

:53:27. > :53:33.happened, I went out for dinner with Eamon Coleman just a couple of weeks

:53:34. > :53:40.before he died, and two coaches. Eamon Burns was with Monaghan, he

:53:41. > :53:48.went to the wrong dressing room at half-time and was told where to go.

:53:49. > :53:52.Sweat pouring down the face of Shane Miller. He has been everywhere

:53:53. > :54:01.during the first half at the end of moves. Despite that, the half-time

:54:02. > :54:06.score, Down with nine points, Armagh on two goals and four. It's

:54:07. > :54:12.half-time. STUDIO: Thomas is pitch side. From a Down perspective, what

:54:13. > :54:20.are the positives for you? We started well, moving very quick,

:54:21. > :54:23.transitions from back to front were excellent, but then disappointed to

:54:24. > :54:29.give away a sloppy goal. They were on the front foot. We got unlucky.

:54:30. > :54:33.We came back level, a tremendous goal from them at the end. Our

:54:34. > :54:36.tackling has been excellent. We kept the chances limited. If we can keep

:54:37. > :54:41.moving the ball quickly, that's our strength. Is pace key? You get

:54:42. > :54:46.rewards when you run at the Armagh defence at pace. They are a big a

:54:47. > :54:51.physical side and we don't want to arm wrestle. If we move the ball

:54:52. > :54:56.quickly, that's our strength. We have to do that and the scores are

:54:57. > :54:59.there for the taking. Armagh had another couple of opportunities to

:55:00. > :55:04.score. How do you get it higher up the pitch in the second of? We have

:55:05. > :55:08.to make sure the sweepers get up the pitch. The long balls have caught

:55:09. > :55:12.them out. We need to get them back quicker. We need to make sure they

:55:13. > :55:17.don't get any space inside. And a lack of communication on the first

:55:18. > :55:21.goal also cost us. A bit of a breeze in the first half in Armagh's

:55:22. > :55:25.favour. What a game for the neutrals. STUDIO: There you have it.

:55:26. > :55:32.One good game and we forget all the pain. You both hinted it would be

:55:33. > :55:35.close and it's been a cracker. Fantastic game. Down started

:55:36. > :55:39.brilliantly and every fan will be delighted to see them throwing their

:55:40. > :55:43.bodies at it with more intensity, fantastic quality of play, moving

:55:44. > :55:47.the ball forward Greg. Four points on the board and they stormed

:55:48. > :55:52.Armagh. It was looking good for Down, but Armagh came back into it.

:55:53. > :55:59.You are expecting it to air band flow in the second half? I would

:56:00. > :56:02.expect Armagh to get on top at some point. We talked the game up

:56:03. > :56:11.beforehand and it hasn't disappointed. Credit to the referee

:56:12. > :56:17.in some respect. And to both sets of players that have gone at it. Any

:56:18. > :56:21.time anyone from Down or Armagh has injected pace into the game it's a

:56:22. > :56:24.really good spectacle. You just complemented a referee. I'm going to

:56:25. > :56:38.fall off the chair. He's having a good game. Great to see him out

:56:39. > :56:42.there looking so fit. It's tough coming out from a professional

:56:43. > :56:46.sport. It's taken a year or two to settle into life peer. He got

:56:47. > :56:50.himself sorted off the field. He's the reason Down are in Division 2

:56:51. > :56:54.next season, he's fantastic. He beat three Armagh players on the outside,

:56:55. > :56:58.and the decision-making has let him down in the past come but that was a

:56:59. > :57:06.good option to take the fisted point. Great tackling in the Down

:57:07. > :57:10.forward line. Great to get a turnover there. Under that pressure,

:57:11. > :57:14.Johnston squeezed the ball onto the right foot and it was a dream start.

:57:15. > :57:18.It can't be underestimated the pressure he's under to even get boot

:57:19. > :57:24.to ball and get power over the bar. It's a fantastic start. No room to

:57:25. > :57:31.work with, just a snapshot. Credit to Eamon Burns who has been going

:57:32. > :57:34.well in training. It took Armagh a while to get going, but when the

:57:35. > :57:40.Orchard got going the apples fell from the tree. I think Armagh had

:57:41. > :57:46.five Gold chances in the first half. Probably unlucky not to take another

:57:47. > :57:51.couple of them. Oisin O'Neill going for a score. What's Andrew Murnin

:57:52. > :57:54.claiming? Unlucky not to take it. Jamie Clarke had the presence of

:57:55. > :57:59.mind with bodies around. Mark Shields, not a lot of room to work

:58:00. > :58:07.with, he was able to get in between. Poor attempt at a tackle from

:58:08. > :58:12.Anthony Doherty. There are four Down defenders around him. He shouldn't

:58:13. > :58:16.have been given the space, let's be realistic, with Down with all those

:58:17. > :58:22.players back, he shouldn't be afforded the room. Another brilliant

:58:23. > :58:27.ball in and Aaron McKay, he won't find himself in those situations too

:58:28. > :58:32.often. He didn't have a nosebleed, he still was able to get a kick.

:58:33. > :58:37.Cunningham closed him down well and it was a good score. He obviously

:58:38. > :58:41.wanted a goal at that stage. But Armagh were big-time on top at that

:58:42. > :58:47.point and they created four or five very good gold chances. Michael

:58:48. > :58:51.Cunningham was quick to come off his line but then the down keeper was

:58:52. > :58:55.beaten again. Armagh with a sniff of goal, and Jamie Clarke has been

:58:56. > :59:00.outstanding in the distribution role. The first couple of balls of

:59:01. > :59:04.Jamie Clarke, trying to take on O'Hagan. O'Hagan got the better of

:59:05. > :59:08.him. Then he tries to slip it in, takes the step from Campbell. Good

:59:09. > :59:14.save from Cunningham, but Andrew Murnin puts the rebound in well. The

:59:15. > :59:19.Armagh forward line we spoke about before the game looks dangerous.

:59:20. > :59:24.Jamie Clarke might finish this game with no scores, but what he has to

:59:25. > :59:27.learn, and it still a learning process, when all the attention is

:59:28. > :59:33.on him, it gives him the opportunity to slip the ball to somebody else

:59:34. > :59:36.and for the likes of Campbell and Andrew Murnin, they should be

:59:37. > :59:44.finishing this game with five or six apiece.

:59:45. > :59:52.Bravo from Belfast, thanks for getting in touch to say Jamie

:59:53. > :59:57.Clarke, the conductor which sums it up. For all of his material

:59:58. > :00:02.brilliance, we could have thrown up four or five brilliant scores. Talk

:00:03. > :00:07.us through this one. Harrison is coming from the start. He's done

:00:08. > :00:11.everything right. It was a great save by Hughes. It's been a much

:00:12. > :00:20.talked about position for Armagh. That was a very powerful shot. If

:00:21. > :00:26.that had hit the net, Eamon Burns had his hands in his head because

:00:27. > :00:34.Armagh had not scored at that stage. That was a big say. He's come in and

:00:35. > :00:43.made it his own. His kick outs are good, he's confident and insured --

:00:44. > :00:46.assured. Without disrespect to Rafferty, you may have thought there

:00:47. > :00:51.is not an immediate replacement on the bench. We know how it went last

:00:52. > :00:58.year. We wouldn't want to see more of that. In the last ten years,

:00:59. > :01:02.we've had probably 11 or 12 goalkeepers within the Armagh set

:01:03. > :01:09.up. This young lad has cemented his place. The defences confident in his

:01:10. > :01:14.ability. His kick outs very, very good. Goalkeepers will make

:01:15. > :01:20.mistakes. Stick with him because he's the future. The game seesawed

:01:21. > :01:27.and each time you thought one team could be stealing it, back the

:01:28. > :01:33.others came. Super 8 got scores. O'Hanlon, typical of the way they

:01:34. > :01:43.have been playing. Freedom. That's a great term. Super 8, massive return

:01:44. > :01:47.in the first half, nine. He will have a go all day at those in

:01:48. > :01:56.training. It's great to see him nail a few here today. Great strength.

:01:57. > :02:02.That was needed at that stage. Down really just glad that stage. We have

:02:03. > :02:11.been waxing lyrical about Jamie Clarke. Almost into injury time,

:02:12. > :02:22.Makro and Anthony Donaghy can take credit for this. Jamie Clarke, that

:02:23. > :02:29.of magic. Going solo. Most players would be happy to get a point that

:02:30. > :02:35.that stage. I think Doherty got a hand to it here, didn't he? Yes,

:02:36. > :02:41.came through a number of bodies but it's great defending. That was off a

:02:42. > :02:45.backward step on his backward foot. Such a difficult effort, one of the

:02:46. > :02:55.best goals this season for sure. Just the way he dummied Michael

:02:56. > :03:00.Cunningham. Great defending by Doherty. Every time Armagh go

:03:01. > :03:07.forward, they looked like they have the possibility of golden

:03:08. > :03:14.opportunities. Armagh, another two goals, could finish this game. You

:03:15. > :03:21.picked out O'Hagan and he was having a good one. There's a couple of good

:03:22. > :03:26.ones at which one with Thomas. Thank you. We talked about the conditions

:03:27. > :03:29.in the game. A breeze developing. From a Armagh perspective, what will

:03:30. > :03:36.you take from the first half? That we are still in it, thank God,

:03:37. > :03:42.terrible first ten minutes. If we can get any sort of ball, with the

:03:43. > :03:48.breeze on our back in the second half, the winning of the game as

:03:49. > :03:57.there. Conversely, the battle with Charlie Vernon, and thankfully we

:03:58. > :04:03.close down Harrison. He's given as a whole lot of trouble. In many ways

:04:04. > :04:13.you have benefited from the fact Down have been at slow. Yes, they

:04:14. > :04:20.have brought the ball out a place. When they are coming out slow. They

:04:21. > :04:24.are not creating scoring chances. Armagh are picking their passes a

:04:25. > :04:31.little bit about. May be the breeze is a bit of a factor. Creating

:04:32. > :04:34.chances. For me, now we are settled into the game, I think it's

:04:35. > :04:40.difficult for Down in the second half. Danny Hughes, from starring on

:04:41. > :04:47.the field, you are now Stuart. What a start. A super start from Down,

:04:48. > :04:51.the first 15, they were on top. Armagh were not in the game am not

:04:52. > :04:58.getting the ball forward, but you could see when Jamie Clarke was

:04:59. > :05:01.getting a term here and there, it was smart the way he was making runs

:05:02. > :05:11.and creating space. Darren is playing well. You can see, when he

:05:12. > :05:15.gets away, he's very dangerous. Armagh are looking to score a goal

:05:16. > :05:20.every time they go forward. It's an entertaining game of football if

:05:21. > :05:25.nothing else. So many matches now, the battle around the middle of the

:05:26. > :05:35.pitch dictate the game in terms of breaking ball and clean catches.

:05:36. > :05:44.It's a pretty open game of football. Armagh are pushing a man up. At the

:05:45. > :05:48.minute, I'd just think Armagh, every time they go forward, they looked

:05:49. > :05:55.like scoring a goal. I think Down need to go a bit more direct. Go

:05:56. > :05:59.more up the field. It's a bit of a worry, you know. Thank you very

:06:00. > :06:10.much. It all to play for in the second half. Tank you, Thomas and

:06:11. > :06:15.Danny. He was expressing concern and feels Down is vulnerable at the

:06:16. > :06:21.back. There's no doubt about that. We were talking about it. It

:06:22. > :06:25.shouldn't happen from a sideline kick. The defence should be set up

:06:26. > :06:30.and away to cut it out. It travelled 60 metres. When it gets too

:06:31. > :06:35.defensive you grumble and then beget an open game and you still grumble.

:06:36. > :06:45.This is as happy as we could be right now. I'd take your point

:06:46. > :06:46.entirely. We are going to take you on a mystery player journey now. Can

:06:47. > :07:26.you identify the mystery player? I haven't got a clue. Both of them

:07:27. > :07:33.had it before the second shot. That so clued in they are. He's a

:07:34. > :07:36.midfielder and he likes to cycle. We will reveal all post match. The

:07:37. > :07:44.second half is about to get underway. Do get in touch. Jamie

:07:45. > :07:49.Clarke is running the show at there. In terms of management, is there

:07:50. > :07:56.much either will do in the second half? You think O'Hagan will be

:07:57. > :08:01.disappointed not to start but you expect to see him come off the

:08:02. > :08:06.bench? I expect to see him. He can get goals and points. I would be

:08:07. > :08:09.interested in the psychology, he's bound to be very disappointed, how

:08:10. > :08:14.he dealt with not starting because he would've expected to start. Willy

:08:15. > :08:25.Wonka to contribute or will you be annoyed? -- will he want to

:08:26. > :08:30.contribute. I've not seen much of Armagh this year. If anything you

:08:31. > :08:35.think Kieran McGeeney could weave into this to make an impact? The one

:08:36. > :08:39.player who is unlucky who didn't start in the middle of the field,

:08:40. > :08:48.he's a player who can come in and make a difference. O'Hanlon has

:08:49. > :08:58.scores in him. The problem Armagh have is possibly at the other end of

:08:59. > :09:06.the field. Harrison, then Armagh can win the game. Charlie is better off

:09:07. > :09:11.the field at this stage. Armagh, it's so traditional. Man-to-man

:09:12. > :09:18.marking. If you are pitted against a marker, fair enough, you can get one

:09:19. > :09:21.more switch and then get taken. It's been very manly stuff in the first

:09:22. > :09:28.half. Stuff we have not seen. We talks about it being a derby. You

:09:29. > :09:32.could wind the clock back to the 90s. They would not be much

:09:33. > :09:39.difference. It's been a really enjoyable game. I still think Armagh

:09:40. > :09:47.can click on with the game. It's been OK Corral as a shot taking at

:09:48. > :09:55.us and we can take a shot at you. Is there the potential for extra time?

:09:56. > :09:58.Could it be that tight in 35mm time? There is definitely potential. The

:09:59. > :10:04.way the game unfolded towards the back end of the first Armagh half,

:10:05. > :10:10.back on the pitch already, the goal chances are a big worry for Down and

:10:11. > :10:19.if they concede another goal it could been curtains but given their

:10:20. > :10:24.good start, we could see extra time. However, I think we'll stick with

:10:25. > :10:29.our original predictions that Armagh will stick it. You will be very

:10:30. > :10:38.popular when you go home. I'll give you a tip, don't go into your local

:10:39. > :10:48.tonight! Armagh Are out and Down are just about to come out. I'm sticking

:10:49. > :10:52.Armagh with Armagh because they are scores in the forward line. Without

:10:53. > :10:57.losing glimpses of what the game can do so far. Keep it fairly tight,

:10:58. > :11:09.defensively and then definitely Armagh. The second half commentary

:11:10. > :11:15.is coming up from Martin and Thomas. COMMENTATOR: Welcome everybody back

:11:16. > :11:18.to Pairc Esler. Fantastic game of football. I'm thoroughly enjoying

:11:19. > :11:25.watching it but I've imagine if you are the referee, match manager, you

:11:26. > :11:30.might be tearing your hair out at times. Exactly, different people

:11:31. > :11:36.over the country are saying it's a very enjoyable match and other

:11:37. > :11:39.people are getting tactics right and thinking it's not what we want to

:11:40. > :11:45.see but from a crowd point of view, people watching on TV, we are

:11:46. > :11:54.enjoying it. It's been brilliant so far. Very enjoyable. It's a game we

:11:55. > :11:58.needed badly. The bench will be very important. This is a quarter which

:11:59. > :12:13.warrants a lot of matches. No changes to Armagh Down or. We wonder

:12:14. > :12:27.what was said. Tackle foiled by Forker. A free in for Down. Managers

:12:28. > :12:34.like to settle your team down, get the defence settle down. McKernan

:12:35. > :12:43.stays far back and then has that momentum and both of them, give them

:12:44. > :12:51.credit, he will say he is lucky it's not a Donegal match. It is a nice

:12:52. > :12:56.easy good match and you got to give credit to the players as well. You

:12:57. > :13:06.are wondering what was the delay. The goalkeeper Cunningham, he looked

:13:07. > :13:12.at the ball and then O'Hanlon said, no, I will take it. It goes wide.

:13:13. > :13:17.Opening moments of the second half and the crowd at Pairc Esler, the

:13:18. > :13:24.Ulster championship needed this today. Definitely. We watched

:13:25. > :13:32.Cunningham kicking from there before the game started. Let him have a go

:13:33. > :13:43.at it. Forker trying to play it through to Clarke. He brings it back

:13:44. > :13:48.inside. Pops it out. Grugan. Campbell tries to pick it up, but

:13:49. > :13:55.the ball has gone loose into the hands of Turley. Brilliant play from

:13:56. > :14:04.the midfielder. Johnston, good tackle, and the referee says it's

:14:05. > :14:10.going to be a Armagh goal. Of the 15 scores, 13 from play. You have got

:14:11. > :14:16.to give Down credit, they are working hard. They are really

:14:17. > :14:21.putting in tackles. Campbell should get there before it goes out of play

:14:22. > :14:24.and he does. Right on the corner line. Campbell still going. Trying

:14:25. > :14:32.to go on his manner game. Jamie Clark. Charlie Vernon just dips

:14:33. > :14:38.ahead and goes. Moving side words. He finds Shields, the scorer of the

:14:39. > :14:45.first goal in the first half. Shields still going. Great tackle

:14:46. > :14:55.from Mooney. Eventually it's picked up by Turley. A brilliant tackle by

:14:56. > :15:04.Mooney. That is what coaches do, get their hands across the player. Great

:15:05. > :15:08.tackle. Armagh superb tackling. Ryan Johnson. Weaving his way through the

:15:09. > :15:18.Armagh offence. Trying to give it to his brother. I can tell you that the

:15:19. > :15:24.Johnston brothers have plenty of history with these games through the

:15:25. > :15:30.years. It's a fascinating battle to watch. Falling for Down. This time

:15:31. > :15:37.they will go for the goalkeeper Michael Cunningham. The big

:15:38. > :15:49.Crossmaglen man will take this just behind the 45. He places a gently on

:15:50. > :15:52.the turf. The ground is in pristine condition at Pairc Esler, a superb

:15:53. > :16:00.surface. Great weather, great crowd, superb atmosphere. A chance for

:16:01. > :16:08.Down. They could strike level. Michael Cunningham kicks it. It

:16:09. > :16:13.doesn't go over the bar. He didn't catch it right at all on the ground

:16:14. > :16:23.when he kicked it. Here's a very good kicker. Down will be

:16:24. > :16:29.disappointed. The goalkeeper has ball in hand. He is a way out from

:16:30. > :16:37.goal and could lose it. Hughes could be in bother here. The Down players

:16:38. > :16:44.know he's out of his goal. Straightaway stopping the danger

:16:45. > :16:49.with Shields. Down are putting pressure on. The goalkeeper has ball

:16:50. > :16:55.in hand. I was thinking, the ball needs to be got rid of quickly. It's

:16:56. > :16:58.good to use or goalkeeper and teams do use them, but from the point of

:16:59. > :17:08.view, you have to be certain. Get rid of it, lay it off quickly. A

:17:09. > :17:13.chance to draw level, O'Hanlon scored two points today, needed

:17:14. > :17:23.three. Level, with five minutes gone in the first half. Armagh, they

:17:24. > :17:28.didn't have goalkeeper is coming up. We've seen the exact same thing in

:17:29. > :17:32.Dublin. They haven't got a very good reserve goalkeeper. Peter Turley

:17:33. > :17:42.tries to keep it in play brilliantly. In fact, it was

:17:43. > :17:49.Doherty. He polished off that a few moments ago. Down are in front. The

:17:50. > :17:56.players are pushing and shoving one another. Donaghy, it's all kicking

:17:57. > :18:06.off at Pairc Esler and the sides are level. It came down from the

:18:07. > :18:20.goalkeeper. Brilliant play by Donnelly. You can see it, O'Hanlon

:18:21. > :18:22.was confident to kick it. That is a good score. Down started the second

:18:23. > :18:30.half the way they started the first half. He's letting Hughes now here's

:18:31. > :18:36.the scorer of four points today. A very experienced man. One of only

:18:37. > :18:41.three Armagh players still in the squad with an Ulster championship

:18:42. > :18:49.medal. O'Hanlon goes into the referee's notepad, a yellow card.

:18:50. > :18:55.The first yellow card today. 42 minutes gone, 11-2. Kick out. High

:18:56. > :18:59.out in the middle of the field. Armagh are going to bring on a

:19:00. > :19:10.substitute. Turley wins the breaking ball. O'Hanlon changes the ball

:19:11. > :19:15.direction to Mooney. Jarreau and Johnson is outmuscled. -- Jarreau

:19:16. > :19:30.met Johnson. -- sometimes you make the run and don't

:19:31. > :19:40.get it. The momentum is with the defender. Charlie Vernon being taken

:19:41. > :19:46.off now. The first move, Grimley has come in. It means Donaghy is the

:19:47. > :19:51.only player on the field with an Ulster championship medal. It

:19:52. > :20:03.Ball inside their own half. Grimley has come on.

:20:04. > :20:13.He uses his strength well. Hughes, the pass was not perfect but he made

:20:14. > :20:17.the most of it. He scored a point in the first half. He gives it a

:20:18. > :20:23.Shields, who scored a goal in the first half. Looking for options, and

:20:24. > :20:27.eventually finds O'Neill. Lovely, lazy style, the way he had said but

:20:28. > :20:32.it drops short into the hands of the goalkeeper. Millar comes away with

:20:33. > :20:40.it for Down on the break, crosses the fortified metre line. James

:20:41. > :20:45.Morgan with a clenched fist. The referee says it is Down's ball.

:20:46. > :20:51.Brilliantly picked up by Ryan Johnston. It's not good enough. The

:20:52. > :20:58.ball does not go over the bar. It goes wide. A brilliant turnaround at

:20:59. > :21:06.the other end. I think the breeze is stronger than you realise. Great

:21:07. > :21:13.block. It's important to get down. Again, good movement. I've thought

:21:14. > :21:18.Johnston should've carried on with the ball. Armagh on the attack yet

:21:19. > :21:35.again. They win it inside their own half. Joe Mac arrived. -- Mac Roy.

:21:36. > :21:39.Sierras Mooney, who spent a lot of time in Australia playing

:21:40. > :21:48.professional sport with the AFL. It is ambitious. Great score from him.

:21:49. > :21:54.The second of today, Mooney, the first after five minutes, and now he

:21:55. > :21:59.has got the last. 45 minutes,. A brilliant score. Great tackle.

:22:00. > :22:10.Brilliant play by Maginn to make that tackle. Mooney, we always say

:22:11. > :22:21.give him the ball. A good score. Sheridan foiled. Murnin has done

:22:22. > :22:26.well. He tries to take a hand to it, trying to find someone. Now you can

:22:27. > :22:35.see pushing and shoving. Here it comes again. There is the full-back

:22:36. > :22:44.for Down. McGovern in a headlock. He gets up. Quite wisely, the captain

:22:45. > :22:48.goes, calm down. The match umpire is now talking to the referee. Will see

:22:49. > :23:00.a valid thing comes out of that. I thought he was fouled. He created a

:23:01. > :23:04.problem for himself. He ended up picking up a yellow card. He was

:23:05. > :23:13.definitely fouled when the ball went in. Particularly at the right side.

:23:14. > :23:22.They are not getting anything out of it. It's going to be a free inside

:23:23. > :23:28.their own 30 metre line. The ball is in the hands of Michael Cunningham.

:23:29. > :23:43.His challenge up debut in 2014, a qualifying win. McGovern goes again.

:23:44. > :23:52.He tries to find Mooney. McAleenan able to hit. A good tackler on the

:23:53. > :24:06.ball and so was this man. Over the bar it goes! A great score from him.

:24:07. > :24:09.Maginn. That the brilliant score. The difference is, going back to

:24:10. > :24:15.what I've said in the first half, Armagh kicking the ball forward.

:24:16. > :24:18.Down are running the ball and that's working. The sweeper getting

:24:19. > :24:27.forward. He needs to get on the ball. It's been very solid so far

:24:28. > :24:34.for Down. He's holding it together, doing the simple things right,

:24:35. > :24:40.keeping a cool head. Down scored the first scores today. The referee has

:24:41. > :24:46.paused play because one of the players is injured. How important is

:24:47. > :24:52.experienced now? A third of Armagh's team to date has not played in the

:24:53. > :24:57.championship before. There is a strong breeze but leaders are very

:24:58. > :25:02.important and this third quarter, Down have been the better side.

:25:03. > :25:07.Armagh needed a girl but did not score. It's the same situation in

:25:08. > :25:12.the second half. Down have been the better side, you have to save. They

:25:13. > :25:22.deserve their lead. O'Hagan looks like he could be coming on. Ryan

:25:23. > :25:27.Johnston is back on his feet. Grimley has it. Here come Armagh yet

:25:28. > :25:33.again. A tackle from Maginn was weak. Moving forward, Murnin are

:25:34. > :25:40.running out. He leans back, does not have the accuracy. It goes wide. I

:25:41. > :25:46.think that's when they are creating problems. They are trying to get the

:25:47. > :25:52.likes of Jamie Clarke on the ball. He has been handed the ball. The

:25:53. > :25:57.second half, he's the orchestrator of the whole thing but they have not

:25:58. > :26:04.got the ball to him. Even though he has been marked, and the ball to him

:26:05. > :26:08.and he will do the rest. 16,168, the official attendance here today.

:26:09. > :26:14.Everyone of them treated to a brilliant game football, plenty of

:26:15. > :26:19.mistakes but at least it is close. Campbell trying to take on his man

:26:20. > :26:33.from behind. He allows the advantage to go. Armagh score. Down down 13

:26:34. > :26:37.point. The man who got that one was Anthony Duffy. Is first one since he

:26:38. > :26:51.came on as a substitute. He came on for O'Neill. They ran the ball. It's

:26:52. > :26:59.not working for them. He picked up an injury there, Donaghy. He seems

:27:00. > :27:04.to be in discomfort. A big strong player, fantastic game so far.

:27:05. > :27:12.Influential in midfield along with Peter Turley. We will see if he's

:27:13. > :27:18.able to continue. Let's look at the incident. The goes for the ball,

:27:19. > :27:22.lays back, and it was the left foot of Grimley, no question it was

:27:23. > :27:28.accidental but he came down hard on his calf muscle, I think it is. He

:27:29. > :27:37.has been there, done it all before. His wife Patricia is beside him.

:27:38. > :27:46.Eamon Burns has done it to. Two all Ireland medals to his name. Donaghy

:27:47. > :27:52.is in agony. Doesn't look like he's going to be able to continue. His

:27:53. > :27:56.leg went under him. His foot caught him as he went down to the ground.

:27:57. > :28:06.We look at the scoreboard and talk about points. You will get goals and

:28:07. > :28:13.points are important. That's the difference. It shows you that Down

:28:14. > :28:18.have been the better team. It's important to those battles. The ball

:28:19. > :28:29.comes to the middle of the field, both players go up for it, and it is

:28:30. > :28:37.the ankle of Donaghy. It's the lower part of his leg. Painful. The

:28:38. > :28:40.structure has come on. It's great to see him on his feet. Since he was

:28:41. > :28:50.introduced, he has been playing well. Barry O'Hagan is coming on. So

:28:51. > :29:02.too is another man, and that is David McKernan. As we say, O'Hagan

:29:03. > :29:09.is coming on and so to is David McKernan. His game ending sooner

:29:10. > :29:15.than he thought. There is a pause in the game. Everybody is looking

:29:16. > :29:21.around. How can this impact at game of football because of the crucial

:29:22. > :29:26.stage? It could affect Down more than Armagh. The memento MORI with

:29:27. > :29:28.Down. Armagh felt they wanted to keep the game going.

:29:29. > :29:44.APPLAUSE Here's a loss to them. You feel that

:29:45. > :29:49.Armagh at some stage will take over at some stage in the game so the

:29:50. > :29:53.next five minutes are big for Armagh.

:29:54. > :29:59.Barry O'Hagan, welcome to Championship football. It has been

:30:00. > :30:08.the top scorer throughout the league. A brilliant person to be

:30:09. > :30:17.able to bring on as substitute. Mark Shields.

:30:18. > :30:25.Down have 13 players back behind the ball. Long ball to the front forward

:30:26. > :30:32.line. Campbell has curled it a bit too much. Ball still in play.

:30:33. > :30:33.Brilliantly won by O Hanlon, popping up everywhere. Fiennes Ryan

:30:34. > :30:48.Johnston. That's a brilliant pass. Superb ball

:30:49. > :30:53.to McGovern. Not another person in the ground saw that. Brendan

:30:54. > :30:56.Dovegate in front of his man, snatching possession back for

:30:57. > :31:12.Armagh, building again from the back with Morgan.

:31:13. > :31:23.Fork away out on the left-hand side. Highball into the danger zone.

:31:24. > :31:36.Andrew Murnin drops it. Down, away at pace. Caolan Mooney. The referee

:31:37. > :31:40.says no. That's a black card, has to be. Interesting to see what the

:31:41. > :31:49.referee does. He got the call from the linesman. Armagh weren't happy

:31:50. > :31:56.he touched the ball on the ground. The hand when the ball breaks away

:31:57. > :31:59.here. Jamie Clarke breaks for the ball and he picked up the hand

:32:00. > :32:09.there. The incident happened just after the replay. The referee taking

:32:10. > :32:17.the name of Anthony Doherty. On his Championship debut, he has a black

:32:18. > :32:26.card. Turnover. You are not allowed to hand trip. We have seen that so

:32:27. > :32:36.often in the Ulster Championship. Cahill Murray Dummett the great

:32:37. > :32:43.coach. -- Cahill Murray, the great coach. Higgins. Following the play.

:32:44. > :32:54.Armagh with the ball in, try to give it inside. Ryan Johnston has it.

:32:55. > :33:04.McKern and does well to pick out a red shirt. Mooney can go at pace. He

:33:05. > :33:09.certainly does. He almost looks faster with the ball than without.

:33:10. > :33:13.Still going, inside the 45, chopped down by Mark Shields. It's a free in

:33:14. > :33:20.from the 40. Brilliant play from a halfback. They had time for a pint

:33:21. > :33:25.at the other end. A lot of the Armagh forwards have lost their

:33:26. > :33:30.confidence. Caolan Mooney ran away from two Armagh players try to

:33:31. > :33:33.follow him up the field. A free in, a big kick. They are not having

:33:34. > :33:43.Michael Cunningham taking it, Darragh O'Hanlon will take it. Down

:33:44. > :33:50.on 13 points, Armagh on two goals and five. A chance to extend the

:33:51. > :34:01.lead for Down. O Hanlon just inside the 45. He has been able to steal a

:34:02. > :34:08.few yards. Right footed from O Hanlon. That's a bad miss. I was

:34:09. > :34:14.thinking before he kicked how well the two wing out backs of Down were

:34:15. > :34:19.playing. It gives Armagh the lift they probably needed at this stage.

:34:20. > :34:28.Gavin McParland, it seems he will be introduced as substitute. Armagh on

:34:29. > :34:32.the attack with Stefan Campbell. Campbell didn't work it out the way

:34:33. > :34:48.he wanted. , when they run with the ball it

:34:49. > :34:52.causes problems, but they are still on system kicking it. -- they still

:34:53. > :35:13.on clicking -- kicking it. Ryan Johnston was just about

:35:14. > :35:20.everywhere in the first half. He has been more quiet after the break.

:35:21. > :35:26.Downstairs mac could have done with him in the last few minutes. There

:35:27. > :35:32.has been a substitution for Down. Ryan Johnston making his way off the

:35:33. > :35:39.field of play very slowly. This will be taken by Kevin McKernan. Conor

:35:40. > :35:46.Maginn pretended to go one way but goes the other. Jamie Clarke, so

:35:47. > :35:51.quick and still going. Taking on his man. Conor Maginn tackling and

:35:52. > :35:56.leaving it. Anthony Duffy is the man who had it, gave it to Clarke.

:35:57. > :36:02.Ambitious effort from way out on the left-hand side. Andrew Murnin tries

:36:03. > :36:08.to keep it in play but it goes wide. Looking at Armagh in the second

:36:09. > :36:13.half, they were 2-4 at half-time, they have one point in the second

:36:14. > :36:20.half, we are 24 minutes in, and they only have one score. Armagh have

:36:21. > :36:24.averaged four goals every two games. Downstairs mac have one goal every

:36:25. > :36:46.two games. We shouldn't be surprised at Armagh have hit the net twice.

:36:47. > :36:53.It's too hard to get the ball that far downfield to make the decision.

:36:54. > :36:57.Take on the players and work it up the field. Kieran McGeeney is on the

:36:58. > :37:04.phone, making some contribution towards his management staff. He has

:37:05. > :37:07.never won a game in the Ulster Championship. I would guess he's

:37:08. > :37:15.speaking to Denis Hollywood. Maybe we will see more changes. Armagh

:37:16. > :37:17.behind the 45 metre line. So many players in there. The referee says

:37:18. > :37:27.it's a free out. That's a big one for Down, the sort

:37:28. > :37:33.of thing that can lift the whole team. Looks like a choke tackle.

:37:34. > :37:46.Wouldn't let him go to ground, kept him upright. Great play. He has only

:37:47. > :37:51.been introduced as a substitute by that got the referee giving a free

:37:52. > :38:00.out. He's very sharp on over carrying. Two more men to go past,

:38:01. > :38:04.but the referee has called it all day. He's not giving a free in that

:38:05. > :38:10.situation. Campbell moving forward at will. The ball at the sideline in

:38:11. > :38:27.the hands of an Armagh player. Shields eventually finds Joe

:38:28. > :38:31.McIlroy, driving inside. McIlroy still going. The referee says play

:38:32. > :38:42.away. Kevin McKernan spot the running

:38:43. > :38:51.Darragh O'Hanlon, who has the time and space. Caolan Mooney is out

:38:52. > :38:59.wide. The referee says that wasn't an illegal tackle. We will have

:39:00. > :39:04.another look at that. Stefan Campbell inside the Down half of the

:39:05. > :39:11.field. Niall Grimley wearing night, but was introduced as a substitute.

:39:12. > :39:16.Armagh could do with a score. It goes to the wrong post, wide. I

:39:17. > :39:23.thought Mooney was fouled going through. The goal chance was on. The

:39:24. > :39:30.two wing halfbacks charging forward together. It looked to me like that

:39:31. > :39:33.was a foul. Brendan Donaghy took him down. They were just trying to

:39:34. > :39:37.concede a point, not the goal, and the ball broke away from them. Not

:39:38. > :39:41.giving frees today. Allowing players to put their hands in and Mooney is

:39:42. > :39:46.disappointed with himself because there was a clear insight. Down have

:39:47. > :39:50.put Armagh away. Still only two points in it. They have been on top

:39:51. > :39:55.in the last five or ten minutes and haven't finished the game off.

:39:56. > :39:59.Brilliant support play from Mooney. O'Hagan goes one way and many other.

:40:00. > :40:03.On the right boot, going for the shot from distance. The umpires

:40:04. > :40:06.looking at one another. He has only been on a field five minutes and has

:40:07. > :40:13.scored a brilliant point for to extend their lead. Martin Clarke in

:40:14. > :40:17.the studio told us this man should be on. Brilliant play. Space is

:40:18. > :40:26.being created because Armagh have to push score. The Down record at home

:40:27. > :40:30.this year has been pretty poor. One win and three defeats. In comparison

:40:31. > :40:40.to Armagh, they haven't lost an away game this year. Armagh on the attack

:40:41. > :40:43.yet again. Stephen Sheridan does well to find another orange shirt,

:40:44. > :40:48.Stefan Campbell. He's trying to mosey his way through. He's tackled

:40:49. > :40:53.and the crowd shouts for a throw ball. In the hands of Jamie Clarke,

:40:54. > :40:58.who can't be stopped. Tries to find Mark Shields, but the smothering

:40:59. > :41:04.blanket that is red and black does the trick. Shane Millard, so often

:41:05. > :41:05.today he has been that outlet. He's had a great game. A very hard

:41:06. > :41:31.worker. Mile McParland finds Miller. Joe McIlroy is coming more into the

:41:32. > :41:37.game. Inside the 45 metre line, Paul Hughes taking on his man. Brilliant

:41:38. > :41:41.play to get across the defender. James Morgan tries to find his man,

:41:42. > :41:49.brilliantly caught by Niall Grimley, who tries to cross soccer style.

:41:50. > :41:54.Armagh moving their way through. Will they go for the score? Faulkner

:41:55. > :41:59.with the shot, just the wrong side of the post. What an opportunity.

:42:00. > :42:05.Maybe had more time than he thought to turn onto his right side. Running

:42:06. > :42:12.at them causes problems. The ball inside by Donnelly. Unfortunately,

:42:13. > :42:16.if you could have put it across. They are turning over the ball and

:42:17. > :42:22.creating goal chances. Armagh badly need a score. Another Armagh

:42:23. > :42:36.substitute. Nile Roland coming on. The man going off is Aidan Forker.

:42:37. > :42:42.Armagh have it two goals and they need a third. Another look at that

:42:43. > :42:49.attempt. Shot coming in, side netting. Unfortunate. Big

:42:50. > :42:55.opportunity. O'Hagan is moving dangerously on goal. Tackle by Aaron

:42:56. > :43:03.McKie, making his Championship debut today. He wins the free out. Superb

:43:04. > :43:07.tackle to dispossess O'Hagan. Great tackle again. Aaron McKay is the one

:43:08. > :43:15.Armagh player doing well since coming in to the full-back line. A

:43:16. > :43:20.high tackle to give away a free. He felt it was the best thing to do. He

:43:21. > :43:24.picks up a yellow card. We have gone 31 minutes in the second half and

:43:25. > :43:31.Armagh only have one point. Very disappointing in the second half.

:43:32. > :43:37.Armagh winning the five past Championship meetings between the

:43:38. > :43:40.counties, the last one in 2011. They are hoping here for six in a row.

:43:41. > :43:46.They have a bit of work if that's going to happen. They have

:43:47. > :43:56.possession, however, inside their own half. The first touch from Niall

:43:57. > :44:00.Rowland. Stefan Campbell driving at the Down defence. Kevin McKernan

:44:01. > :44:03.hits him with an almighty thump and the referee says play away. Jamie

:44:04. > :44:08.Clarke looking for the return pass but doesn't get it. Down smothering

:44:09. > :44:15.the Armagh forwards. It's still not clear. A point perhaps might do for

:44:16. > :44:19.Jamie Clarke. It is kept in play brilliantly by Andrew Murnin. Shot

:44:20. > :44:24.from Niall Grimley, who has hit it wide. Three different opportunities

:44:25. > :44:31.to get a score and they take none. In the second half they seem to have

:44:32. > :44:35.completely lost their confidence in the forward line. We hear a lot

:44:36. > :44:39.about the brilliant Armagh forward line, they are great on paper. You

:44:40. > :44:42.have to play as a team together and they haven't done that. They have

:44:43. > :44:48.lost all confidence and they are all afraid to take a shot, can't get the

:44:49. > :44:53.right players on the ball. Armagh has hit one point in the second

:44:54. > :44:59.half. That tells its own story. To the middle of the field with the

:45:00. > :45:03.players contesting it. O'Hagan, people raised eyebrows and asked why

:45:04. > :45:08.he was dropped. Perhaps it was a masterstroke to be able to play like

:45:09. > :45:18.that on as substitute. Miller gives it to Conor Maginn. Played out the

:45:19. > :45:25.right-hand side. Joe Murphy tries to play it in. The referee says no

:45:26. > :45:33.free. Joe McIlroy has possession. There are two minutes left of normal

:45:34. > :45:42.time. Armagh need to conjure up something. Realistically, they need

:45:43. > :45:46.a goal. It will be a sideline ball. Some pushing and shoving going on.

:45:47. > :45:55.One of the Down players is down. Darragh O'Hanlon, back on his feet.

:45:56. > :45:59.Paul Hughes moving forward again. Tackled by Mike Kernan. Darragh

:46:00. > :46:08.O'Hanlon is there as well. Paul Hughes hoping for the free. We can

:46:09. > :46:13.see Darragh O'Hanlon right now. Just shouldered. I think he was

:46:14. > :46:16.shouldered into someone else who hit him in the face accidentally. One of

:46:17. > :46:22.the stewards. A yellow card for Niall Grimley.

:46:23. > :46:35.Armagh on the attack. 25 of the 30 players now inside the 45 metre line

:46:36. > :46:38.that belongs to Down. Armagh have come here many times before but they

:46:39. > :46:44.can't seem to get the ball to the full forward line. They could do

:46:45. > :46:49.with a score. Jamie Clarke goes himself. Takes the bouncing contact.

:46:50. > :46:54.He has three players surrounding him and does well to find an Armagh

:46:55. > :47:02.jersey. Paul Hughes passing out to Jamie Clarke. Good tackle from Kevin

:47:03. > :47:06.McKernan. Stood up strong, but eventually the free is won. It's

:47:07. > :47:10.taken shot for Brendan Donaghy, opportunity for an Armagh goal. It

:47:11. > :47:13.bounces in front of the goalkeeper and Michael Cunningham clears his

:47:14. > :47:21.lines. Shane Miller is again the outlet. The Kernan takes a mighty

:47:22. > :47:27.shoulder. Five minutes of extra time to play. A massive hit. Looks like

:47:28. > :47:32.he's injured his shoulder. We can look at the save and then the

:47:33. > :47:36.challenge. I thought they should have put the ball over the bar.

:47:37. > :47:40.Plenty of time to get it back to two points. Great ball out by Michael

:47:41. > :47:45.Cunningham. Kevin McKernan has had a great match. The tackle he made a

:47:46. > :47:49.free moments ago, putting his body on the line. He showed leadership.

:47:50. > :47:55.We talked about it before the game. He has been a great leader. It could

:47:56. > :47:59.be the ACE joint, which is a difficult injury in Gaelic football,

:48:00. > :48:08.the shoulder. A massive hit on Kevin McKernan. When he was hit he did a

:48:09. > :48:22.full 180 degrees, like Gary Coleman in the 1992 final. He a leader of

:48:23. > :48:28.team. If there is one motivator in the Down team, it's Kevin McKernan.

:48:29. > :48:31.We talk about O'Hagan as well, Mooney. The Neil Young Lad Shane

:48:32. > :48:41.Miller has come in and done really well. -- the young lad Shane Miller.

:48:42. > :48:49.He looks like he took a bang on the A/C joint. If you were Eamon Burns

:48:50. > :48:53.you would like to keep on the field and he's staying on the pitch. On

:48:54. > :48:58.his feet, great news for Down. They could do with him for the additional

:48:59. > :49:03.few minutes. Five of additional minutes, the fourth official has

:49:04. > :49:09.said. Looking at the shoulder again. Kevin McKernan in the middle of the

:49:10. > :49:12.screen, takes the full hit. He will feel that in the morning, but

:49:13. > :49:20.perhaps not now. It's more the way he hit the ground. Niall Rowland

:49:21. > :49:24.just had to get his body in there. He's been playing that role as a

:49:25. > :49:28.sweeper and getting forward when it counts today, Kevin McKernan.

:49:29. > :49:38.Another substitution. Conor Maginn making way. The three is hit

:49:39. > :49:45.straightaway. Poland is the man coming on as substitute. James

:49:46. > :49:50.Morgan picking up the pieces. Armagh need a goal, it's as simple as that.

:49:51. > :49:56.They trail in this game. They need to get something and hit the back of

:49:57. > :49:59.the net. They have had several opportunities in the match, they

:50:00. > :50:03.have hit two goals already. They need a third, otherwise their Ulster

:50:04. > :50:10.Championship aspirations will end here today. Niall Rowland is taking

:50:11. > :50:17.on, still going, and he's fouled. A free in on the 13 metre line. Two

:50:18. > :50:19.minutes of additional time remaining, but during those five

:50:20. > :50:24.minutes that were indicated at the very beginning, there was a long

:50:25. > :50:27.stoppage for Kevin McKernan. We might have another four minutes

:50:28. > :50:35.perhaps of time to be played. What does Martin McCue do here? We went

:50:36. > :50:38.back to Oisin O'Neill's kicking in the first half, they got a goal out

:50:39. > :50:45.of it. Duffy asking how long is left. Kevin McKernan still getting

:50:46. > :50:52.treatment. He doesn't seem to be right on the field. Down have used

:50:53. > :50:56.all their substitutes. He's definitely holding his arm. The

:50:57. > :51:03.adrenaline will carry him through, but Down Will Hope it men's quickly.

:51:04. > :51:10.And not made worse by him continuing to play here. As it stands they will

:51:11. > :51:14.be through to the semifinal. McParland takes a point. Whatever he

:51:15. > :51:26.has been told he thinks there's enough time. Armani to brush up on

:51:27. > :51:35.them, every man picking up a player and getting the ball. -- Armagh need

:51:36. > :51:43.to brush up on them. The breaking ball is won. Straightaway driven to

:51:44. > :51:47.the full forward line. Johnson tries to get there. Brilliant tackle from

:51:48. > :51:51.James Morgan. It's fantastic to get a hand in. Unable to keep it in play

:51:52. > :51:57.and it will be a Down sideline ball, just as good as a free. I don't know

:51:58. > :52:02.why Down checked the ball in long. They like to go along with the kick,

:52:03. > :52:07.but they should keep the ball. Don't bother going for a school, just keep

:52:08. > :52:11.possession. We can already see some Armagh supporters making their way

:52:12. > :52:16.out of the ground. They have given up hope. Down throw inside. A chance

:52:17. > :52:23.of a score that could really kill it. Over the bar, great point and

:52:24. > :52:31.superb score from David McKibben. The deficit increases again to

:52:32. > :52:37.three. Armagh need a goal. Brendan Donaghy, to the wrong player, it

:52:38. > :52:41.goes over the bar. We have played five minutes of additional time. Now

:52:42. > :52:46.it's very simple. It's up to the referee how much he adds on. Armagh

:52:47. > :52:50.need a goal and the referee says to put it back. He's not allowing that

:52:51. > :53:03.kickouts to be taken just yet. Substitution for Armagh. Two going

:53:04. > :53:09.off, 14 and 15. Stefan Campbell and Andrew Murnin. Both going off. The

:53:10. > :53:13.last role of the dice for Armagh. They have to win the kickout and get

:53:14. > :53:19.it up the field. They have to score a goal. The whistle is in the mouth

:53:20. > :53:24.of the referee. One last attempt. High ball from Brendan Donaghy.

:53:25. > :53:30.Jamie Clarke was up for it. Dragged down surely by Kevin McKernan.

:53:31. > :53:35.Definite black card. Something tells me he will not be too distressed by

:53:36. > :53:41.that. Straightaway incomes... I wouldn't like to be hit by Ciaran

:53:42. > :53:49.O'Hanlon in there. O'Hanlon and Mooney in there. This is not doing

:53:50. > :53:55.Armagh any favours. It will be a free in on the 13 metre line.

:53:56. > :54:00.They'll have everybody back behind the ball. Brendan Donaghy trying to

:54:01. > :54:11.cool things down. Morehead locks. This is very disappointing. It's

:54:12. > :54:14.like WWE. Very dangerous, wrestling at the perimeter where the

:54:15. > :54:19.supporters are. Some of the crowd could do anything to those players.

:54:20. > :54:24.Very dangerous at this stage. Trying to get players from both sides moved

:54:25. > :54:28.away, the referee. We talk about the black card, the reason that was

:54:29. > :54:33.taken in was because of the famous tackle on Conor McManus by Sean

:54:34. > :54:40.Cavanagh. Kevin McKernan is going to get a black card, but he made the

:54:41. > :54:48.decision to pull the player down. He has taken the black card for his

:54:49. > :54:53.team. If down didn't have enough substitutes to take up Kevin

:54:54. > :54:57.McKernan, he has been able to go off with a black card. The reason it was

:54:58. > :55:01.introduced, the last man tackle, but still on the opportunity presents

:55:02. > :55:05.itself, the man will still take him down. The black card is no good for

:55:06. > :55:10.the situation. It's all right for the stronger teams like Dublin and

:55:11. > :55:14.Kerry, they can get away with it. But with weaker club teams, it's a

:55:15. > :55:17.disappointment. They better to give a red card or yellow card when a

:55:18. > :55:21.player is under pressure. That's what Kevin McKernan did. He stopped

:55:22. > :55:27.the gold going in and he has won the match for his team. The other

:55:28. > :55:38.players will say, why isn't a red card more in question? Kevin

:55:39. > :55:44.McKernan goes over to the Down back row staff. He it looks like the

:55:45. > :55:49.joint on his right shoulder, the way he holds his hand across it. The way

:55:50. > :55:54.it must have popped up. The referee says to hold on a second. Caolan

:55:55. > :56:03.Mooney was try to speak to him. Interesting to see if he allows the

:56:04. > :56:11.free to be taken by Armagh. Nile McParland in there, so is Barry

:56:12. > :56:14.O'Hagan. Stephen Sheridan. It doesn't really make any difference

:56:15. > :56:19.to the game now because one would expect the referee will blow it up

:56:20. > :56:22.after this play. After the referee goes around this, if Armagh still

:56:23. > :56:31.have the free, they have to go for goal. It will be yellow cards all

:56:32. > :56:34.round, it looks like. Most people will say handbags, but it's

:56:35. > :56:36.disappointing. We had a very enjoyable first off and the second

:56:37. > :56:41.half has been disappointing. We don't want to see something like

:56:42. > :56:47.that in a match. Joe McIlroy goes into the referee's notepad. Stephen

:56:48. > :56:54.Sheridan will as well. They are the two Armagh players. Yellow card, red

:56:55. > :57:00.card for Joe McIlroy. Sent off. And yellow cards to all three. Four

:57:01. > :57:05.yellow cards, but Joe McIlroy am I can't remember him being booked.

:57:06. > :57:08.He's chasing up with the referee. He is perhaps saying it wasn't him. The

:57:09. > :57:16.referee asking for help. Late drama here. As far as we are concerned,

:57:17. > :57:20.Joe McIlroy wasn't booked. He picked up a yellow card, the referee has

:57:21. > :57:24.made a mistake by sending him off. The easy thing to do is to recognise

:57:25. > :57:30.it wasn't a yellow card. The referee chatting to his fourth official to

:57:31. > :57:34.check whether this man was booked. He wasn't booked, regardless, the

:57:35. > :57:37.referee making a mistake. Will he be given the opportunity to rectify it.

:57:38. > :57:44.He's speaking to the linesman, down with the umpires. We have played 81

:57:45. > :57:52.minutes. Terrible finish to the match. He has left him on, made the

:57:53. > :57:54.decision. Fair play. That came very simply from Joe McIlroy questioning

:57:55. > :57:59.the decision. That's why he's allowed to stay on the field. If

:58:00. > :58:09.Ulloa Roy gets his hand to the ball and knocks it now! -- if Joe McIlroy

:58:10. > :58:17.gets his hand to the ball now. Complaining that somebody is

:58:18. > :58:21.standing too close infant of him. We have only seen somebody banging it

:58:22. > :58:25.in from the 13 metre line wants, a couple of years ago. It's too high,

:58:26. > :58:31.over the bar. That might just be that. I think the person happiest is

:58:32. > :58:40.the referee, that the ball went high over the bar and didn't go into

:58:41. > :58:45.these the small rectangular net. We'll see if the referee adds any

:58:46. > :58:49.additional time. 82 minutes played, the game has had just about

:58:50. > :58:52.everything. In the second half, Armagh didn't play to their

:58:53. > :59:01.capabilities. Down have just played better. The referee allows play to

:59:02. > :59:07.continue. Morgan passes it. Jamie Clarke is looking for the high ball

:59:08. > :59:13.in. Clarke trying to get the breaking ball. It is grabbed by a

:59:14. > :59:15.Down player and surely that's that. The players rejoice. They know it

:59:16. > :59:30.was a big breaking ball to win. The referee says play on. Into the

:59:31. > :59:32.semifinal of the Ulster Champion go Super 8. A brilliant game of

:59:33. > :59:37.football littered with mistakes but fabulous entertainment. Yes, a great

:59:38. > :59:43.game of football. The second half wasn't as good. Some games you

:59:44. > :59:50.expect that to happen. He's a happy man, Eamon Burns. The team played

:59:51. > :59:55.with heart for him. McGovern showed what it was made of. A cool customer

:59:56. > :00:02.and the pressure. From their point of view, a big match. It's important

:00:03. > :00:09.McKernan is available for the semifinal and gets his shoulder

:00:10. > :00:20.looked at. Mooney was good. That man worked his socks off. The Johnstons

:00:21. > :00:25.were very good. Down will be very happy. Disappointing for Armagh. A

:00:26. > :00:30.lot expected of them. Very disappointing, especially the second

:00:31. > :00:37.half. Seven points is not going to win a championship match. Only one

:00:38. > :00:40.point scored in the second half. Kieran McGeeney will be very

:00:41. > :00:45.disappointed because they are definitely putting in the work. They

:00:46. > :00:48.didn't show up today in the second-half particularly. Some of

:00:49. > :00:53.these players were not even born the last time they beat Armagh the

:00:54. > :01:02.championship. For them, they got to go to the qualifiers, so the summer

:01:03. > :01:14.has not ended just yet. Down will play Monaghan or Cavan. Let's go

:01:15. > :01:22.pick side. It was a battle at there. How pleased to come out on top are

:01:23. > :01:28.you? Yes, massive game. Trying to get the right men on the pitch,

:01:29. > :01:33.thankfully we have 29 of the most committed men in Down. 25 years of

:01:34. > :01:44.hurt. I think we can dedicate it to those nine players. It's looking

:01:45. > :01:48.more positive. Commitment was typified in your second-half

:01:49. > :01:52.performance. The manager said half-time? You seem to make it very

:01:53. > :01:58.difficult for Armagh to get any opportunities in the scoring zone.

:01:59. > :02:03.The game took on a life of its own. We were in control on the second

:02:04. > :02:14.half and in the second half, we reassessed. We heard them the way we

:02:15. > :02:24.know we can. The possession at the end, fantastic stuff. Was that the

:02:25. > :02:33.tackle you had to make? Yes, it was about to get in contact on him. So

:02:34. > :02:36.much has been said in the past 18 months about this squad of players.

:02:37. > :02:44.Do you think you proved a point today? Yes, when you put on the

:02:45. > :02:48.jersey, it's a massive honour. Eamon Burns spoke about that today. If you

:02:49. > :02:54.put on the jersey, it's not the end of the world, but today we put pride

:02:55. > :02:58.back in the jersey. I hope the supporters are happy. A few bumps

:02:59. > :03:02.and bruises inside the dressing room. You can see the commitment,

:03:03. > :03:08.men putting their bodies on the line. The contact tackles, its

:03:09. > :03:22.massive. A collection of effort from both teams. Thank you. Thank you

:03:23. > :03:26.very much to Thomas and Kevin. Congratulations to Down, they

:03:27. > :03:30.deserved. They did, and if you forensically look at the game, strip

:03:31. > :03:37.away the goals that Armagh got, which were half chances, when you

:03:38. > :03:47.strip that back and consider Armagh scored in a forward line, had plenty

:03:48. > :03:51.of scores in them, if you were to tell me that Down would get no

:03:52. > :03:56.goals, I would have guaranteed they would have won the game. From the

:03:57. > :03:59.Armagh point of view, it's difficult. I'm looking at the Armagh

:04:00. > :04:05.the boys trudging off the field now. How they picked themselves up from

:04:06. > :04:10.the game they were expected to win, will be a difficult job for Kieran

:04:11. > :04:13.McGeeney and the staff. They will have to pick themselves up. Down on

:04:14. > :04:19.the other hand, twice they've had their backs against the wall this

:04:20. > :04:23.year. They have picked themselves up and won the game. That's a good

:04:24. > :04:26.team. Today, when their backs were against the wall, everybody had

:04:27. > :04:32.written them off, considering they are a division two team, Armagh RA

:04:33. > :04:37.division three team, when you consider all that and strip away

:04:38. > :04:48.everything, from the Down Pintado, it was a very manly performance. I'm

:04:49. > :04:55.reminded of the fact that nobody wanted this job and Eamon Burns put

:04:56. > :05:00.his hand up and today must be great. It is the rarest of treats, home win

:05:01. > :05:06.in the championship for Down, in the past 20 is, it hasn't happened. We

:05:07. > :05:10.have been beaten badly in a lot of championship games but that was

:05:11. > :05:14.disciplined, determined and Down were the better team today. Armagh

:05:15. > :05:21.didn't have a clue going forward. A lot of the guys playing were on the

:05:22. > :05:25.counterattack, and well done to Eamon Burns and the Down players

:05:26. > :05:29.because everybody had written them off. I had my doubts but they were

:05:30. > :05:31.the better team and hopefully they can think about not just enjoying

:05:32. > :05:37.this victory but going on in challenging against Monaghan and

:05:38. > :05:47.Cavan. You are both agreed on the man of the match, who was with

:05:48. > :05:54.Thomas. Yes, we have Vernon Fox to present Darren O'Hanlon with a man

:05:55. > :06:01.of the match award. Hand it across to the recipient. What was the key

:06:02. > :06:06.to today's victory? Desire, workrate. This team is not good

:06:07. > :06:11.enough and we were not making any effort. Some of the games we were

:06:12. > :06:18.losing, we just fell apart in the second half. In the league, we

:06:19. > :06:23.played well, new boys came in and then we got beaten two in a row and

:06:24. > :06:29.had to go down to Cork with our backs against the wall. We got a

:06:30. > :06:34.draw to stay up. This is the biggest game Down have had since 2010. We

:06:35. > :06:37.knew if we put in the workrate we would get a victory today. We are

:06:38. > :06:41.buzzing for this match today and I'm glad we came out on top. How

:06:42. > :06:44.important was the third quarter of the game because in many ways,

:06:45. > :06:56.that's what championship matches are won and lost on. You seem to win

:06:57. > :07:03.every break-up ball. Yes, there was a big shift in midfield. A lot of

:07:04. > :07:08.cookouts, as well. We went into the dressing room and point down and had

:07:09. > :07:11.a good talking to. In the first half, there was a serious breeze.

:07:12. > :07:17.The second half, it was hard-hitting. And glad we came out

:07:18. > :07:23.on top in the end. Were there many tactical changes at half-time? The

:07:24. > :07:28.sweeper system didn't seem to be working. Armagh had lots of goal

:07:29. > :07:45.opportunities. The first half, they had an extra manner. I thought our

:07:46. > :07:48.defence coped well. He was outstanding today, Donaghy. He saved

:07:49. > :07:52.one off the line in the first half. It was a team effort for some I'm

:07:53. > :07:59.glad we are on top. Congratulations, you are the man of the match. Next

:08:00. > :08:03.up for you, the Ulster semifinal. STUDIO: To the victors at the

:08:04. > :08:07.spoils. So much of what he did today was so good. Here is one example we

:08:08. > :08:17.can take a look at. He was fantastic. It was not a clear man of

:08:18. > :08:23.the match choice. A great turning point here on his right foot. His

:08:24. > :08:27.point in the second half was a better kick at a crucial stage

:08:28. > :08:32.again. As well as his good defence, kept charging forward. Plenty of

:08:33. > :08:37.good performances from Down but it was a real team effort. East about

:08:38. > :08:42.with his points and his good running up and down the wing, but it was an

:08:43. > :08:49.even effort which will please Eamon Burns and the management team.

:08:50. > :08:55.Honourable mentions for O'Hagan. You were agonising over Mooney and

:08:56. > :09:01.O'Hanlon. The first scorer in the second half. Talk us through his

:09:02. > :09:06.contribution today. He seems to be back. There was a lot expected of

:09:07. > :09:11.him, 21 years of age, he's not played a lot of Gaelic football

:09:12. > :09:20.particular senior level. Mouths he's had a lot of two full seasons. He's

:09:21. > :09:24.had a great start. His athleticism is fantastic. He punched the air

:09:25. > :09:30.after this cake. It means everything to him. In the first two years, a

:09:31. > :09:36.lot of stresses as his career in Australia folded. He's a young man,

:09:37. > :09:43.23. Look at this, fantastic. He gave it a fist pump. I had a feeling Down

:09:44. > :09:49.was not going to be caught. I'm really pleased for him and the boys.

:09:50. > :09:53.They slugged it out. You could hear them also, they've been hurt and

:09:54. > :09:58.it's great to see they have done something about it. Brilliant.

:09:59. > :10:04.You've already complemented the manager Eamon Burns. He's alongside

:10:05. > :10:11.Thomas. I'm very happy, Eamon Burns, and they expect there's drama and

:10:12. > :10:13.you try to influence the match, but how pleased were you with the way

:10:14. > :10:21.the players dealt with the game and dictation? I thought the game plan

:10:22. > :10:25.we set out was performed very well. Couple of setbacks in the first

:10:26. > :10:30.half. Apart from that, especially in the second half, we were very

:10:31. > :10:37.disciplined, organised, strong in the tackle, and turned the ball over

:10:38. > :10:41.quickly, so we asked the boys to battle hard at half-time, exactly as

:10:42. > :10:45.they did in the first half and they kept us ticking someone's got the

:10:46. > :10:51.lead, we we were in a strong position. The two men in the middle

:10:52. > :11:01.of the field put in a fantastic shift. Yes, Donaghy put on a

:11:02. > :11:05.fantastic game. Peter Turley pulled his hamstring and we worked hard to

:11:06. > :11:13.get him ready. He gave a 55 minutes and we thought 35. What more can

:11:14. > :11:18.they say, a great display. He picked up an injury late in the game. He

:11:19. > :11:23.gave me a thumbs up by think is OK, the boys that have an I think he's

:11:24. > :11:30.OK. In terms of the overall performance, questions were asked in

:11:31. > :11:33.the first half, how did you shore things up in the second half? We

:11:34. > :11:40.worked the system well. The boys were organised. The people playing

:11:41. > :11:43.in the half checked runners back and got the ball delayed for Southwark

:11:44. > :11:54.gave us a chance to get tight on the inside line. Many players cause us

:11:55. > :12:01.problems. Our boys did not panic. We got the ball and use it well. What

:12:02. > :12:09.would you like to say about the players like O'Hagan who did a

:12:10. > :12:20.fantastic job on Clarke and also Millar? A lot of lads did well

:12:21. > :12:23.today. It's hard to pick out guys. I thought, as a collective, everybody

:12:24. > :12:29.did what was asked. Congratulations once again, thank you. It couldn't

:12:30. > :12:35.happen to a nicer guy. He is deserving of that. If you look to

:12:36. > :12:39.that first half, Armagh created opportunities and that will be a

:12:40. > :12:45.concern but also on the flip side, something to work on. I don't think

:12:46. > :12:50.Eamon Burns will have many concerns. He will be pleased what his team is

:12:51. > :12:55.done. He has got a lot of flak. I have given him some slack, but his

:12:56. > :13:00.team look well organised, of the game. These goals were sloppy. He

:13:01. > :13:13.won't be happy with their pact defends there. There's five Down

:13:14. > :13:18.defenders. Shields still able to get a goal. That is something obviously

:13:19. > :13:27.which will concern him and he will have to look at it. Honestly, I

:13:28. > :13:33.think today is about the pressure being taken off him. The next one is

:13:34. > :13:41.all about Jamie Clarke. He created that bit of space. Campbell on the

:13:42. > :13:46.end of it. Down were slack for 15 minutes and Armagh created five very

:13:47. > :13:52.good goal chances and probably should have taken at least another

:13:53. > :13:56.one. But Down were able to respond to this. They were able to go back

:13:57. > :14:02.up the field. At a crucial stage of the game, we were debating heavily

:14:03. > :14:06.who would get man of the match and the recently gave it to O'Hanlon was

:14:07. > :14:10.it came at crucial times, his scores. That's the mark of a player,

:14:11. > :14:14.how you judge a player when his team is under pressure, what he actually

:14:15. > :14:20.does, so from that point of view, Eamon Burns will be worried but it

:14:21. > :14:26.will be Tuesday before he gets ready concerned about that. A lot of

:14:27. > :14:30.talking points. The black card pretty much at the top of the tree.

:14:31. > :14:39.Two given. They could have been a third. The first one, Joe Mac Roy.

:14:40. > :14:47.This wasn't was in the first half. Jerome Johnston, an explosive

:14:48. > :14:51.player. It was missed time to. Black card 's most of the summer, that's

:14:52. > :15:01.the disappointing thing. It should have been given and it wasn't.

:15:02. > :15:06.Oisin? It is Andy Donaghy commonly loses possession of the ball. He

:15:07. > :15:11.realises that if Armagh break at that stage, they won't have a

:15:12. > :15:15.defensive structure and he takes a black card for it. Armagh ended up

:15:16. > :15:21.not getting the score of it. When you look back at the black cards,

:15:22. > :15:27.the two, they will be happy enough with them. Eamon Burns could be

:15:28. > :15:36.frustrated with them. The next one, McKernan, there's no question about

:15:37. > :15:42.that one. He did the right thing. What is the point? What good has it

:15:43. > :15:46.done in that situation? To the end of the incident, by the time the

:15:47. > :15:53.referee came, seven minutes it took for him, from the black card, from

:15:54. > :15:57.the referee to come back, deal with it, dish out four meaningless yellow

:15:58. > :16:07.cards, and by that stage, we are in the 83rd minute of the game. I just

:16:08. > :16:11.think what is the point? The referee goes back, throws the ball in or

:16:12. > :16:17.gives a free kick. If the boys want to fight, let them fight away in the

:16:18. > :16:21.game goes on. I know that is simplified. Especially towards the

:16:22. > :16:27.end of a game, if somebody takes a black card, it takes a minute or two

:16:28. > :16:31.to sorted out. I think it would be great for club referees to have that

:16:32. > :16:34.and let. If there is a lot of punches in a club match, the

:16:35. > :16:38.referee" in the two opponents and the game is on. You're not going to

:16:39. > :16:50.let your team down and be involved punching. It is played in the AFL,

:16:51. > :16:55.the ball is on, live, and the last thing you want to do is fight. You

:16:56. > :16:59.want to play for your team. There was an instant by the stand full

:17:00. > :17:02.topic needs to be sorted out, avoided. It's OK when there's lots

:17:03. > :17:10.of professionals and they can calm it down but at club level, it could

:17:11. > :17:17.help. Retrospectively, after the yellow card, he withdrew one. I want

:17:18. > :17:22.to dig down a little bit into Armagh's performance and you felt

:17:23. > :17:25.there was a lot of indiscipline in the tackle. Yes, couple of times

:17:26. > :17:34.Armagh were able to bring the players back. This is Kieron Mooney.

:17:35. > :17:43.A simple kick. He has no need to do that. There's lots of Armagh players

:17:44. > :17:53.there. This is not given, Donaghy. Another free kick. How Cunningham

:17:54. > :17:59.does not see it a free kick? At a crucial time of the game. Armagh

:18:00. > :18:07.have two players back. All they have to do, is stand them up. Shields is

:18:08. > :18:10.trying to get his hand over it. He won't be able to do that without

:18:11. > :18:21.giving away a free kick, no logic to it. In a situation like that, you've

:18:22. > :18:25.got to be disciplined in the tackle. Armagh did it once or twice in the

:18:26. > :18:33.first half with a lot of players. That discipline, Armagh lost the

:18:34. > :18:42.game by a point in the end. Let's rewind 60 minutes. Barry O'Hagan

:18:43. > :18:47.came on and got his point. I was surprised about him not starting.

:18:48. > :18:56.Also Donnelly and Doherty and all did brilliantly. Well done, Eamon

:18:57. > :19:03.Burns. No one let down. O'Hagan, a class act. Phenomenal. He is so

:19:04. > :19:06.sharp, right on the turn. That's testament to his psychology, to be

:19:07. > :19:09.dropped for this game, and not to start, he would have been so

:19:10. > :19:17.disappointed but he had a great contribution. He will be pushing for

:19:18. > :19:22.the next game. I know Armagh was thing against the breeze, but how

:19:23. > :19:26.indecisive where they but as soon as Barry O'Hagan got the ball, he had a

:19:27. > :19:35.go. He had a lot of opportunities later on. In the frantic closing ten

:19:36. > :19:42.minutes, you could forget Forker had a chance. He didn't realise just how

:19:43. > :19:48.much time he had. How he gets the space in there, I know it easy

:19:49. > :19:55.saying it, but if he dummies back onto his right foot, all he has to

:19:56. > :20:06.do is slide it. It means he's got a very narrow half chance. Armagh went

:20:07. > :20:12.for goals far too early in my opinion. I know the wind was strong.

:20:13. > :20:16.That was not an opportunity. Take your point, reset, go again. They

:20:17. > :20:23.panicked and made some poor decisions in the final third. Here

:20:24. > :20:30.is the view from the stands, what the fans thought.

:20:31. > :20:40.I don't know what they are saying. I think Armagh is poor. I think the

:20:41. > :20:48.referee should be in a Down jersey. The best team won. A lot of people

:20:49. > :20:53.will talk about the manager but you can do as much training and talking

:20:54. > :20:58.as you want, in the changing room, but when you cross the line, it's up

:20:59. > :21:04.to you. The players today just did not stand up. Difficult, nail-biting

:21:05. > :21:09.to the finish but they came out on top, brilliant. Absolutely

:21:10. > :21:18.unbelievable. Great to beat Armagh. I am married to a Armagh woman so it

:21:19. > :21:25.makes it all the sweeter. I thought they were outstanding. Brilliant. I

:21:26. > :21:28.think was a great game for Down full survey played wonderful in the first

:21:29. > :21:40.half. A good game, evenly matched. They deserved it. I thought one team

:21:41. > :21:44.was as good as the other. Maybe she could do my job for me. I suspect

:21:45. > :21:49.you may be wondering who our mystery guest was. Here is the reveal.

:21:50. > :22:02.# Remember me, I'm the one who had your baby 's eyes...

:22:03. > :22:16.He of course was the mystery guest. Well done to you if he got it. Let's

:22:17. > :22:19.talk about that late incident. You felt there was a potentially could

:22:20. > :22:24.have spilled over onto the terraces because it rumbled for five or six

:22:25. > :22:28.minutes. It is passion, the players are passionate, a lot at stake. The

:22:29. > :22:31.last couple of minutes of an Ulster championship both teams are

:22:32. > :22:35.desperate to win. You understand boys throwing themselves in. You

:22:36. > :22:40.have to stand up for yourself and your team-mates. It was the length

:22:41. > :22:45.of time it was allowed to continue. It looks ugly and unsightly. It's

:22:46. > :22:50.not something we want to see. We want to see Passion. We encourage a

:22:51. > :22:55.certain amount of this. When it develops into this, it just gets

:22:56. > :23:05.silly. This is the second half now. Rightly so, Armagh players were

:23:06. > :23:10.incensed Kevin McKernan dragged down Jamie Clarke but that's the rules.

:23:11. > :23:16.It's just the length of time it takes. He gave a red card, the

:23:17. > :23:21.referee, so you got to give credit for that. He did make a mistake. It

:23:22. > :23:28.took in five minutes to rectify it. By that stage, all the momentum is

:23:29. > :23:34.out of the game. It's typical what happens towards the end of the game.

:23:35. > :23:40.The black card, taken in to do away with this has added to the problem.

:23:41. > :23:46.To compound his mistake, Clarke had a 14 yard free kick after that.

:23:47. > :23:51.Likely from the Down perspective, it was a mistake and they were not back

:23:52. > :23:57.the required distance. Thank you very much. That was good fun, chaps

:23:58. > :24:00.for the next Sunday we would all again and let's hope the meeting of

:24:01. > :24:07.the neighbours next week is as good as it was today. Cavan against

:24:08. > :24:18.Monaghan, 1:45pm on the BBC. That's just about it from Pairc Esler. We

:24:19. > :24:23.trundle home. We hope to see you in a week. From us all, bye-bye.