Derry captain James Sargent following the Electric Ireland Ulster MFC Final. Photo by Philip Fitzpatrick/Sportsfile
Electric Ireland Ulster MFC Final
Derry 0-12 Armagh 1-7
By Francis Mooney at O'Neill's Healy Park
All-Ireland champions Derry survived Armagh’s late surge to retain their Electric Ireland Ulster MFC crown in a compelling decider at Omagh.
Eamon Young capped a stunning series of displays with another stand-out showing, hitting five points to lead his side to another title, with Ger Dillon also chipping in with five.
The holders made their move with a scoring flourish either side of half-time when their opponents were down to 14 due to a black card, taking a lead that they protected to the finish.
In the early stages, Derry stretched play to the flanks in an attempt to draw their opponents out, but the Orchard, defending in numbers stubbornly protected the ‘D’ to frustrate the holders.
On the occasion that the Oak Leafers did get in behind, Keelan McEntee and Gavin O’Rourke were alert to the danger.
The sides were level on three occasions of a highly defensive opening quarter, as Eamon Young and Ger Dillon saw their scores cancelled out by Armagh’s Eoin Duffy and Sean Woods.
Young edged Derry back in front, and Dillon had just regained the lead following McEntee’s well worked score when Armagh stdruck for a 20th minute goal.
Full forward Duffy, who had kept his side on the attack with a couple of gutsy turnovers, got on the end of a move involving Ross Marsden and Jack Loughran to bury his shot in the net.
Derry could have had a goal straight from the restart, but Young blasted his shot over the bar, but they did hit the last three points of the half, to go back in front, skipper James Sargent sending them in with a 0-7 to 1-3 interval lead.
Armagh, down to 14 men due to a black card picked up by Marsden three minutes before the break, fell three points behind as their oppoennts added scores through Young and Dillon.
Pinned back deep in their own half for the first ten minutes, they needed important defensive interventions from Conall Wilson and Sean Woods to avert further harm, but got it back to a single point as Aaron Garvey and Fionn Toale both fired over points.
Another Oak Leaf flourish saw young push them four clear with his fifth score, and Ruairi Biggs was denied by a brilliant Michael Finnegan save.
The Orchard were defiant to the end, pressing for the goal they needed to save the day, but all they could manage was a couple of converted frees from Duffy.
Scorers for Derry: E Young (1f), G Dillon (3fs) 0-5 each, J Sargent, L Grant 0-1 each.
Scorers for Armagh: E Duffy 1-3 (3fs), A Garvey, K McEntee, S Woods, F Toale 0-1 each.
Derry: J McCloy; C McNally, R Canavan, R Collins; L Grant, C O Mianain, D McGuckin; J Sargent, C McBride; E Young, G Dillon, C Hargan; C McCullagh, R Biggs, D Rocks.
Subs: P Haran for McNally (42), C Rocks for Hargan (47), T McHugh for McBride (54).
Armagh: M Finnegan; T Fox, G O’Rourke, C Wilson; Fergus Toale, S Woods, D O’Rourke; J Loughran, D O’Callaghan; A Garvey, J McCooe, K McEntee; Finn Toale, E Duffy, R Marsden.
Subs: L Bellew for Marsden (36), O Gribben for O’Callaghan (54), S Loughran for Garvey (54), P Comiskey for D O’Rourke (61), C Dunne for Woods (61)
Referee: B McMenamin (Cavan).
