O'Sullivan goal crucial as Kerry beat Armagh

Armagh 1-9 Kerry 1-13

Paul Galvin made his first appearance of the year as Kerry secured the third win of their Allianz League campaign with a hard-fought defeat of Armagh at the Athletic Grounds on Sunday.

If Colm Cooper was the man at the heart of last week's double scores win over Galway, it was full forward Kieran Donaghy who did all the damage for the Kingdom on this occasion.

Donaghy's fingerprints were on most of Kerry's good work in attack and he had a hand in at least a goal and seven points of his side's total, proving a constant menace on the edge of the Orchard County square.

Kerry missed a couple of goal chances in the first half - Donaghy and Darran O'Sullivan both brought the best out of Philip McEvoy, the Armagh goalkeeper - and they were made to pay for their profligacy when Kieran Toner took a Brian Mallon pass and the midfielder finished neatly to the back of the Kerry net.

Armagh were four points ahead, 1-4 to 0-3, after Steven McDonnell, Ciaran McKeever and Gareth Swift had earlier hit the target for Paddy O'Rourke's side.

After missing two great goal chances, Kerry sent over four successive points to level the game at half-time, 1-4 to 0-7, with Bryan Sheehan (two) and Cooper hitting the target from placed balls.

Sheehan, who finished with four points to his name, sent Kerry into the lead on the resumption of play, before Galvin came on to make his long-awaited return after a hip/groin injury, and Declan O'Sullivan also joined the fray to bolster the Kingdom attack.

It was a relative newcomer, Kieran O'Leary, who nudged the Munster champions further ahead before the decisive goal came on 52 minutes, when Darran O'Sullivan took a pass from his namesake, Declan, and planted an unstoppable shot past the previously unbeatable McEvoy.

McDonnell provided some resistance for the Orchard men with a flurry of late scores, but the damage had been done and it was not enough to prevent Armagh's third defeat of the campaign.