The week since our Round 2 qualifier meeting with Down has passed so quickly and we’ve already reached the day on which our next knockout tie will be played. Armagh are our opponents in this do-or-die showdown meeting, with the match at MacHale Park throwing in at 7pm this evening. Maurice Deegan from Laois is the ref.
Every round of the qualifiers carries its own dangers. We should know that because our qualifier record shows that we’ve been eliminated from the Championship in every single one of those rounds down the years. That’s a fact, by the way – check it out if you don’t believe me.
The only time we ever lost in Round 3 was, of course, twelve months ago in Newbridge when Kildare dumped us out. So we know full well about the perils of Round 3 before we square up to Armagh this evening in Castlebar.
The loss of Diarmuid O’Connor during the week was a bad blow, especially coming hot on the heels of Mattie Ruane’s season-ending injury. While Diarmuid hasn’t been performing all that well of late – and was particularly subdued in Newry – he still has the potential to be a big performer for us. No team wants to lose the services of its captain at this stage of the campaign.
But we have lost him and we have to plough on regardless. Diarmuid’s misfortune has opened an unexpected door into the first fifteen for young Mikey Murray, for whom this evening is a huge one. Here’s hoping it’s a debut to remember for the Stephenites clubman.
Armagh are tricky opponents. They can play a bit and they’ve a strong forward unit, one that could, if it gets going, do us considerable damage. They’ll have seen what change Down got from a combination of hard running and pumping high balls in and you can be sure they’ll come with plans to exploit our backline in a similar way. If we’re as hesitant at dealing with this threat as we were in Páirc Esler we’ll quickly find ourselves in bother this evening.
But the Orchard County, while an improving team, are far from the finished article. They have injury problems themselves and they’re not as watertight at the back as Down were. Their shooting can at times – based on what I saw of them in the Down and Cavan games – be a bit on the wild side.
Still, every qualifier match is difficult in its own way. We’re not all that sure what kind of threat they represent, they’re probably scratching their heads about us too, not least given the four changes we’ve announced for this one, which come hot on the heels of the five alterations we made in naming the team for Newry. By the way, the team we’ve named to start tonight contains just nine survivors from the one that lined out against Roscommon last month.
Last year’s Round 3 crash-out felt, in retrospect, like it was always going to happen. We’d simply run out of road. Mind you, in the lead-up to Newbridge there was no inevitability about our impending defeat, which, when it did happen, came as a major shock. It was only when we’d processed it did the narrative switch to one where something like this was always going to happen at some point to us.
Heading into this Round 3 tussle, I don’t sense that the same outcome is out there lying in wait for us. But that doesn’t mean that it isn’t either. Armagh are a decent side – like Kildare were last year – and coming into this tie off the back of dumping out Monaghan they won’t lack for confidence.
You get the feeling that we don’t, as yet at least, have the same bounce about us. We’re in survival mode and survive is what we’re aiming to do tonight.
Will we? We’re favourites to win the game so you’d have to think we’ve a good chance of doing so. As ever, we’ll only win if our performance is at the required level and we’re able for whatever Armagh will bring to the party.
For what it’s worth, I think they’ll bring plenty and so our display will need to be a few notches up from the Down one. If it is, we should be okay to make it through this one and be in the hat once more on Monday morning.
Safe travelling to everyone on the roads today. Hopefully there’ll be a big boisterous Mayo following in Castlebar this evening and that they’ll have plenty to shout about both at the game and afterwards. Let’s get this done. Up Mayo.
Feeling confident, hope it justified and I think we be ok.good luck to all involved. Hope it’s a good COEN day today ?
The very best of luck to the lads and managment this evening. A special good luck wish to the newer lads and hope yea settle and enjoy the game.
Good luck to all the supporters too, young and not so young. The best in the country.
And as WJ said “Let’s get this done”.
Hon Mayo.
Let’s go to Mchale Park and bring the colour and noise, it’s when things are going against them that they need us most, Maigheo abú
Expect a much better performance tonight and comfortable enough victory in the end. I had predicted we’d lose to Roscommon but complacency is no longer going to be an issue given the trapdoor environment that we’ve created for ourselves out of that game. Let’s get over these tough opponents tonight and get ourselves back into the pot to have a crack at drawing the Royals on Monday. Safe travelling to all.
Go neiri le foireann Mhuigheo inniu. Lets stay positive and get behind the team. Also lets get behind JH and his management team.I wish Diarmuid, Mathew and all the injured players a speedy recovery. They will be missed gan dabht but is an opportunity for other members of the panel to show what they can do! The best of luck to Mickey Murray on his debut this evening. Lets support the injured players by supporting the Mayo GAA lotto every week. Supporting the weekly Lotto is of paramount importance so that our players get the best of medical treatment available.
Bigi le foireann Mhuigheo
Mhuigheo abu!
I am actually now quite optimisitic about tonight! I have a feeling too we will see Cillian off the bench(prob for Andy after 50/55) which will be a huge boost at that stage of the game. If we do indeed win then I think momentum will carry us through R4 and then a badly needed weeks rest
I am bringing the youngest lad again. He was at the Roscommon game and like many of us just didn’t understand why Mayo had not won it 😀 So we better win this evening
Not a gimme by any means but I feel we have enough overall to see this one out.
What a special evening for young Murray too……in years to come we might be saying how well we remember the first time we say him play!
All the best lads and safe journeys to one and all.
Mayo by five!
After all the doom and gloom the match day as usual sees an upswing in confidence Hope it’s justified Really hoping for win tonight Regardless of what people say the four teams to emerge from the qualifiers injuries aside will be battle hardened Ross have an extremely long wait while the other provincial champions are kicking their heels for a while as well Win tonight and the avenues open up The more games our younger lads get this year the better they will be prepared for future years Up Mayo
Km79 – IF we win this evening and next weekend – we are still out the following two weekends with no break.
Good luck everyone – players and supporters! May we have a great day. May it be pleasantly warm with a grand cool breeze in MacHale Park later. May we play full of confidence. May the young lads up front play puck in all directions and score. May Andy have a peach of a game. May Aido and Donie hold the middle. May our half back line support our backs. May the lads walk out onto that pitch united and sure. May our supporters be in full voice. May the Armagh contingent enjoy the occasion and a good welcome tonight. I wish us all a great day!
Any news yet of subs list? Good luck to Mayo team. Confident we can do the business this evening. Hope Horan makes substitutions in time this evening because of the very hot weather.
Great day in Castlebar, as I write coming up to 12 noon, 21oC, a few small white Cotton Wool Cloud’s in a mostly Blue Sky.. and slight slight breeze….Now could you get a better day than today for a game of football? Well I doubt it!…. Thankfully we don’t have the heatwave of the south of France here, or indeed the heatwave of last year ‘Newbridge or Nowhere’ either!….If you were only thinking of coming to the Match and wondering if you will actually make the trip, conditions are as close to perfect as it possible to get….. Unfortunately injuries to both Armagh and Mayo will ensure that it won’t quite be the perfect day but I have a strong inkling that it will come very close…. I can feel the sence of anticipation and the atmosphere building already….. It’s a good few years ago since the Castlebar Rock Festival, ‘Rock the Castlebar’ was the was the line used…. Well lets getready to Rock at 7pm this Evening!
Now sits expectation in the air…
I think we’ll see a huge performance from Mayo tonight, and take the win after a tough battle.
Best of luck to the Mayo team, management and supporters and safe journey to both sets of fans traveling to the match and to the Mayo diaspora listening or watching in we will shout a little bit louder for you tonight. Maigh Eo Abu Dia agus Muire linn.
Enjoy the game friends — wish I was there but will be watching (across the pond — hate that expression). Gonna be quite the moment/roar when COC enters (especially if it’s for Andy!)
Keep the faith. At the end of the day, we have AOS and they don’t. 3 or 4 clear!
We’re on shakey ground with an unbalanced looking team, will armagh have enough to topple us, time will tell. Going for a relatively low scoring draw (something like 1-10 to 0-13) despite the conditions. But hoping for a hard fought win to set us up for a tilt at the super 8.
Expect to win this evening by 4/5 points .. If they play to their potential, they will have too much for Armagh ..
Hope for Horan sake they win …Certain elements of the media seem keen to have a pop at him – even the “local” press ..
Get the win , move on ..
Yes with heat we may even need to sub Aido immense an all as he is. Certainly in Galway it’s turning into a beach day.
Hope Seamie is in panel to allow us to make that substitution especially as Donie might also not be completely at his 100%.
It has the potential to be a cracking game.
The very best of Luck to our Mighty Mayo tonight. I hope we are prepared for a battle at Mc Hale Park tonight because Armagh are going to turn it into a battle. They are in Bonus territory now. Armagh are going to target Aido in the middle. He needs to keep the cool and Lead the Team. Cant understand no Darren Coen so Team named may not start. Hoping though young Murray if he starts has a huge game tonight. The Full Forward line will need a quick supply of ball and we will encounter the blank tonight so it could be a Long night if we have not improved our shooting at training. Funnily enoughI think James has picked a Team based on playing against a blanket defence. Darren And Cillian starting would be a huge boost.
If Mayo can keep their heads both in the tackle, the correct shot selection and thriugh the stupid off the ball stuff which Armagh will try then we will be victorious.
Mayo now need Us the Supporters more than ever so lets Roar on these Mighty Mayo Men and bust our lungs in Support.
Mayo by 3/4 points tonight after a Ferocious Battle and Onwards for Galway!
Looking forward to seeing Murray in action. A big day for him, hope he takes it by the scruff of the neck
NOW THAT IS A STRONG BENCH
Delighted with that
Expect one of the forwards to start though
Caff straight back into 26 ahead of drake 😀
Very confident now
Can you post the subs bench
Can you post that bench please KM79?
Has anyone a list of sub’s bench for Mayo for this evening, please
Apologies it’s not confirmed so better hold fire on it !
Mc hale park looking great in the sunshine right now.
Tuam Stars under 14s in Feile q final action..
Very strong bench. Hope its used decisively and quickly. Feeling confident now
Best of luck this eve , hoping for a great game & convincing Mayo win ,
If it’s available in programme, it’s in the public domain. Someone post please.
I think team selection is quite tactical, subs likely to have a key role.
Glad it’s a 7pm kick off.
Good man Km79, hold your whist
I thought/hope it is from the programme but I am not 100%
Hope the weather stays up and a nice evening up Mayo hope they do their best
Can someone post the subs please.
@Tuamstar, what time are the feile games finishing up, dya know? Cheers.
Even with the injuries. Much stronger panel than last year. Theres hope yet.
Spot on DJ
I’m very optimistic again
But
We can’t afford another injury in midfield!!!!
Also it would be mighty altogether if Mikey Murray could stick his hand up
Let’s face it not many of us were expecting Matty Ruane to come to the fore so quick so let’s hope it happens again with Murray
I also have a sneaky suspicion D o C may be back sooner than we think
Surely someone has subs list.
If someone has the programme please post the subs. It’s hardly a state secret.
I predict Doherty and Tracey will start with Murray in midfield and Donie dropping to the subs bench haven’t seen the program yet so will scouring the internet to see if Ah Ref has posted it anywhere
Subs available on twitter but not confirmed as yet.
Bad form here that we haven’t the subs list.
Subs R Hennelly E O Donoghue G Caff C Boyle S Coen J mc Cormack J Doherty J Carr Cillian O Connor D Coen C Tracey hope I’m not banned for life for posting this but it’s 4pm now and programs are on sale in Castlebar
Thanks backdoorsam
Thats a great bench considering who we are missing.We need some of these guys involved with enough game time to make a difference.
That’s a strong bench. I’m less convinced that the starting team is strong but let’s hope it is.
Interesting that Regan gone from bench after being first sub last week and starting the two prior games
Thanks Backdoorsam, that’s a good line up of subs to bring on at some stage, I’m on way to Castlebar from Galway, Up Mayo!
Subs:
16. Robbie Hennelly
17. Eoin O’Donoghue
18. Colm Boyle
19. Caolan Crowe
20. Stephen Coen
21. Ciaran Treacy
22. Jason Doherty
23. Evan Regan
24. Darren Coen
25. Cillian O’Connor
26. James Carr
Thanks Backdoorsam!
No midfield cover in subs so let’s hope no more injuries or cards.
Just need the win and no injuries.
Backdoorsam – I’ve seen a different list. No Caff or McCormack but Crowe and Regan are there.
Regan is on the bench.
Hi All,
I was just talking to my very very good friend who I have so much respect for Willie Four Goal Mcgee. I’m a very proud Dub as most of you know but I just called Willie to wish him and every Mayo supporter the very best of luck this evening. I’m very very proud that I know Willie and he’s a great friend of mine and the stories and experience that man has is exceptional. …by the way there’s nearly 25 years between us but that means nothing….I hope he lives to 100…
Kind Regards
Martin the Dub
Expect COC to start if fit
Fair play Martin. Always something positive to contribute.
It obviously depends on how much work Cillian has done but I’m not sure starting him is realistic. I’d only use him if we’re in trouble, or we’re comfortable enough that we can give him some minutes.
The main thing is Cillian and James Carr is they the conspiracy theories can now end and everyone can and should back Mayo and James Horan to the hilt
I’ve seen two different subs lists above. Do we know which, if either, of them are correct?
The good news is that Carr and Cillian are on both
Official programme has the bench with Crowe and Regan
Really strong bench
Thanks km79
Delighted Crowe is there. Deserves more football so hope he gets a run.
Good luck tonight. Sorry I couldn’t make it. Would like us to meet cork next week. We could prove fitzMaurice right if we are half as cute as Kerry were last week in Munster final. Up mayo
Expecting a 12 to 20 point win this evening. Armagh very over rated.
Highorlow- maybe if in CP but not in McHale Pk, a one point win fine by me. Either way a blow out is the last thing we need in the qualifiers.
Best of luck to team and management this evening,we should win by eight or nine,give our subs a run out so all the better for next week,safe travels to all supporters from all over the country
Possibly the strongest mayo bench I’ve ever seen. Hopefully Horan uses it proactively.
Have to use the bench. It’s warm out there so guys around the middle are going to tire.
It’s not that bloody week in the stand though :@
Good breeze in it as well
*warm not week
Meant to say as well there is a good Armagh contingent down
Noticeably more than a lot of recent opponents
This is gonna be a proper championship match
Very excited for tonight’s match! Would love to see mayo put on a very convincing performance and silence a few of the nay sayers however I would also be extremely happy to walk away having just got over the line!
Up mayo!
Good man Highorlow Hope you feeling the same at 9 o clock
I think Mayo will win by 4 or 5 points, I believe this team will defend well this evening, up to the forwards to perform. Up MAYO
Exciting and youthful forward line up, certainly seem to be going for it. Some great options off the bench as well.
Four changes – surprised by that.
Changes to the starting lineup?
Mayo generally do well in the middle if the field. Struggling against armagh. They are fast…really testing us
Physical first half. Mayo came back well from the early goal. I think theyl push on from here. Hoping Lee’s injury isnt serious. That’s the last thing we need.
Keegan looks badly injured now. I feel like crying.
We’re up against it here
If we didn’t have bad luck…….
was the Andy sub tactical? it seemed a hit odd to take a physical presence out of the ff line and he didn’t seem to be having a bad game
Lookit guys we’ve lost a clatter of the best players available and we’re still rockin. Hope Lee is ok but we’re doing ok and I expect we’ll do enough to win tonight. Come on Mayo and let our support be strong… always believe. Maigheo
Hoping it’s a calf tear for Lee and not an Achilles rupture – otherwise it’s season over. New groundsmen needed in McHale Park?
Kicked a few bad wides again. The free at the end really has to go over.
Hope Lee’s injury looks worse than it is..well on top for last fifteen of first half…not showing on scoreboard tho…Going to be tight.
We’re struggling in the middle, winning hardly any breaking ball
Mighty. By God we don’t do easy. Boyle is still a warrior
We’ll take any win. Onwards and upwards. Hopefully no serious injury. Hon mayo. No team in the next round will fancy meeting us all the same.
Walking wounded now. Depth really getting stretched now with some of the players on the field today. Won’t name any names but there’s at least 3 or 4 players who played for us tonight that would be like lambs to the slaughter against the likes of Dublin. Hard to really have much optimism going forward with the injury list and Keegan probably out now too
Mid West so frustrating…link keeps breaking and all we get is a clatter of adds. .no thanks. Frustrating win…but a win against so many odds… injuries. Well done lads. McLaughlin’s goal was beautiful…good on you man. Mayoforever… Amen
On another note. Darren Coen has been the find of the league. I haven’t seen any Mayo player kicking as many long range points per game in quite a few years.
Coen was mighty I think hen nelly might yet be recalled. Hope lee will be ok for next week. Old dogs Higgins and Boyle showed they still have it. Hope it’s cork next week
FS that was difficult! Just made it over the line.
Don’t do anything easy.
Galway Cork Meath or Cavan in the next round.
A win is a win But the standard of play from some of the Mayo team was pathetic, the truth is only for David Clarke, Colm Boyle, Harrison, Aidan O Shea , Darren & Mcloughlin + Cillian’s 2 frees , the rest were ball watching passengers. The injuries is very worrying now, hope they can lift it now cos the next game will tell alot, well done Mayo.
Had that game won and then ended up limping over the line. Some really lazy play with fellas waiting for the ball. The loose free from Aido was criminal.
Dave Clarke made a couple of superb stops. Boyler was back to his best. Darren Coen was excellent and Kev McLoughlin found his form again. Great to see Cillian back in the jersey.
The injury to Lee doesn’t look good. We’re really thin on the ground now.
Where has Coen being for past few years, he is kicking some points…
Great watch.. Armagh are a coming team.. Jamie Clarkes goal shot off the post was a turning point. Coen hit some scores.
It’s all about the draw now.. I think the Gaa will bring ye to Croker no matter what next weekend.
Darren coen motm by a country mile again
Christ where has he been all these years
Feels like 2017 all over again, stumbling through the qualifiers, hopefully like 17 we come to life when we reach croker
We were blessed there, deegan was very much on our side tonight.
Onwards. Hopefully meath next week now
Westlife are in Croke next weekend so matches there well done Mayo we survived thought Coen Boyler And Mc Donagh were immense
All we wanted was the win … Mad West radio commentary was shocking … We’re in the draw for Monday .. Feile is my gig this weekend so just happy to get the win .. PS .. who’s fault was it lads got injured today??
Absolutely agree Rock.
No one coming to meet Clarke or show for it at the end, it was tough to watch but thrilled to be through.
Fair play to Armagh, they should have got 2 more goals.
D Coen brilliant.
Kevin Mc, you’re a star!! Not only the goal but his acceleration bursts. Gives us breathing space and puts opposition on back foot.
That was a fantastic (but nail biting) match! I see some online giving out but I thought there was very good quality football played and at high intensity. The main issue is mayo throwing away the lead in the last few minutes. Armagh are a good side. A bit on the rough side at times but good.
Not good for the heart this stuff! Coen and Boyle the pick of the bunch. They really have to start working on game management a bit better when they build a lead – if that game went on for a minute or 2 longer we would have been caught. Hope Keegan and Jason Doc are ok. Great to see COC back.
At this point I think we’ll struggle regardless of who we meet next week. Our form is so patchy. Let’s be real here. Armagh are a good up and coming and exciting side but are they even a top ten at the moment? And we hobbled over the line. It’s disgraceful to allow an inexperienced team back into it when we lead 2-11 to 1-9. So so frustrating.
Keegan looked to go over on his ankle. He’ll be out for a couple of weeks I would say. Doherty came off too. We are becoming very stretched.
Darren Coen had a magical performance. Boyle was immense at the back. Good to see Vaughan and Cillian get some game time and finally, Kevin gets brought out the field and looked a totally different person scoring 1-1 in the 3rd quarter.
Our attacking running wasn’t clever though. Too many times we all got clogged in on the Armagh 40. Fionn lost possession 2 or 3 times like this (He did have a good 1st half tho.amd looks a proper player). Didn’t think Treacy or Murray contributed anything.
And dare I say it for fear of being lambasted but Aido had his quietest game for Mayo this year. Did we even win midfield today? We certainly didnt win the break count.
We genuinely need an increased performance if we hope to win next wk. All.those sides are dangerous in different ways and our form is not that great at all.
First time in a good while we lost midfield
Clarke is a great shots topper but the question marks over his kick outs remain imo.
AOS had a very poor game too
We were blessed to come through that
The big positive is the newbies who stood up once again. D Coen and mcdonagh immense
Well done Mayo need yo improve injuries going to cost us
Was Mcdonagh good 2nd half??
Result but under 10s shit there tonight.aidos short frees kicking the ball across your own goal.4 times
Not attacking the ball.
Where is this going.
Time to wake up and attack and stop letting teams come at us.
Bullshit.
Maurice deegan was very favourable tonight for ye
I suggest some non contact Stuff, for training during the week maybe YOGA …That YOGA can be hard enough …Hard Luck to Armagh
Nerves shot after that. Did Armagh go after Clarkes’s kick out, forcing him long? If he’s aiming it at Aido every time in a long kick out, that was very predictable for Armagh. I was listening on the radio but it felt to me that the Armagh players were able to predict this & crowd or frustrate Aido and win the ball. That seemed to happen too often for my comfort tonight and it’s not Aido’s fault if the other team are on to this. I don’t like us losing our own kickouts. I admit I only assume this from radio commentary. I wonder if that was how it looked live at the match.
Huge contributions from Darren Coen, Cillian and Kevin Mc. Loved hearing that Donie point.
why oh why cant Mayo win just one game with something to spare. why does Aiden O Shea take free kicks , why don’t players take their scores when they are on and not overplay the ball , when we get a free O Shea needs to move forward and be in position to collect ball . Stupid silly mistakes made when calm heads are needed
I think people are being unbelievably harsh. We’re being held together with glue at this stage. 5 starters injured and another 2 just back from long term injuries. All that matters is the likes of Coen, mcdonagh and treacy play more championship games at this level. To make the super 8’s would be a great achievement.
Yes I agree with tuamstar, Mayo can’t complain about Maurice tonight.
I only got worried tonight when we went 5 up. We’ve seen it all before, can’t close out the end of games. It’s either narrow wins, narrow losses or draws.
Yes we made mistakes but we won in a knockout championship match against a very good team.
So lets all count to 10 and give the lads some credit.
Clarke, Higgins, Boyle, McDonagh, Coen my pick.
Three vets and two new lads.
Keegan injury a disaster and still we won.
All that matters is we are in next round.
Well done players and Management.
Big call with Andy.
Actually McDonagh wasn’t too good in 2nd half. Ran down too many blind alleys and lost the ball. Armagh had the numbers back. Same with Treacy and Murray. I thought Donie added physicality when he came on for Murray. The young bucks actually nearly lost us the game but Aido nearly did too with some stray passes. Armagh had a tactic of running at him in 1st half at every opportunity and combined with hard game last week it did affect him along with not enough support from others for breaking ball. He did though do some defensive mopping and showing for short kickouts in 2nd half so quiet is an unfair label. Just a few too many errors in this one but he’s a huge amount of credit in the bank this year.
One positive is Boyler was superb tonight. Made a big statement there. Along with Darren Coen’s and Fionn McDonagh’s shooting in 1st half.
Edge of the seat stuff… made it awful hard work at times. Constantly carrying the ball into the tackle and getting turned over, lazy free from o shea, kicking and running the ball across our own goal mouth on several occasions… that’s under 14 stuff. Am delighted to get a home win under the belt also, but if armagh were any bit better they would have stole that game from us. Our game management can be shocking poor at times. Well done to coen and boyler. Good for donie and coc to get some game time.
fuck me. Got through that in a tight shave.
Shullfy Deck, I don’t see how you could say the young bucks nearly lost us the game. The most experienced players were In defence and they were poor in managing the game in the last 15 mins. AOS is experienced enough not to be hitting free kicks directly into opposition’s hands which lead directly to a score.
As for selection, I found it hard to believe McLoughlin dropped and also Andy subbed off so early, he was doing fine bar losing his man for one kickout. A bit outnumbered by Armagh backs but no reason IMO to take him off so soon. I know others ask for early subs but that one seemed a bit overly ruthless. It might be for the best as it gave new lads time to understand what the head of championship is about.
The rest of the decisions by sideline were good enough.
Boyle unbelievable………looks really fit and driven……..This past year I really thought he was in the ‘impact sub’ stage………great to see him back in full flight !
Ye do get some excitement with this team, don’t ye?? It just never gets boring. Fair play!
Ye still seem to have this perpetual knack of pitching the performance on or around the level of the opposition, good or bad. So while there are lots of sensible arguments against the case for Mayo, e.g Armagh really aren’t a top-table team, too many Mayo injuries, Mayo inconsistency, odd Mayo mgmt decisions etc its equally hard to argue that this Mayo team can’t again put it up to anyone.
I don’t think there are any restrictions in the next round draw that would prevent Mayo v Galway, are there?
Galway v Mayo for the Super 8 spot would be very tasty.
Defending was absolutely clueless for most of the game. Nearly cost us the match. Some of our most experienced players caught out several times.
Get in!!!! 2 big “W’s” in the space of 7 days. Coen done the exact same as Ross game…class. Time to tear up that turf in MacHale, First parsons, now keegan, enough is enough. Didn’t make it easy on ourselves as usual, but f**k it we’re in the pot Monday!!. Look we wont be winning any AI this year, only Dublin will be. But it would be a huge boost to make Supers, though this is gunna be hard with the growing injury list.
Im sensing unrest about Clarkes kick outs, Armagh pushed up and his options were limited, dead right to bomb it long. He certainly didn’t make a shite of a simple short one, like Rob did and hand the opposition a game winning 3 pointer. Clarke is an will be no.1, end of.
Saw it with my own eyes Aidan o shea coming out in a brace and same with Doherty
Very very worrying
Good result but were running on thin ice
Darren coen won us the game today with excellant scores. Fair play James horan for playing this man and putting Kevin McLoughlin where he should be playing. These two lads won us the game today simple facts. Our lads are serious contenders if the players are played in there proper positions. Life is simple but the brain can complicate everything
Fell over the line again but great heart with bizarre injuries that keep coming
Coen was excellent
Boyler fearless
Experience got us through
Young lads will learn loads from today
I wouldnt like to meet galway with half a team
Supporting this gret team has become a surreal experience
Just home. Shattered after that.
For me Colm Boyle and Brendan Harrison played out of their skin. The journey goes onn.
Best wishes to Lee and Jason. Such tough luck but Armagh players were very physical so we lucky to win. Well done all.
And how wonderful to see Cillian return and steadying the ship at the right time. Well done Cillian and Donie and welcome back.
It’s only 68 that’s a pointless bit of information with only 2 intention. Let’s wait and hear what’s to hear. Enough heart attack stuff in Mayo football without heart attack stories. Bloody close finish. I love Aido but please let him never take a quick free across goals… aka Tyrone a few years ago and again tonight.
Let’s see what Monday morning brings…. and take it from there.
Ohmmmm…. still trying to calm my breathing and my fekkin heart.
Mayo…. Mayo…. oh Mayo….
Make that 1 intention…
Great win.
Some brilliant scoring.
Congratulations to team and managment. Thought James did very well tonight.
I think Armagh are a very good team so this was a fantastic win.
Room for improvement but worrying on the injury front.
We’re in the hat again whoohaaaa.
Great to win but we were a bit lucky at times. Armagh turned over our possession on far too many occasions. Why? Because we stupidly carried the ball needlessly into contact when we should have been moving it away from contact just in the nick of time. That’s what the dubs do so well. And we used to do it also except perhaps for Aidan O Shea who has the physique to break the tackle.
Fionn McDonagh is a really good player but he needs to learn that intercounty defenders don’t usually allow you to run through them. A bit raw and naieve but will learn from this I hope. I was not too convinced by Conor Loftus or Ciaran Tracey but. I thought Murray showed that he might be good enough in time. As for Darren Coen………all I can say is I wish we had him these last few years!
The defending! They should have had two more goals and albeit that Clarke’s superb save was from a chance that should have been a free out their second – a chance to chip Clarke was a definite wasted opportunity.
Keegan looked in serious pain and it’s a real worry because he is a bit special. We need him badly.
Afraid theres no intention the truth @axlem struggling to get across the road
Do explain that comment Tuamstar please.I watched it live and must have missed all the favourable stuff.
McDonagh had a fine game as did Aido. Armagh were never going to just let them get on with it. I would agree that Aidan should never ever take a free. He is the guy frees should be aimed at and his accuracy let’s him down. Hope Lee is OK, Boyle seemed more like himself.
What???? Aido in a boot too …dear God
Maybe meant Jason Doherty and Lee Keegan. Still Jason bad news too.
Stop the whinging We won What do people want. A perfect performance where we hold the opposition scoreless and make no mistakes ourselves Get a grip. Imperfect as one would expect in qualifiers but a win is a win
Aidan OS makes 2 mistakes and people saying never let him take a cross field free again. He’s added some skills to his armoury so let him use them. I think he was a bit mentally tired today but has been immense and his kick passing and shooting has improved plenty this year kicking with his right and outside of the left. The bigger mistakes were men being static for the pass and Armagh bombing in. They were fighting for their lives and we dropped our intensity maybe 10%. Maybe injuries had a psychological impact, Doherty looks like out for next week too. All 3 young bucks mounted the mistakes in 2nd half and Treacy should’ve been subbed 15 mins earlier. Perhaps left on because we had only 1 sub left and couldn’t risk injury or black card. Next day hopefully don’t start them all as McLoughlin now has to start as does Coen. If we had Andy for the last 20 I think we’d have won more frees or scored cute points.
On another note watched the replay afterwards on Sky and they’re so far ahead of RTE it’s a joke.
Aidan has improved this year and the move to midfield suits him. I think he was missing Ruane and Diarmuid. However he never was and never will be a free taker. He is also wasted when taking frees as he should be the number one option for the free taker to aim at.
Aidan is taking those frees because he’s one of our best kick passers. Just because he misplaced 1 it’s not the end of the world. Everyone will miss an occasional one.
You have to love this team, but the inability to close out a game in a controlled way is pathological at this stage. When we talk about new players learning from games we shouldn’t forget that this is something crucial that the senior players have never learned, no matter how many games they play.
Lads need to ask themselves why this is?