Ulster U21 Football Championship

[Uladh]

A mixed bag performance from the u21s last night, but great for them to be through to the final.

The first half had a lot of huff and puff to it with little end product for either side. Armagh had midfielders and half backs breaking through the centre well but then taking the wrong option when they got to scoring range. quite a few times armagh tried to work a goal when maybe a point was the better option. by the same token, the derry full forward line took the armagh full back line to the cleaners but wasted a lot of good positions. sean leo mcgolderick led donaghy a merry dance but continually gave a bad finall pass or shot poorly. thankfully Mark Lynch was in a similar mood and wasted quite a few shhoting opportunities early on.

Armagh had much the better of the midfield exchanges through O'Neill and lavery and got the lions share of the breaks. frustratingly, both men insist on carrying the ball constantly when they get it and consequently the forwards got no supply.

The second half was a funny game. derry seemed to lose belief and armagh were able to eek out points regularly. for the first 15 minutes, derry were able to keep in touch with break away scores but armagh were growing stronger and lynch was running out of steam. dyas was excellent in the middle sector of the half. covering well, picking the right passes at the right time and driving forward he had a hand in four points in a row which decided the game.

Derry lacked any real penetration up front in the second half and the rest of the team just seemed to stop when lynch got the ball as if their work was done and as a consequence he had no support at vital times.

A couple of criticisms i'd have with this armagh team are amazingly (not) common in armagh football. for the second game in a row, the opposition withdrew everyone out of their half bar the full forward line, leaving 60 yards of space in front of the full back line and their men. with a forward as dangerous as Lynch in there, its unthinkable to leave that scenario in place and the armagh full back line duely took a roasting. a clearly inferior Derry team created 2 goal opportunities and had two penalty shouts in the first half as well as missing several point opportunities. secondly, armagh clearly have no method to what they do going forward. they get the ball in the middle and all four forwards scatter into space as though a pass is imminent. but none of their men around the middle ever pass it nor even look up as though they'd like to pass it. after they get their required number of solos in, the forwards have run asunder and there is no longer anyone to pass it to. armagh then carry it the length of the field, which is fine and dandy til you meet a team that can stop you carrying the ball.

I'm led to believe monaghan are a big strong outfit and armagh may not have the luxury of at least 60% possession as they have done in their first two games. that said, there is so much excellent talent in this panel that it'd be unthinkable to not win at least an ulster title.

[charlie stubbs]

yeah monaghan seem like a decent outfit good few men starting or getting a run for the seniors.shud be an interesting game,but of what i saw from tyrone game an ulster title should be ours.what was the story with mckenna at ff?even though i hear o'neill had a great game,would it not be more sensible to play sum1 who has played regularly at ff or in the forward line for the county,club and uni b4?from what iv saw of mckenna he just seems be a natural midfielder!

[The Bottom Brick]

I'm led to believe monaghan are a big strong outfit and armagh may not have the luxury of at least 60% possession as they have done in their first two games. that said, there is so much excellent talent in this panel that it'd be unthinkable to not win at least an ulster title.

YES!!!

Bring on the unthinkable, Monaghan!

Must remember to post this quote again after the Ulster final. Sure how would the likes of Monaghan compete with a superpower like Armagh! lol

[Maximus Marillius]

Bottom brick, it wont be Cavan, what another great underage team that won nothing Would ye ever catch urselves on

[ard mhaca abu]

armagh u21 v derry
p rodgers lissummon
b donaghy clonmore
k toner granemore
s finnegan cross
m ferris cruppen
t mcclelland granemore
k dyas drumintee
g oneill drumintee
j lavery maghery
p courtney ballyhegan
d mckenna cross
c vernon harps
c conlon silverbridge
s forker maghery
k o'rourke newtown

thought dyas derserved motm covered every blade of grass in casement nd was up nd down field like a greyhound!

[The Bottom Brick]

Bottom brick, it wont be Cavan

Good man Max, well spotted. No flies on you boy.

[Armamike]

Not a great performance by Armagh, but always had that bit extra to win.  Armagh simply had more about them as a team whereas Derry were overreliant on Lynch, who is an exceptional athlete and footballer. He looked exhausted near the end of the game, not surprising considering the ground he covered.  The game was tight enough for long periods, but Armagh's greater amount of possession should have been reflected on the scoreboard. As Benny and others have said, there were a number of attempts early on at walking the ball into the net, where a few handy points should have been taken (take your points and the goals will come etc). On the  plus side Armagh are extremely strong down the middle and the right lay off would have seen us rattle up a good few scores.  Derry didn't have the ammunition to punish Armagh at  the other end though. Another team may well do so.  Agree also with Uladh, re. Lavery and a few of the other lads taking too much out of the ball.  Lavery just about got away with it in this game as on a few occasions he put the runner through with a decent pass, but he will get caught against different opposition. Certainly at senior level he'll get embarrassed if he overdoes the toe tapping thing against tight opposition. Thought himself, Vernon, O'Neill,  Courtney all had decent games.  With McKenna to come in, the future midfield options for the senior team look very promising - some giant blokes among that lot who can play a bit of football.   As said, Dyas really impressed also. He has great potential to be a really classy wing back in the years ahead.

There isn't a star forward in this team which on the face of it is not good, but then again the team will be hard stopped if scores are contributed from a number of different players rather than relying on 1 or 2 for the majority.  Forker disappointed me in the first half but improved a good bit in the second - took some really good frees and from play.  O'Rourke is a very skillful player and can open up defences by running at them - but the end product could be better.  The other forwards didn't make much of an impression.  Hopefully Johnny Hanratty will offer more attacking threat if he's slotted in at the half forwards.  What's happened JJ Clarke? I can't believe he's not worth even a sub's appearance. Has he gone back that much since minor?

I'd be a bit worried about the management's team selection. The team lacked balance. Starting McKenna in  the half forwards was a strange one (a) he doesn't play this position and (b) only 3 days after the club final.  Vernon was out of position also at wing forward. Thought also they left Donaghy? on far too long on the blondie Derry forward - it was only by pure good forture that he wasn't taken to the cleaners on the scoreboard (as he was in play).

Hopefully they'll have learnt a bit more from this game (esp. on the attacking front) and be well prepared for a tough one against Monaghan in the final.

[farniel]

You Armagh lads seem incredibly confident about a victory in the final! Hopefully your players will be just as cocky on the day and Monaghan show them up  It should be a good one anyway!!

[TacadoirArdMhacha]

Any word on the venue for the final yet?

Thought we were quie decent on Wednesday night, certainly deserved the victory. To be honest, I think we were simply much too physically dominant compared to Derry, a lot of big strong lads on the team. A lot of the better players in the side didn't even play particularly well so hopefully if they play to their potential we should have a bit to go in the competition yet.

[Armagh Exile]

Can anyone confirm if Damian McCullough and Radio FiveFM be covering the Armagh and Monaghan Ulster U-21 Football Final from Omagh on Saturday?

[Orior]

I cant get fivefm working on the internet. I've downloaded the software, but when I try to listen it just downloads from stupid listen.pls file. What am I meant to do with that?

[Armagh Exile]

Orior,
I'm not sure about FiveFM on the internet but if you live in the Newry/South Armagh area you can get it on the radio.
It is on 100.5 on FM

[judas1]

INJURY WOES FOR ARMAGH  AS TODAY CAPTAIN JAMES LAVERY AND KIERAN TONER WERE CARRIED OF DURING ARMAGHS GAME WITH WESTMEATH. ACCORDING TO REPORTS LAVERY HAS DAMAGED ANKLE LIGAMENTS AND IS A MAJOR DOUBT FOR SATURDAYS UNDER21 FINAL.  KIERAN TONERS INJURY IS A STRAINED THIGH AND HE IS ALSO RATED AS DOUBTFUL.  ATTACKING WING BACK KEVIN DYAS STRAINED MEDIAL KNEE LIGAMENTS LAST WEDNESDAY AGAINST DERRY, AND DID NOT TOG OUT FOR THE SENIORS TODAY. VERY WORRYING INDEED. 

[FarneyMan]

Under21 final in omagh on saturday, does anyone know if theres been a throw-in time fixed for it yet !?

[dexter]

Armagh U - 21s should go with a fully fit team & have a strong enough squad to cope with injuries.
I 'd go with
Rodgers
McKeown
Donaghy
Ferris
McClelland
Kernan
Vernon
McKenna
O'Neill
O'Rourke
McSherry
Courtney
Forker
Hanratty
Conlon