Armagh Ladies have to settle for a point after late Meath comeback

Armagh put in a superb performance this afternoon without three of their key players, but a late 1-1 from Meath meant that they had to settle for a draw in their All-Ireland SFC opener.

Captain Clodagh McCambridge pulled up with an injury in the warm-up, Blaithin Mackin missed out with an injury and whilst Aimee Mackin made the bench, she wasn’t quite ready to make her first appearance of the 2025 season.

Despite that, Armagh were on the brink of victory, as they led by four points late on. But Meath hit a goal through Shauna Ennis and a late point through Vikki Wall, to leave the two teams sitting with one point on the board.

Level at the break

Armagh had an early goal chance when a slick handpassing move which involved Emily Druse and Aoife McCoy led to Niamh Henderson getting in one on one, but her powerful shot was impressively saved by Robyn Murray.

Armagh did get the first score of the day, with Kelly Mallon pointing, but Meath’s Emma Duggan cancelled it out at the other end. Meath went ahead from a Wall free, but Armagh’s Niamh Reel slotted over a superb point from the left wing.

Reel doubled her tally a moment later and Armagh’s Henderson doubled her side’s advantage, with Meath’s Orlaith Sheehy hitting the upright post in between.

However, Meath surged into the lead on 11 minutes when powerful full forward Vikki Wall broke clear of the Armagh defence, got the ball onto her right foot and smashed a shot into the roof of the Orchard net.

Royals wing forward Ciara Smyth added to their advantage before goalkeeper Murray pulled off another save, this time denying Aoife McCoy. But Armagh kept the chance alive and finished it off with Henderson fisting over.

Armagh did then put the ball into the Meath net, but Mallon was adjudged to have been in the square before she punched home Reel’s dropping shot, and it was subsequently disallowed.

The home side moved into a 1-4 to 0-5 lead when Wall increased her tally with a point, but at the other end, Armagh were finally able to beat Murray.

They were immediately sent on the attack from a booming Anna Carr kick-out, and Emily Druse continued her run from deep. The ball was worked to her, and she laid it off for the ever-dangerous McCoy, who rifled her shot beyond the Meath shot stopper and into the far corner.

Armagh briefly went two ahead after a Reel free, but Wall was causing all sorts of problems for their defence, and she went on a driving run through the middle of the pitch and laid the ball off for her captain Aoibhin Cleary to bury her chance past Carr in a one on one.

That goal came just moments before the half-time whistle, but Armagh had enough time to engineer a scoring chance – a Reel free – and the Silverbridge woman raised a white flag and sent the two teams into the changing rooms level at 2-4 to 1-7.

Meath snatch a draw

Mallon got Armagh up and running in the second half when she finished off a well-worked move which involved McCoy, Niamh Coleman and Henderson, by clipping over from a tight angle.

Armagh had yet another goal chance then when Meath were dispossessed in their own defence. McCoy looked to set it up on a plate for Henderson, but put too much on her pass and the chance was gone.

Meath then sprung into life with two points in quick succession via a Duggan free and a long-range point from Cleary, but Armagh responded perfectly with McCoy levelling matters just seconds later.

Then on 42 minutes Armagh’s chances received a huge boost when they found the net for the second time. Coleman played the ball into Mallon and from the right of the posts, she slipped her shot underneath the Meath goalkeeper and into the back of the net.

Armagh doubled up on that score a moment later when Reel pointed from another free and they led 2-10 to 2-6, the largest lead of the game.

The lead was still at four points with three minutes to go when Duggan and Caroline O’Hanlon traded pointed frees.

But Meath had enough left in the tank and Shauna Ennis brought them right back into the game with a goal. She fielded Duggan’s pass turned and slotted past Carr to reduce the arrears to one.

Meath then won the following kick-out and worked it to Wall who landed a superb score from distance.

The Royal County indeed could have snatched the win late on, but Armagh defended for their lives and prevented them from getting a shot off before the hooter, and the end result was a draw.

MATCH STATS

Meath: Robyn Murray; Aine Sheridan, Mary Kate Lynch, Katie Newe; Aoibhin Cleary (1-1), Sarah Wall, Karla Kealy; Orlaith Sheehy, Marion Farrelly; Megan Thynne, Niamh Gallogly, Ciara Smyth (0-1); Emma Duggan (0-3, 2f), Vikki Wall (1-3, 1f), Kerrie Cole.

Subs: Katie Bermingham for Farrelly (38), Shauna Ennis (1-0) for Cole (45), Ciara Lawlor for Kealy (48).

Armagh: Anna Carr; Maeve Ferguson, Caoimhe McNally, Megan McCann; Emily Druse, Cait Towe, Grace Ferguson; Niamh Coleman, Caroline O’Hanlon (0-1, 1f); Lauren McConville, Aoife McCoy (1-1), Kelly Mallon (1-2); Sarah Quigley, Niamh Henderson (0-2), Niamh Reel (0-5, 4f).

Subs: Roisin Mulligan for Quigley (HT), Maeve Lennon for McNally (47), Eve Lavery for McCann (52).

Referee: Maggie Farrelly (Cavan).