Armagh U20s knocked out of the Ulster Championship by Tyrone

Armagh U20s were knocked out of the Ulster Championship on Wednesday night, losing by 10 points to Tyrone – however, the game was much closer than the final score-line suggests.

On a cold and wet night in Dungannon, it was Armagh who got on the scoreboard first through John Joe Hughes, but Shay McDermott replied for the Red Hand.

It didn’t take long for the first goal of the night to arrive, as with just over six minutes on the clock, Aaron O’Neill’s shot dropped short but was punched into the net by Hughes and Armagh moved three points ahead, which Ryan Duffy increased to four a few moments later.

Tyrone hit two points in quick succession through Conor O’Neill and Liam Og Mossey but Armagh hit back with two of their own through Forkhill’s Conall McGeough and Crossmaglen’s Aaron O’Neill.

Tyrone’s star player Eoin McElholm then opened his account and Ruairi McCullagh followed that up from a free. Armagh then kicked two wides in a matter of minutes, and Matthew Quinn and McElholkm punished them at the other end – levelling the game at 0-7 to 1-4.

The home side then took the lead for the first time on 27 minutes when McCullagh converted their fifth point in a row, but Armagh were back on level terms almost immediately when Hughes tapped over a free. The same player then scored from play to put the Orchard County one point ahead going in at the break.

McGeough opened Armagh’s account for the second half, before Tyrone’s Conan Devlin saw a goal chance saved and held by Shea Murphy.​ McCullagh grabbed the next score from a free, and the same player squeezed the ball between the posts from a tight angle to draw the teams level.

Aaron O’Neill restored Armagh’s advantage with a superb two-pointer – mimicking his older brother Rian’s score against Galway in last year’s All-Ireland final.

Captain Callum O’Neill grabbed the next score, before McCullagh and Hughes (free) traded points, and Armagh led by three with 15 minutes to go. However, the final quarter of the game belonged to Tyrone.

The game turned when the referee brought a Tyrone free forward 50 metres despite Armagh’s Duffy willingly handing the ball to his opponent. That led to a Conall Sheehy goal. Manager Barry O’Hagan was then booked for his protests, and Tyrone were awarded a close-range free, which put them one-point in front.

That took the wind from Armagh’s sails, and the Red Hand rattled in a further 2-3 with no reply, with goals from McElholm and Noah Grimes.

MATCH STATS

Tyrone scorers: Ruairi McCullagh (0-7, 0-4f), Eoin McElholm (1-2), Noah Grimes (1-1), Conall Sheehy (1-0), Caolan Donnelly (0-1), Conor O’Neill (0-1), Matthew Quinn (0-1), Liam Óg Mossey (0-1), Shay McDermott (0-1).

Armagh scorers: John Joe Hughes (1-4, 2f), Aaron O’Neill (0-3, 1tp), Conall McGeough (0-2), Callum O’Neill (0-1), Ryan Duffy (0-1).