Down and Armagh rivalry is ‘as intense as ever’ says former Orchard shot stopper Philip McEvoy

​The Ulster Championship is firmly up and running after two exhilarating contests last weekend, and neighbours Armagh and Down will be hoping that they continue the trend of entertainment when they meet in the semi-final at St Tiernach’s Park this Saturday.

They met at the same stage of the competition in the same venue 12 months ago, but that game never caught fire and Armagh breezed home to a 4-10 to 0-12 win in the lashing rain.

Both sides come into this one on the back of strong league campaigns and opening day wins in Ulster, but whilst Down laboured there way to victory over Antrim in Newry, Armagh produced arguably their best performance of the season to date in their 3-11 to 0-9 win over Fermanagh.

Those performances, coupled with the fact that Armagh played in a higher division in the league, has the Orchard County as favourites with the bookmakers. However, former Armagh goalkeeper Philip McEvoy told the Newry Reporter that from his experience, form can go out the window in these derby clashes.

“I do believe that,” said McEvoy.

“There were times were we went in as underdogs against Down when I was playing. We played them in 2011, the year after they got to the All-Ireland final, and they had the likes of Marty Clarke and some real top class players.

“They were tipped to beat us in the Athletic Grounds that evening, but we managed to get one over on them that time.

“The derby can have that affect – it's such a big match for so many players on both sides. Whatever happened in the league, regardless of what division you're in or how well you did, when it comes to an Ulster semi-final, it's all up for grabs.

“Down will be licking their lips to get a chance at Armagh. They possibly let themselves down a wee bit last year and conceded some sloppy goals, but they will be looking to eradicate those mistakes this year, and they will feel as though they have the armoury within their ranks to get into an Ulster final.”

‘It doesn’t come much bigger’

McEvoy, who is from Dromintee, says that for the Armagh players based in the south of the county, the rivalry against Down is the biggest of all, and that it hasn’t diminished at all in recent years.

“In my opinion, it doesn't come much bigger,” he said.“The south Armagh lads, if they didn't go to school in Newry they would have came across a lot of the Newry lads through football, so Armagh v Down was always the big one that stuck out to us.

“Down were definitely the team who we always wanted to get one-up on, and that's definitely still the case now.“From speaking to lads within my own club, the rivalry with Down is still as intense as ever. It's always a tantalising match-up, and I don't see this one being any different.”

‘The Fermanagh match has got the energy levels back up’

To date, through their nine league and Championship matches, Armagh have won six, drew two, and lost one (the league final against Donegal).

They went about their business professionally in obtaining promotion from Division Two, and although things didn’t go their way in the final, McEvoy says that Armagh’s impressive performance in the win over Fermanagh has brought positivity back to the county.

“They did what they had to do in the league; out of nine games that they have played this year, eight clean sheets is some going for Blaine Hughes, the defence, and the whole team,” he said.“They do have that bit of firepower up top too, but that was a bit of a damp squib in the league final. We went up to Croke Park with high hopes of winning the league title, but it didn't work out on the day for whatever reason.

“But I suppose the Fermanagh match has got the energy levels back up, and Armagh have a more positive outlook now. They had an aggressive press on the kick outs, they didn't allow Fermanagh a second on the ball, and the match was pretty much done and dusted inside of 20 minutes.

“I'm sure the Armagh team will be looking to bring the same approach to the game this Saturday in Clones."

‘Geezer will have a decision to make’

As an ex-goalkeeper, McEvoy will have had a keen eye on the happenings between the sticks for Armagh this year.

Fly-keeper Ethan Rafferty held the position over the last two years, but his injury has opened the door for Blaine Hughes to retake his spot, and McEvoy says that manager Kieran McGeeney has a tough decision on his hands going forward.

The Armagh team was announced on Thursday evening, and for the first time all year, Rafferty has made the 26-man squad, listed on the bench.

“Ethan is back in training and from what I have heard he's going well, so Geezer [McGeeney] will have a decision to make,” he said.“The Ulster Championship is probably too early to start tweaking the goalkeeper position, because having stability there is key, especially when the games are coming so relentlessly.

“When you have eight clean sheets in nine games, it's probably hard to think about changing the goalkeeper position.

“I think McGeeney will stick with the status quo, because Blaine is doing so well, but Ethan will be chomping at the bit in the background, as is Shea Magill who is pushing them on.”

You can listen to the interview in full on this week’s Newry Reporter Sports Podcast, available now on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4f4fxHyISkK643A855JSB3?si=rTe6p-B_R4yXjaauqXjQeQ and Acast: https://embed.acast.com/6602ebd5b0064b00167c1249/662a696f1967a0001250d985