Paddy Burns joked that Armagh players “owe our fans an apology” after putting them through a tense battle before securing a dramatic 0-23 to 0-22 win over Tyrone in the Ulster Football semi-final at Clones.
Armagh, the All-Ireland champions, appeared to be in control when they led 0-18 to 0-12 after 47 minutes. However, under the new scoring rules, Tyrone used two-pointers to mount a strong comeback. They moved two points ahead with eight minutes left, before Armagh rallied with the final three scores. Rory Grugan’s last-kick free sealed the victory.
“We don’t like to make it easy, and I’d say there were plenty of hearts in mouths,” said Burns, praising the Armagh fans who once again travelled in large numbers.
As Armagh patiently worked for the match-winning free after the final hooter, Burns, thinking like a defender, pleaded with his teammates to “kick the ball dead.”
“That’s all I was thinking. If it goes to extra-time, so be it,” said the corner-back, who plays his club football with Burren in County Down.
However, Armagh pressed on. After intercepting another kickout from Tyrone goalkeeper Niall Morgan, a foul on Conor Turbitt gave Grugan a 21-metre free, which he calmly converted to snatch the win.
Burns had a difficult defensive assignment, marking Tyrone’s main attacking threat, Darragh Canavan. He handled the job well, holding the Errigal Ciaran star to just two points from play.
“With a boy like Darragh, you just have to do your best to stay close and sometimes hope for the best. He got a few shots away that he didn’t convert too,” said Burns.
Meanwhile, Tyrone manager Malachy O’Rourke expressed disappointment at his team’s failure to close out the game after timing their comeback perfectly.
“We got ourselves in a good position and we’re just disappointed we didn’t see it out,” O’Rourke said. He praised his team’s “character” for fighting back from six points down to lead late on.
O’Rourke also singled out young substitute Eoin McElholm, who made a big impact after coming on in the 47th minute, scoring two points and energizing Tyrone’s forward line.
“He was a sort of spark that lit up the forward line when he came in,” said O’Rourke. “He caused Armagh a lot of trouble, got a couple of great scores, and was a threat straight away.”
