Clan na Gael 2-13; Crossmaglen 3-5
In a year of upsets on the intercounty front, it was perhaps to be expected that we would have similar shocks in the back garden of the All Ireland champions Armagh when the local championship rolled around last weekend.
And so it came to pass last Sunday in Davitt Park when Clan na Gael claimed a five-point victory over reigning champions Crossmaglen in a no-quarters given contest.
The Group B showdown had spills and thrills and no little drama as the enthusiastic Lurgan crowd witnessed, five goals, 10 yellow cards and a day when the county’s star man Rian O’Neill suffered the double indignity of missing a penalty and then being sent off.
O’Neill failed with his spot kick late on when a goal would have brought Cross right back into the mix. Worse was to follow for the big man when he was shown a straight red card in injury time - something that will have him unavailable for the next round.
The big crowd, still reveling in their Croke Park success, cheered on both teams, particularly the county men such as Stefan Campbell and Shane McPartlan on the home side and the O’Neill brothers, Oisin and Rian, in the Cross line up.
Both sides showed up well at various stages of the first half which ended all square though Clans had the support of the elements in that moiety. It was nip and tuck with points conceded and taken with the hosts ahead by two points on the quarter-hour mark.
Cross reply was quick and decisive as they forged back into the lead with not just one goal - but two in as many minutes.
And it was the same player - Pearse Blessing - who finished off both green flag strikes after Rian O’Neill had done the spadework for the opener and Cian McConville had expertly set up the second.
If we thought the famed black-and-amber outfit would kick on from there to half-time, we were sadly mistaken as they failed to register another score in this period while Clans fought back to parity by the blow of the short whistle.
It was scores from Niall Henderson, Campbell and James Austin from play and the deadly accurate McPartlan from a free brought the sides level 0-10 to 2-4 at the break.
For a side that could score two goals in two minutes, it must have been bewildering for the traveling fans that their favorites could only muster two scores in the entire second-half, while playing with a strong wind at their backs.
When Oisin O’Neill leveled matters again five minutes into the second half with a point to counter Campbell’s earlier effort, it was to prove the final white flag of the day for Cross.
After hitting the front again via a Brendan O’Hagan free they worked their opening major from the irrepressible McPartlan whose shot was immediately added to by Jack Lavery to give the hosts a five point lead.
It was now a question - would they kick on to safety or would Cross dig into their DNA and fightback.
The answer came swift and fast when sub Paul Hughes evaded the defense to shoot home the visitors third goal - and last score - of the day to cut the lead back to two points.
The hopes of a grandstand finished vanished from the kick out as Michael McConville killed the game as a contest with a goal of his own. Had O’Neill converted a penalty made by Hughes who was fouled as he bore down on goal, it might have been a different matter.
Instead for once he fluffed his lines and in injury time he was shown red after an off the ball clash which makes their bounce back in the next game that bit harder without their talisman on board.
Clan na Gael scorers: Shane McPartlan (1-4, 0-2fs), S Campbell (0-3, 0-1f), M McConville (1-0), N Henderson (0-2), C O’Neill, J Austin, B O’Hagan, J Lavery (0-1 each).
Crossmaglen scorers: P Blessing (2-1), C McConville (0-3, 0-2f), P Hughes (1-0), O O’Neill (0-1).
