The good days for Armagh aren’t even like buses. Yes, there’s none for ages but when one comes along it’s usually on its own, so to get two in eight days, particularly in the context of a morale sapping loss in Ballybofey, has been absolutely exhilarating. The whole County is buzzing and it’s nothing to do with wasp infestations!!
The fact that the wins were against two of our nemesis (nemesi?) only adds to the feeling of joy and excitement. We owed Tyrone, and Donegal in particular, big time. Donegal have a few knaves both on and off the pitch, who I would have a serious dislike for, so the win was really really pleasing!
The bandwagon is also starting to roll and there was a huge Armagh support in Clones, outnumbering Donegal by three or four to one. Just great to see and hear. It’s been a long time waiting for a wee bit of success like this to come along.
I’m also delighted for Geezer. I know he's had his critics here, but he has persevered with meagre resources, changed things around in his backroom team, and come up with a really decent formula. And don't forget our long injury list which has denied us four / five of a match day twenty.
As for the game itself, we got off to the perfect start but immediately run into problems, with Donegal scoring excellent points with nearly every attempt. They pressed on our kickouts and pressured us, but we managed to keep in contact with some excellent points of our own.
The turning point was of course the penalty and the black card, and it effectively sealed the game. We took a lead that we never relinquished and started to play some lovely football and scored points for fun.
It looked impressive I have to say, but in the cold light of day, I become a glass half empty man again. The penalty / black card was an absolute game changer. However, the response of Donegal was absolutely shocking and was epitomised for me by the interaction between Patton and McBrearty on the bench. Donegal simply folded. They had no heart or pride and it brought back memories of Armagh giving them some serious slappings in the late noughties when they simply collapsed in the face of the pressure.
For all the talk of Armagh - and we have looked impressive - I’d be concerned about the level of the opposition over the last eight days and my hope is that our performances are a reflection of our ability rather than the current standing of Tyrone and Donegal.
Looking ahead, Galway is a good draw. They will be tough opposition. I think they are better than Derry, but I just dreaded the staleness of another all Ulster clash. Avoiding Dublin and the Kingdom was essential. We have a great opportunity to make progress. We are where we are on merit, and I for one am going to enjoy the spin. Trips like these don’t come along too often in the Orchard!!