PRESS RELEASES
From left to right :Gerry Mc Kee Co Armagh Junior team manager, Johnny Evans Sunderland F C, Neil Warnock ex Sheffield Utd manager and Brian Houston Co Armagh Premier team manager.
Milk Cup Venues Confirmed 30:05:07
THE venues and kick off times for the County Armagh Junior and Premier team's opening four fixtures have been confirmed. The Juniors start their campaign on Monday, July 30 at Castlerock when they face Watford at noon. And that 3.30pm that afternoon the Premier team take centre stage when they play Hearts at Broughshane. The following day, Tuesday, July 31, the Juniors face Danish outfit Lyngby at Coleraine's Anderson Park while that evening the Premier team will be in action at Portstewart's Mullaghcall pitch when they face Mexican side Cruz Azul.
International flavour for Milk Cup 30:05:07
THERE was mixed reaction to the draw for this summer's Milk Cup for both County Armagh sides. The Junior team have been drawn against Championship side Watford and Danish outfit Lyngby Boldklub. While in the Premier Section, the County side faces the challenge of Scottish Premier club Hearts and Mexicans Cruz Azul. New Premier side manager Brian Houston said that he is looking forward to taking charge of the team for the first time when the tournament kicks off on Monday, July 30. Houston has been a coach with the Premier side for several years and has now moved up into the main job of managing the cream of County Armagh 's players.
"We have faced Hearts at both levels more times than I wish to remember over the years at the Milk Cup," said the Lurgan based manager. "We know what sort of style Hearts will use in the competition and their formation will be very similar to our own. Indeed the style of play between the two sides will be level and we should be evenly matched across the park. The Mexicans however, will be a different kettle of fish altogether. I must admit that I know absolutely nothing about them but they will probably be a typical South American side that is full of flair and pace."
Cruz Azul play in the Primera Division de Mexico and its home venue is the Estadio Azul, located in the Northwestern part of Mexico City in the Noche Buena neighborhood. The team moved there in 1996 after playing many seasons at the Estadio Azteca.
Meanwhile, Gerry McKee, manager of the Junior team, expects two tough opening matches in their section of the tournament. McKee, who moved into the role after successfully managing the Premier team for a number of years, says he is looking forward to the tournament opener against Watford .
"You just never know what is going to come out of the football Academies in England ," said McKee. "We have had mixed performances over the years against the English sides and we would be confident of getting a decent result in our opening fixture. It's so important to get points on the board in that first game of The Milk Cup because that really takes the pressure off in the second game and sometimes three points can be enough to qualify. The second game against the Danes will also be a tough one for us. We know very little about them but Danish teams that have competed at the Milk Cup in previous years have generally done very well."
Danish club Lyngby Boldklub was founded in 1921. It is based at Lyngby Stadion in Kongens Lyngby , Denmark . From 1994 to 2001 the club was known as Lyngby FC. The Milk Cup starts on Sunday, July 29 with the traditional parade through the centre of Coleraine to the Coleraine Showgrounds. The action then kicks off the next day and finishes on Friday, August 3. Preparations are well underway for County Armagh and an initial squad will be selected for the intensive warm-up campaign that will take place from later this month until just before the start of the Milk Cup.
Both Milk Cup Teams Draw in Dundalk 14:07:07
BOTH County Armagh Milk Cup squads were in Dundalk over the weekend for training sessions and matches ahead of this month's tournament on the north coast. Training sessions were, however, disrupted somewhat by the heavy rain that had left all pitches in Dundalk closed due to flooding. But Dundalk Town FC came to the rescue for Armagh when they opened up their Oriel Park stadium - which sports a full sized artificial surface - to the county teams. This allowed the players to be put through their paces and play in two competitive games against the host town.
In the first of the two games over the weekend, the Premier side were unlucky to have finished scoreless against Dundalk Under 16s. Sam Stewart had a chance for Armagh as early as the sixth minute following a well worked corner. Eight minutes later and Ryan Winter went close after he was put into a good position following Aaron Haire's defence-splitting pass.
Winter went close again on 24 minutes when he forced the Dundalk 'keeper into conceding a corner. Winter was again unlucky not to score on 30 minutes when he was a fraction of a second away from converting Haire's nod down from a free kick. Stewart was within inches of giving Armagh the lead right on half time with a well struck shot from distance. Chances were few and far between in the second half although Armagh remained dominant throughout.
The Junior match against Dundalk ended 2-2 but it was an absolute thriller, although two lapses of concentration in defence saw Armagh concede their lead twice within two minutes of scoring. The first half was a tight affair with few opportunities for either side to score. Four goals in the second half made for an end to end game. Armagh, however, will be disappointed not to have won although they will learn from this game.
Centre back Stefan Thompson's well timed run from a corner gave Armagh the lead early in the second half when his powerful header gave the Dundalk 'keeper no chance.But moments later Armagh failed to clear the ball at the back and this allowed Dundalk to level the game when they scrambled the ball home. With the game about to enter injury time Steen Montgomery's curling free kick looked to have given Armagh victory but again Dundalk levelled almost immediately when they made the most of a mistake at the back.
With less than two weeks before the start of the Milk Cup, it was vital that both teams were able to play and the County Armagh Milk Cup Association are extremely grateful to Dundalk FC for providing Oriel Park and to main sponsors MSM Contracts Ltd for their continuing support.
Orchard glory for County side
Mayor of Armagh City and District Council, William Irwin MLA, presents the County Armagh Premier squad with the Orchard Cup following victory in Saturday's tournament
Co Armagh Premiers (1) Co Londonderry Premiers (0)
A GOAL six minutes from time saw the County Armagh Premier side book a spot in the final of the Orchard Cup on Saturday. But they had to fight all the way against a useful County Londonderry side in a match that could easily have swung the other way. Chances were few and far between in the first half and while Derry had the strong wind at their backs, they did little to threaten Armagh keeper Andrew Wright. Kris Mc Adam and Michael Mc Kerr had a strong game for Armagh in the First half and the duo were imposing in the centre of defence. Raymond Hughes was proving to be a handful for the Derry defence too with his dangerous runs down the right creating plenty of teasing crosses into the box. Armagh were given a real scare early in the second half when Wright was forced into a save from a corner. Matthew Paget had a decent chance on 49 minutes when he fired just over the top from another decent delivery from Hughes. The breakthrough finally came on 54 minutes when Aaron Hair and Ryan Winter combined well for Ruairi Devlin to head home. A minute later it could have been 2-0 but Haire was denied by a Fine stop by the Derry keeper.
Co Armagh Premiers (2) Armagh City U16 (1)
THE final of the Orchard Cup was a real thriller between both County and City sides. City had the conditions in their favour in the opening 30 minutes and got off to the best possible start when they took the lead after just three minutes. City caught the County side out at the back and Rory Gurgan turned well to make space for himself before firing the ball home. The remainder of the half was a tight affair with both defences dominating the game. The second half was equally as tight although Michael Mc Kerr went close for the County on 45 minutes with a long-range effort that struck the post. But on 55 minutes the County side were level when Devlin popped up at the back post to score his second goal of the afternoon. It looked as if penalties were looming however it was the County side who had one last sting left in their tail and four minutes from time they scored the winner. The ball dropped to Mc Kerr outside the box and he struck and excellent shot that curled into the top corner to seal victory.
Juniors win Humphries Trophy County
Noel and June Humphries, parents of the late David Humphries, present the David Humphries Memorial Trophy to County Armagh Junior captain Scott McCullough.
Co Armagh Juniors (4) County Fermanagh Juniors (1)
County Armagh 's Junior Milk Cup squad recorded an emphatic 4-1 win over Fermanagh in Saturday's David Humphries Memorial Tournament. The Armagh side dominated the match throughout and were well worth their spot in the final of the competition. Weather conditions were far from ideal but Armagh bossed the first half despite playing against the wind and rain and had raced into a 3-1 lead by the break with goals coming from Mark Traynor and a brace from Scott McCullough. Armagh continued to be on top after the break but had to wait until late on to extend their lead when Mark Davidson was on target.
Co Armagh Juniors (1) County Londonderry Juniors (1) ( County Armagh won 4-2 on penalties)
COUNTY Armagh 's Junior Milk Cup team were the inaugural winners of the David Humphries Memorial Tournament on Saturday. But it took penalties to defeat a resilient County Londonderry side in an action packed fixture at Ardmore . Armagh played with the conditions in their favour in the opening half but were unable to find a breakthrough. The best chance in the opening period fell to Luke McCullough but his curling effort came back off the crossbar. However it was Derry who took the lead midway through the second half when they made the most of a mistake at the back. Armagh responded within eight minutes when Matthew Brown converted a decent cross at the back post following a period of sustained pressure. Into the penalty shoot out and Armagh were successful through Aidan Forker, Mark Davidson, Scott McCullough and Matthew Wright while keeper Daniel Wright made two vital saves to seal the trophy.
More success for Junior Milk Cup squad 16:06:07
Scott McCullough receives the Erne Shield on behalf of the Junior team.
COUNTY Armagh 's Junior Milk Cup side lifted their second piece of silverware at the weekend when they won the Erne Shield. And in a huge confidence boost before the start of next month's competition, the County Armagh side kept a clean sheet in both their games against Dungoyne FC and County Fermanagh. The heavy rain during the week had left the playing surface heavy but despite this Armagh were by far the better team in both fixtures. Dungoyne FC provided little opposition in the opening fixture as Armagh ran out convincing 5-0 winners. Matthew Brown got the ball rolling with Armagh 's first goal of the match while the lead was doubled when Dungoyne scored an own goal. Daniel Hughes made it 3-0 while Barry Sealy added Armagh 's fourth before Scott McCullough rounded things off with a well-taken fifth. Into the final against County Fermanagh and Armagh were once again the better team and deservedly lifted the cup thanks to a brace from Scott Trainor.
I'm more than happy with the team's performance over the weekend," enthused County Armagh Junior manager Gerry McKee.
"The lads dealt with a very heavy pitch well and there has been a marked improvement since our success in the David Humphries Memorial Tournament. "Things are progressing well and there is a lot of competition between the players for places. "We have another warm-up tournament at the end of the month before taking the squad on a team bonding weekend in Dundalk next month."
PREMIER SIDE MAKE IT A DOUBLE
COUNTY Armagh 's Premier Milk Cup squad made it a double reason to celebrate when they too were successful in the Gary Bownes Memorial Trophy.
Michael McKerr receives the Gary Bowness Memorial Trophy from Gary 's parents
Just like the Junior side, Saturday marked the second piece of silverware for the Premier outfit following their success in the Orchard Cup. In their opening match against a South Belfast Select side, County Armagh recorded an emphatic 4-0 victory. The game was wrapped up at the break after Armagh had raced into a 3-0 lead thanks to goals from Chris Coleman, Sam Stewart and Aaron Haire. Armagh continued to dominate after the break and extended their advantage to four goals thanks to an excellent free kick from Ruairi Grugan.
The final against County Fermanagh was a tight affair and it ended one-all with Matthew Paget on target for Armagh . Penalties followed and it was Aaron Haire's vital spot kick that gave Armagh a hard-earned 7-6 win. "We were more than happy with the performances over the two matches," said Premier manager Brian Houston. "The lads played really well in the first match against the South Belfast Select side and put together some very fluent football. "It was a different kettle of fish in the final against County Fermanagh . It was match when the players had to dig deep in a highly competitive game. "But all credit to them, especially in holding their nerve in the penalty shoot-out."
MILK CUP REPORTS 2007
Milk Cup Juniors battle back for point
County Armagh Juniors 2 Lyngby 2 : 07/07
Armagh's Junior side came from two goals down at the break against Lyngby on Tuesday to grab a point. The Armagh side were indeed unlucky not to snatch a dramatic win after bossing the entire second half.But it was a different story altogether in the first half as Armagh found themselves on the back foot for most of the opening period.
Chris McCaughey made a vital double save after eight minutes to deny Alexander Green.
However the Danish side did take the lead two minutes later when James Sondergaard hit a wonderful shot on the half volley following a long clearance from the back.
Armagh were unlucky not to be level within two minutes when Aaron Marks headed wide at the back post from an Aidan Forker corner.
Daniel Hughes in action for the County Armagh Junior side against Lyngby last week.
Lynby raced into a 2-0 lead on 16 minutes when Nis Lundgaard curled in a free kick from the edge of the box. Into the second half and it was Armagh who started to boss the game and they pulled a goal back 15 minutes from time when Matthew Brown was on target. And five minutes later the game was level when excellent work on the edge of the box from substitute Andrew Dalzell created the space for Barry Seeley to fire home. Armagh continued to be on top and had a couple of half chances to win the game but they were happy to settle for a point.
Co Armagh: Chris McCaughey, Liam Bagnall, Matthew Bagnall, Matthew Brown, Niall Cunningham, Mark Davidson, Aidan Forker, Aaron Marks, Ryan McGerrigan, Scott McCullough, Stefan Thompson.
Haire's hat-trick seals win
County Armagh Premiers 3 Motherwell 1
There was quarter-final success in the Dunluce Trophy for County Armagh's Premier team at The Warren last Wednesday when they defeated Motherwell 3-1. And it proved to be a day to remember for striker Aaron Haire who walked away with the match ball after scoring a hat-trick.Armagh had ‘keeper Nial Geogeghan to thank after eight minutes when he made a fine reaction save. But it was Armagh who took the lead just moments later when Ruairi Devlin's cross into the box was only headed as far as Haire, who powered in his first of the day.
Mark Haughey in action for the County Armagh Premier side against Motherwell in the quarter-finals of the Dunluce Trophy at last week's Milk Cup
Kevin Cummins made an excellent tackle to prevent a certain equaliser on 25 minutes and that proved vital just two minutes later. For that was when Haire added his second of the game when he was on the end of an excellent cross from Devlin after the little midfielder had raced down the right.Into the second half and Gavin McParland had a shot well saved. But on 59 minutes the win was secured when Haire grabbed his hat-trick. But all the hard work was done right in the corner by Devlin, who used some excellent footwork to cross the ball in for his striker to score.
County Armagh Premier player Sam Stewart in action against Motherwell at the Milk Cup.
Motherwell did pull one back near the end but they never looked like staging a comeback.
Co Armagh: Nial Geogeghan, Chirs Coleman, Kevin Cummins, Ruairi Devlin, Chris Elliott, Rory Grugan, Aaron Haire, Mark Haughey, Kris McAdam, Gavin McParland, Sam Stewart.
Mexican flair is too much
County Armagh Premiers 0 Cruz Azul 5
COUNTY Armagh's Premier side suffered a heavy 5-0 defeat to Mexican side Cruz Azul at Portstewart's Mullaghacall pitch last Tuesday evening. The game got off to the worst possible start when the Mexicans took the lead inside the first minute when Ruairi Devlin scored an own goal. Ten minutes later Armagh were unlucky not to be level when Ryan Winter's powerful shot from distance came back off the crossbar. Azul doubled their lead on 21 minutes when Herrera headed in a free kick while a minute later it was 3-0 when Adrian Alcala long distance drive caught Armagh cold.
Sam Stewart was unlucky not to pull one back for Armagh on 27 minutes when his effort was cleared off the line.
But a minute from the break the Mexicans made it 4-0 Aquino made the most of another mistake in the Armagh defence.Into the second half and Gavin McParland was unlucky when his shot hit the post but on 51 minutes Azul added their fifth Tobodoa scored from distance. Moments later Winter headed over the top while on 65 minutes the Orchard County struck the woodwork yet again when Rory Grugan's header hit the post.
Co Armagh: Andrew Wright, Kevin Cummins, Kris McAdam, Mark Haughey, Chris Coleman, Ruairi Devlin, Ryan Winter, Gavin McParland, Matthew Paget, Ray Hughes, Sam Stewart.
Armagh win battle of River Plate
County Armagh Juniors 3 River Plate 0
COUNTY Armagh's Junior side progressed to the semi-finals of the Dunluce Trophy following the convincing display over Argentinean side River Plate last Wednesday. Armagh dominated the entire game and were well worth their victory. Indeed such was their dominance they could have won by a lot more. Aidan Forker blasted over the top following a goalmouth scramble after just six minutes while soon after Scott McCullough's long-range effort was well saved.
Mark Davidson was unlucky not to give Armagh the lead on 19 minutes when he headed Barry Seeley's corner just wide of the mark. But a minute later Armagh took a deserved lead when Seeley's corner was fumbled by the River Plate ‘keeper and that allowed Andrew Dalzell to score. A minute into the second half and River Plate were reduced to 10 men when Ronan Weinberg picked up his second booking of the game. And Armagh made the Argentenians pay two minutes later when they doubled their lead when Matthew Brown's cross was headed in by Forker. And five minutes after that Armagh added their third when McCullough's pass gave Dalzell the opportunity to score his second of the game.
Co Armagh: Chris McCaughey, Liam Bagnall, Matthew Bagnall, Matthew Brown, Andrew Dalzell, Mark Davidson, Aidan Forker, Aaron Marks, Stein Montgomery, Scott McCullough, Barry Seeley.
Antrim snatch winner
Co Armagh Premiers 1 Co Antrim 2
A GOAL from Antrim a minute from time denied County Armagh's Premier side a place in the final of the Dunluce Trophy on Thursady. It was a bitter blow for Armagh who had dominated the match, but failure to convert their chances proved costly in the end. Armagh started strong and enjoyed control of the game in the first half. They had several chances to score but were frustrated by some decent defending from the Antrim side. But Armagh's pressure eventually told when Matthew Hollis found the target after a decent cross.
Armagh continued to be on top but they switched off moments before the break and from a free kick they allowed Antrim to level the game up. Into the second half and Armagh still did enough to win the game but once again they failed to take their chances in front of goals.
And they paid dearly for that just moments from a penalty shoot out when Antrim snatched an unlikey winner when Armagh switched off at the back.
There's no Danish Delight
Co Armagh Juniors 0 Lyngby 1
COUNTY Armagh's Junior team suffered late heartbreak in the semi-final of the Dunluce Trophy on Thursday when they were defeated by Lyngby. It was the second time the two sides had met during the Milk Cup following Tuesday's group stage that had ended in a draw. Armagh totally dominated the game from the start and were well in control. Aidan Forker should have given Armagh the lead early on from a goalmouth scramble while Mark Davidson also went close.
County Armagh Junior captain Scott McCullough shakes hands with Portadown lineswoman Ruth-Anne Wright before the Dunluce Trophy semi-final match against Lyngby at last week's Milk Cup
Captain Scott McCullough also had a few chances to open Armagh's account while the Danish team offered little in way of attack. Into the second half and Armagh continued to press for the winner. McCullough came closest to scoring for Armagh when he struck the crossbar with a shot from outside the box. But it was Lyngby who snatched an unlikely winner five minutes from time when they scored with their only shot of the game.
Manager hails Premier team
COUNTY Armagh's Premier Milk Cup squad can hold their heads high after five very competitive matches at the Milk Cup last week. That is according to manager Brian Houston, who added that luck deserted his side in two vital matches.
"We had two excellent performances in the Milk Cup against Hearts and Motherwell," said Houston."We were very unlucky to come away with nothing against Hearts in our opening game on Monday after holding a 1-0 lead for so long in the match. "The boys really gave it their all in that game and to be honest we deserved at least a point. "Against the Mexicans and we really struggled to cope in the first half especially. Cruz Azul were four goals up at the break and we had to change our shape in the second half."But the style of play and flair from the Mexicans was simply too good for us.
"Our third match against Motherwell produced another excellent display from the players and they really responded well to the match against Cruz Azul ."We were sharp and went out determined that to prove to our supporters that we could play good football."Our first half against Antrim was very good apart from a minute before the break when wer allowed them to level the game."That goal before half time was vital in the game because Antrim went into the break on a high but we still did enough to win the game.
"Unfortunately our last game against County Tyrone was a real let down. I don't know if it was tiredness, but we simply didn't show up for that game and that was a disappointing way to end the competition.
"It's taken a lot of time to get a side together for the Milk Cup and I must pay tribute to my backroom staff of Geoff Lester, Philip McBirney and goalkeeping coach Junior Mercer."
Poor start cost Juniors
County Armagh Junior manager Gerry McKee said a poor first half in their opening game of the Milk Cup against Watford proved costly. And he added that his side were very unlucky not to have claimed a place in the final of the Dunluce Trophy."We got off to a real bad start on Monday against Watford when too many players let the occasion get to them," he said."We fell two goals behind but battled well to get within a goal before the break, however Watford scored a third early in the second half and that effectively killed the game. "We were slow to start again against Lyngby on the Tuesday and probably gave them far too much respect. "But again we battled back and after being two goals down at the break we levelled the game. And after that we could and probably should have won the game.
"Our best performance of the whole tournament was on Wednesday against a scintillating River Palte side.
"We totally dominated the Argentenians and comfortably won 3-0. In fact we were so dominant we should have scored more. "Our match on Thursday saw us meet Lyngby for the second time in a matter of days in the semi-final of the Dunluce Trophy. "We dominated that match, forced save after save, hit the crossbar and everything but score. "However we were hit with a real suckerpunch close to the end when Lyngby scored with their only shot of the game. "What's more disappointing is the fact that there was a handball during the build up to the goal that wasn't spotted by the referee.
"In our last game against Londonderry on Friday both teams looked very tired. It was an even game that went to penalties and both sides were evenly matched."It's taken a lot of effort this year and the weather played havoc with our preparations. We didn't get to play anywhere as near as many warm-up games than we would have liked. "Mention must go, however, to the rest of the management team of Brendan Grimes, Steven Savage and goalkeeper coach Junior Mercer."
Milk Cup ends on a low
County Armagh Premiers 0 County Tyrone 2
The Milk Cup ended on a low for the Premier side on Friday with a well below par performance against Tyrone. Armagh looked off the pace and were a tired team who had reached the end of a long five days of football.Nial Geogeghan kept Armagh in the game with two saves in the opening minutes but Tyrone took the lead after just four minutes following a corner that was headed in at the back post.
Tyrone continued to have the best of the chances while Armagh struggled to get out of their own third of the pitch.And it was no surprise when Tyrone doubled their lead on the stroke of half time when poor defending saw the Red Hand County score.There was a slight improvement from Armagh after the break but it was Tyrone who continued to be on the front foot.
Eight minutes after the restart Geogeghan made another smart stop to tip a long distance shot over the bar but after that the match fell into a lull. Seven minutes from the break Ruairi Devlin was unlucky to see his free kick from the edge of the box saved by the Tyrone 'keeper.
Co Armagh : Nial Geogeghan, Chris Coleman, Mark Haughey, Kris McAdam, Aaron Haire, Andrew Newell, Ryan Winter, Gavin McParland, Kevin Cummins, Matthew Paget, Chris Elliott.
Juniors end on a high
Co Armagh Juniors 1 Co Londonderry 1
(Co Armagh won 2-0 on penalties)
County Armagh's Junior Milk Cup side finished their competition on a high on Friday with victory over County Londonderry. But it took a penalty shoot-out to decide the game that Armagh could have won in regulation. The match, however, got off to the worst possible start for Armagh when they fell a goal behind with just three minutes on the clock.
But Armagh responded within 30 seconds when Scott McCullough's cross found Ryan McGerrigan at the back post, who made no mistake in heading the ball home.Three minutes after that Armagh could have taken the lead when McCullough fired just wide. Chances after that were few and far between after that and were even rarer into the second half. McCullough went even closer for Armagh three minutes after the restart when he struck the woodwork and that proved to be the only real chance for the rest of the game.
Into penalties and Londonderry failed to convert any of their four spot kicks, with Armagh 'keeper Chris McCaughey saving three. For the record Scott McCullough and Liam Bagnall were on target for Armagh while Mark Davidson and Daniel Hughes both saw their efforts saved.
Juniors lose out to Watford
County Armagh Juniors 1 Watford 3
COUNTY Armagh Juniors got off to a losing start to the Milk Cup with this 3-1 reverse to English side Watford at Castlerock on Monday. It was a disappointing result for the Armagh lads who had went into the game full of confidence. But nerves early in the game prevented them from fully expressing themselves and, by the time they had settled into the game, they were already two goals down.
Watford could have taken the lead as early as the second minute when Jake Rosier's shot cannoned back off the crossbar. But the English side were ahead on six minutes when a cross from the left from Oliver Archer found Chez Isaac at the back-post. It got worse for Armagh on 15 minutes when they fell two goals behind. Ashley Watson's strong run down the right produced a good ball back across for Isaac to hammer in his second of the match.
Armagh finally settled down and seven minutes from the break they made a game of it when they pulled a goal back. Liam Bagnall battled well to win the ball on the edge of the box and his curling effort into the bottom corner was just past the reach of ‘keeper John Boyd. Armagh dominated right up until the break and early in the second-half they could have been level when Scott McCullough's shot was well saved by Boyd.
But a poor backpass allowed Watford to regain their two-goal cushion when Oliver Cleaver to score. That goal seemed to knock the stuffing out of Armagh, although they did have a couple of half-chances to score again through Stefan Thompson and Aidan Forker.
Armagh: Daniel Wright, Liam Bagnall, Matthew Bagnall, Aaron Marks, Stein Montgomery, Stefan Thompson, Scott McCullough, Andrew Dalzell, Aidan Forker, Ryan McCaughley, Mark Davidson.
County side hit with late blow
County Armagh Premiers 1 Hearts 2
Armagh's Premier team suffered late disappointment on Monday when Hearts snatched a dramatic winner at Broughshane. The local lads had been on course for a famous win over the Scottish club but were stunned to walk away from the match without even a point.
Armagh settled into the game early on and it was clear to see that they had the better of their opposition. And the County side took a deserved lead midway through the first-half when Aaron Haire broke the offside trap. He held his nerve before finding the bottom corner of the net with great aplomb.
Armagh continued to get on top for the remainder of the first-half but, after the break, Hearts began to exert some pressure of their own. But while the Scottish side were having the better start to the half, they really failed to put Armagh under any pressure in the box.
However, Hearts eventually wore Armagh down and, within 10 minutes, they were level when David Love's effort from a corner beat Andrew Wright. Armagh could have regained the lead not long after when Haire almost chipped the ‘keeper. Then a superb Matthew Paget's effort from 25 yards just went narrowly wide. But just as it looked as Armagh were going to get a point, Gary Glen fired home a goalmouth scramble two minutes from time to snatch a dramatic winner for Hearts. This was extremely bad luck on the local lads who had played with great commitment and certainly deserved something from the match.
County Armagh: Andrew Wright, Mark Haughey, Kevin Cummins, Chris Coleman, Kris McAdam, Ruairi Devlin, Sam Stewart, Matthew Paget, Ray Hughes, Ryan Winter, Aaron Haire.