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Armagh left the Athletic Grounds with a two point win following yesterday's low scoring clash with Galway in the Lidl National Football League
The swirling breeze proved difficult for both teams, although Armagh coped better with the conditions. Armagh’s superior first half scoring haul kept them ahead with Galway failing to get on the scoreboard the first half. Galway mounted a credible comeback in the second period but couldn’t do enough to get something from the game.
Armagh were the dominant force in the opening period with the wind, posing the Galway defence problems on every attack while keeping Daniel Moynihan’s side scoreless for the first 30 minutes.
Not only that, but Galway’s uphill challenge became a huge mountain to climb ten minutes in when Linda Booth received a red card for a late and high challenge on Emily Druse.
By that stage Armagh had already opened their account, with Kelly Mallon’s delicate hand pass playing through Aoife McCoy before Mallon, playing at centerfield in the absence of Caroline O’Hanlon, shot over a free.
A second pointed free by Mallon was quickly followed, as Aimee Mackin got off the mark through a close range free while corner back Roisin Mulligan extended the advantage with a lovely taken score.
Galway had a chance to get back into the game with a rare attack but Mairead Glynn’s pass across the face of the goal towards Shauna Hynes, who was under pressure from Grace Ferguson, was punched wide.
Mallon had the final say of the first half when she added to her tally, stroking over a third free to leave her side six points ahead when the teams changed sides at 0-6 to 0-0.
The second half was just two minutes old when a more determined Galway got their end of the scoreboard up and running as Ailbhe Davoren split the posts before Roisin Leonard tapped over a free.
Leonard then played provider setting up a Leanne Coen score to cut the deficit to three. Mallon and Lauren McConville traded scores with Leonard before Armagh lost Mackin to a yellow card for the final few minutes.
Although Leonard laced over a late score as Galway searched for a goal, it wasn’t enough for the visiting side to get something from the game as they fell to a third defeat.
Armagh manager Gregory McGonigle believes they have plenty of room for improvement “We wouldn’t have been happy with the second half performance but if you’d have said at the start of the year that the first three games in Division One, you’d get three wins then we’d be happy enough,” said McGonigle.
“There’s plenty for us to work on. There were a lot of good performances as well and in the first half I thought we were very good.”
Next challenge for Armagh is an 18 February clash with Meath at Ashbourne.
Scorers - Armagh: K Mallon 0-4 (4f), A McCoy 0-1, A Mackin 0-1 (1f), R Mulligan 0-1, L McConville 0-1.
Galway: R Leonard 0-4 (3f), A Davoren 0-1, L Coen 0-1.
Armagh: A Carr; G Ferguson, C McCambridge, R Mulligan; C Towe, L McConville, D Coleman; N Coleman, N Murray; E Druse, A McCoy, S Quigley; A Mackin, L Kenny, K Mallon. Subs: E Lavery for S Quigley, M Feehan for N Murray, M O’Callaghan for E Druse, L Kavanagh for L Kenny.
Galway: D Gower; M Jordan, S Ni Loinsigh, E Gavin; K Geraghty, C Trill, A Ní Cheallaigh; M Glynn, L Coen; C Cleary, A Davoren, S Hynes; L Booth, A O’Rourke, R Leonard. Subs: M Walsh for C Cleary, E O’Riordan for C Trill, C McCarthy for S Hynes, E Reaney for A O’Rourke.
Referee: David Hurson (Monaghan).
