The Winner Takes It All: Armagh Intermediate Final

By Conor Mallon

St. Paul’s are once again left standing small following their loss in the Armagh IFC final. German American poet Charles Bukowski, renowned for his dirty realism, has one of the most famous gravestones of all time, it consists of the epitaph “Don’t Try” alongside a photo of a boxer. The mantra is a supposed suggestion against the forcing of conscious, anxious effort and instead an idealistic dream of letting authentic success come to you. A success that has long eluded St. Paul’s, who have now gained a reputation of being the perennial losers of Armagh football. Sarsfields triumphed in the Box-It Athletic Grounds on Sunday the 19th of October, in what was a well fought affair amongst two highly ambitious sides on poor playing conditions.

Battle of Lurgan

Neck to neck throughout the game, it was St. Paul’s who took the lead through a high field and turn from towering midfielder Niall McCorry. Both teams sought a kicking approach with numerous route 1 attempts towards scoring, however it was Sarsfields who dominated the aerial battle. Ex-Armagh stalwart Eamon McGeown was the key difference in the middle of the park, crucially eliminating the fielding approach that is fundamental to St. Paul’s’ game. It was McGeown who played the superb switch pass to Tommy McAlinden who cleverly pocketed the first goal of the game.

Photo credits: RichiePics photography

A trading of points from Paul McGeown and Dean Fitzsimmons was followed by another high ball, raising a green flag following an emphatic fist on from Fitzsimmons, who found himself on the end of a long ball from McCorry. Dead-ball specialist Callum McGibbon edged Sarsfields further ahead with a wonderful two-point effort raising the orange-flag. McGibbon added another to his tally alongside McGeown. Unsung hero of Armagh’s All-Ireland success Andrew Murnin along with Michael Stevenson swapped points, to bring the score to 1-6 to 1-3 at the break.

Rue Your Mistakes

Two-pointers were pivotal in deciding the outcome of the game. In a match dominated by wides, it was St. Paul’s who raised the most orange flags, their resilient play was however futile and much to their detriment. In an act of sporting stubbornness, St. Paul’s relentlessly pursued two points, whilst Sarsfields operated a more cautious approach. Murnin’s right peg strung over three wonderful two-pointers in the second half as did two solid efforts for Ryan Lawless.

Poor handling was a notable aspect of the game observed by many a disgruntled supporter. A typically reliable St Paul’s keeper Ryan Gilmore spilled an effort from Michael Stevenson into the St. Paul’s goal, embodying their misfortune. Stevenson’s introduction as an injury replacement for his brother Colin was a stroke of tactical masterclass for the High Moss men, kicking three more points in the second half, including the last of the game, as he turned in a man-of-the-match performance. Eamon McGeown, Paul McGeown, Thomas McAlinden, Ronan Sloan and Conal McCann stepped up the fore to assist the Stevenson show as the Atty Hearty Cup made its Derrytrasna bound journey.

Dejection: An Ode

St. Paul’s suffered grief alike that documented by Coleridge, their grief was an “unimpassioned grief, which finds no natural outlet, no relief, in word, or sigh, or tear.” [1]. Falling to their knees at the final whistle, the grass of the Athletic Grounds became a hub of raw skin and raw emotion. Losing is an inescapable feeling, and its true severity was shown on the sorrowed faces of the St. Paul’s players.

A battle inevitably has a victor and a loser. Hugs of sympathy from family and friends were offered to St. Paul’s. Far from the hugs of celebration and triumph that were centre stage amidst a green array of flare smoke. James McAlinden, who embodies a tough tackling modern corner-back summed up the flurry of emotions following the High Moss triumph. Upon reflection, McAlinden described the victory as “unbelievable,” and “hard to put into words”. He was very quick to point out the effort put into to achieving such success showing appreciation for the determination of the High Moss men and their supporters “it means everything, the world to us all, they’ll come down to all the matches, rain, hail or snow they’ll always be there.” Their support was evident in the Athletic Grounds, from every cheer to the pitch invasion at the end. The community of Derrytrasna triumphed in solidarity and instilled a sense of pride in its people creating something for younger people to aspire to. This pride was evident in my interview with James, clear in his demeanour and every word. Atty Hearty has found it’s safe home in Derrytrasna.

Sarsfields Scorers: Michael Stevenson 1-4, Paul McGeown 0-4 (4f), Tommy McAlinden 1-1, Callum McGibbon 0-3 (1tpf), Eamon McGeown 0-1, Ronan Sloan 0-1, Conal McCann 0-1.

St Paul’s Scorers: Andrew Murnin 0-7 (1f, 1tpf, 2tp), Ryan Lawless 0-4 (2tp), Dean Fitzsimmons 1-2, Niall McCorry 0-1, Antoin McParland 0-1.

References

[1] Mays, J C C, and Springerlink (Online Service. 2019. Coleridge’s Dejection Ode. Cham: Springer International Publishing.