10 YEARS AGO

THE Armagh hype train was full steam ahead as they welcomed Donegal to the Athletic Grounds in what was Kieran McGeeney’s first championship match as manager, but the game was over nearly as soon as it started as the Tir Chonaill County dismantled them with ease.

Michael Murphy was in sparkling form while Patrick McBrearty, who gave James Morgan a tough day’s work, goaled early on in the 2-11 to 0-8 success with Martin O’Reilly grabbing a second midway through the second half.

It was a wake-up call for the Orchard County who looked every bit the Division Three team against much slicker, better opposition.

There were more competitive games played elsewhere in the country with Tipperary giving Kerry a score in Munster before losing out by six points.

With the game delayed at Semple Stadium due to a surprisingly large crowd, Michael Quinlivan goaled early on as Tipp chased a first championship win over Kerry in 87 years but while they were game, a shock never truly looked on the cards despite a few nervous spells for the Kingdom.

Mayo completed their first-ever five-in-a-row when it came to championship wins over rivals Galway as Aidan O’Shea ruled in a 1-15 to 2-8 win at Pearse Stadium.

And in Leinster, Meath had to dig deep to get the better of a gallant Wicklow outfit who finished with 13 players, the Royals eventually having four points to spare on a 2-19 to 3-12 scoreline.

On the hurling front, Fermanagh won the right to play in the Nickey Rackard Cup with a 1-15 to 2-8 win over Louth at Kingspan Breffni.

Coming a week after their Lory Meagher success, they had goalkeeper Mark Curry to thank for a string of top saves with Daniel Teague’s second-half goal also proving crucial.

20 YEARS AGO

THERE was complete shock at the scoreline coming out of Croke Park as Kilkenny routed Offaly 6-28 to 0-15 in the Leinster SHC.

Kilkenny were strong, but hadn’t lifted Sam in the two previous seasons and wouldn’t in ’05 either, but the 31-point win sent out a statement of intent.

Henry Shefflin finished with 2-11 in this semi-final encounter with Brian Cody saying afterwards that it gave him “no pleasure” to win by such a wide margin.

A DJ Carey goal late in the first half saw Kilkenny lead 4-12 to 0-11 at the break and the Faithful County managed just five second-half points, the first of those coming 23 minutes after the interval.

Armagh and Donegal played out a tense 0-12 to 0-12 in their Ulster SFC clash at Clones.

Both sides finished with 14 men, Kevin Cassidy dismissed in the first half for an incident with Martin O’Rourke with Paddy McKeever dismissed in the second half.

In the end, it was Joe Kernan’s side who were left the more relieved as Oisín McConville, unusually quiet in the second half, kicked a late score to secure a second outing.

One of the stories of the game was Armagh’s inability to make use of an extra player for 30 minutes with Kernan trying three different players in the role, to minimal impact.

30 YEARS AGO

CAVAN secured their first Ulster SFC win in eight years as they dismissed Antrim on a 2-11 to 0-8 scoreline.

Peter Reilly, aged just 19, was the star at centre half-forward and notched two goals on a day when his younger brother Larry represented the county’s minors.

Both were near identical, 40-yard runs through the heart of the Saffron net and finishing with aplomb.

The win was a positive sign for rookie manager Martin McHugh who was trying to breathe life back into the form GAA great.

Westmeath suffered a pretty humiliating loss to Westmeath as they managed only three points in their Leinster SFC clash.

Even with home advantage, Westmeath only managed two first-half points, and things got worse after the break as they only raised a single white flag.