IN THE ARCHIVES: Clare end the famine as Armagh strike late against Tyrone to force replay

10 YEARS AGO

FERMANAGH caused one of the shocks of the summer as they finished with a flourish to dump Roscommon out of the championship.

It looked like the Erne County’s run was over as they trailed by five points with five minutes remaining at Brewster Park, but the hosts would not give up.

They kicked over four on the bounce to get within one before Tomás Corrigan landed an outstanding sideline to level it up. The game was up for grabs now and it was Seán Quigley, who had earlier converted an excellent penalty, who proved the difference as he took a great catch, twisted and shot over to send the home fans into raptures.

There was no such joy for the Armagh faithful though as Galway secured a first away win in the Qualifiers since 2001 – incidentally a year when they beat Armagh in their first-ever championship clash.

Fourteen years on and it was Damien Comer who did the damage as he fisted home the crucial goal in a 1-12 to 0-12 win at the Athletic Grounds.

The loss cemented a bad few days for the Orchard County as the game was preceded by a brawl in a challenge game with Dublin that saw both counties eventually fined €6,500. Both teams faced media criticism for their silence on the matter, with Dublin defender Davy Byrne having to spend two nights in hospital.

Then GAA director general Páraic Duffy would criticise the Dublin and Armagh management teams for their subsequent “code of silence.”

On the hurling front, Antrim won the Ulster SHC for a 14th straight occasion, but they faced one of their stiffest challenges yet as they needed a late Conor McKinley score to defeat Down 1-15 to 1-14.

It was their second one-point final win in a row having edged Derry the previous season.

20 YEARS AGO

ARMAGH performed daylight robbery at Croke Park as they finished strongly to force a replay in their Ulster final clash with Tyrone.

The Red Hands were far and away the better side, Stevie O’Neill taking Francie Bellew to the cleaners, and Mickey Harte’s side looked set for another provincial crown, but Stevie McDonnell’s late goal gave Armagh a lifeline and Paul McGrane came up with the equalising score.

The day did carry a dark note for Armagh though as John Toal was caught by a challenge that saw him come close to losing his leg, but while he avoided that, his career did come to an end prematurely as a result.

Over 60,000 fans travelled to Dublin and they were treated to a brilliant Ulster MFC final too as Armagh edged Down 0-11 to 0-10.

Goalkeeper John McCormack was the hero as he saved Kevin Duffin’s penalty late on to keep Armagh ahead.

While Ulster sizzled, provincial finals around the country failed to sparkle.

In Munster, Kerry were 1-11 to 0-11 winners over old foes Cork with Declan O’Sullivan’s second-half goal proving key in a low-energy affair. Tomás Ó Sé was a rare bright spot with a scintillating performance in the heat.

Out west, 2004 Connacht champions Mayo were dethroned by Galway in another low-scoring match with the Tribe County winning 0-10 to 0-8.

In a forgettable contest, Paul Clancy shut down Ciaran McDonald and Michael Donnellan hit four points to get Galway home.

In the Qualifiers, Monaghan upset the odds to defeat Wexford with Paul Finlay and Tommy Freeman doing the damage as Model boss Pat Roe stood down afterwards.

30 YEARS AGO

CLARE ended the famine in Munster as they defeated Limerick in Thurles to secure their first provincial crown since 1932.

They did it in style too, easing to a 1-17 to 0-11 win with Banner captain Anthony Daly declaring “the famine is over” as he accepted the cup.

Daly brought John Joe ‘Goggles’ Doyle up to the podium with him, the 92-year-old having been part of the last Clare team to win the competition.

Clare led by a single point at the break, goalkeeper Davy Fitzgerald striking a penalty home for a 1-5 to 0-7 interval advantage, but they took out in the second half to spark wild scenes.

Up in Ulster, Down corner-back Kevin Coulter was the hero in the Down dressing room as his two late goals earned his side a replay against Antrim in their provincial hurling final.

Having been so dominant for so long, the Saffrons were rocked at Casement Park and actually needed a late Gary O’Kane point to secure a second outing.