Rivals across the Blackwater

2002 ULSTER FIRST ROUND REPLAY(Armagh 2-13 Tyrone 0-16)

ARMAGH prevailed in a thrilling first-round replay against Tyrone back in 2002 and they never looked back, reaching the Promised Land for the first time in their history at the far end of their campaign with that unforgettable second-half comeback against Kerry.

In this first-round replay, Division One champions Tyrone were rocked by a John McEntee goal on the stroke of half time and while they fought back to level matters, sub Barry Duffy hit a decisive goal with five minutes remaining.

2003 All-Ireland final

(Tyrone 0-12 Armagh 0-9)

THE game itself was lacking in thrills and spills, but the historic nature of the 2003 All-Ireland final simply can’t be downplayed. Not only was this Tyrone’s first ever All-Ireland title success, it remains the only time that two Ulster sides have locked swords on All-Ireland final day.

Armagh were the defending champions but Tyrone had surged under Mickey Harte and edged a low-scoring game by three points with Croke Park packed to the rafters. Conor Gormley’s miraculous block on Steven McDonnell has entered Tyrone folklore while Peter Canavan, one of the greatest footballers of all time, finally got his hands on the Sam Maguire.

2005 Ulster final

(Armagh 2-8 Tyrone 0-14)

AS a young Tyrone fan, I was massively frustrated by how this one panned out. The Red Hands had put in an excellent performance with Stephen O’Neill taking Francie Bellew for ten points, a remarkable individual display if there ever was one. Armagh only scored a single point in the opening 20 minutes of play and were fairly average on the whole, but their battling qualities were legendary and two late goals and a stupendous late equaliser from midfielder Paul McGrane set up a replay.

2005 Ulster final replay

(Armagh 0-13 Tyrone 0-11)

A FORTNIGHT after their drawn encounter, Tyrone and Armagh returned to Croke Park to play another full-blooded encounter that had more than its fair share of controversy.

Tyrone again had the better of proceedings for much of the match with Stephen O’Neill again in inspirational form. However, O’Neill and Peter Canavan (who was only on the pitch) were both controversially dismissed and Armagh assumed control with late points from the likes of Oisin McConville propelling the side to Ulster Championship glory.

2005 All-Ireland semi-final

(Tyrone 1-13 Armagh 1-12)

REDEMPTION for Tyrone and heartache for Armagh. This was the third episode in the 2005 saga and even more was at stake this time. There was nothing between the teams between the entirety of the match in a game that has gone down as an all-time classic. It looked, however, like it was going to be Armagh’s day when they inched into a two-point lead on the home straight, but Tyrone had other ideas with Shane Sweeney and Sean Cavanagh drawing the sides level before Peter Canavan kicked a nerveless winner with the last kick of the game.

2009 Ulster Championship first round

(Tyrone 2-10 Armagh 1-9)

WHILE there were only three points between the teams at the final whistle, defending All-Ireland champions Tyrone never really looked like losing this game in a sun-drenched game at Clones.

Stephen O’Neill scored a super first-half goal, collecting the ball with one hand before deceiving his man and placing a low-shot to the corner of the net.

Armagh fought hard in the second half and Conor Gormley was sent to the line but Tyrone had enough in reserve to make the semis.

2012 Ulster Championship first round

(Tyrone 0-19 Armagh 1-13)

WHAT was it about Stephen O’Neill in games against Armagh? Yet again he was to the fore of this particular victory, scoring a number of magical points, including a towering late effort as the Red Hands finished strongly to get another one over their neighbours across the Blackwater.

It was an entertaining game at the Athletic Grounds and the sides were level with five minutes remaining. O’Neill, Peter Harte and Martin Penrose finished the job off for Tyrone, however.

2014 Second round qualifier

(Armagh 0-13 Tyrone 0-10)

AN extremely satisfying victory for Armagh as they dumped Tyrone out of the championship on their home patch. A tense encounter was barely a minute old when a melee erupted involving up to ten players, and Mattie Donnelly, booked in the aftermath, was sent off on the half-hour mark for a second yellow.

The Red Hands failed to score for the final 23 minutes with Armagh resolute at the back and Tony Kernan and Jamie Clarke doing the business up front.

2017 All-Ireland quarter-final

(Tyrone 3-17 Armagh 0-8)

An 18-point thrashing withh Peter Harte scoring a first-half penalty and substitute David Mulgrew rubbing salt in the Armagh wound with two second-half goals.

From early on it was evident that Armagh had no answer to Tyrone’s brand of counter-attacking football and the scores flowed freely in a forgettable encounter at Croke Park. Tyrone looked really good that season but then it all went pear-shaped against Jim Gavin’s Dubs in the last four.

2022 Round one qualifier

(Armagh 1-16 Tyrone 1-10)

A DAY to remember for a bumper Armagh support at the Athletic Grounds as their team cantered across the finish line against an off-colour Tyrone team.

The Red Hands’ defence of their All-Ireland title never really got going and it wasn’t a massive shock when they were put out of their misery by the Orchard County. Armagh looked very impressive indeed with 10 different scorers on the day with goalkeeper Ethan Rafferty scoring two points from play, one in each half.