IN a case of Orangemen inadvertently helping different Orangemen, Kerry boss Jack O’Connor pointed to the start of the traditional ‘Twelfth fortnight’ as a factor in Armagh’s semi-final victory.
Orchard County followers massively outnumbered their counterparts from the Kingdom in the Croke Park crowd of more than 55,000 on Saturday evening and O’Connor insisted that the extra support contributed to the Ulster side’s extra time triumph.
On the pitch, O’Connor also noted the influence of Armagh’s 55th minute goal from Barry McCambridge, following a fumble by goalkeeper Shane Ryan, which really gave the northern supporters something to shout about:
“They just got momentum. The goal gave them momentum and the crowd drove them on. They outnumbered us fairly substantially out there and I thought the crowd was a factor in the game.
“No question about it, it just lifted Armagh and we tried very hard but it was hard to arrest that momentum.”
O’Connor was unsurprised at the size of Armagh’s following, alluding to their loyal nature and the fact that they were in their first All-Ireland SFC semi-final for 19 years:
“Ah, look, Armagh haven’t been here in a while so they were bound to come in big numbers. It’s a bank holiday weekend up in the north. Armagh are great supporters, great followers and they came in big numbers today.
“We knew that Armagh would bring a big crowd. Now, there was a good share from Kerry as well but obviously it was not enough to match what Armagh had.”
O’Connor still felt Kerry could have returned to the All-Ireland decider after last year’s loss if they’d taken their opportunities, notably a shot blazed wide in the 42nd minute by corner-back Tom O’Sullivan.
A goal then would have put Kerry seven up and O’Connor ruefully reflected: “Yeah, it looked like that missed goal chance into the Hill was a critical moment. If that went in, I thought the game was probably beyond Armagh.
“Then the goal, that poor goal that we conceded, was a huge moment in the game. I think that is where the game swung, those two moments. The goal we conceded was a killer in the sense that it got the Armagh crowd into it.”
Certainly Kerry had been on top in the first half, and were still four points ahead before McCambridge punished Ryan’s error – but that was a turning point:
“I thought we quietened the crowd for large parts of the game and it just gave Armagh momentum and it is hard to break momentum. We did well to come back and equalise in normal time. We had a ferocious effort from our boys but it was bitterly disappointing, it was a game we had enough chances to win it.”
Although Kerry have been regulars in All-Ireland semi-finals, O’Connor suggested that Armagh’s recent history of playing extra time – in Ulster Finals and All-Ireland quarter-finals – stood to them, especially with some older Kingdom heads off the pitch at that stage:
“Dylan Geaney kicked a great point to take it to extra time. Armagh have been in those situations a bit more than us, maybe. They have gone to extra time and even penalties in a few games over the past few years. Maybe they had the experience to manage that.
“We obviously had to make a lot of changes and had to finish the game without a share of what we call key men. In the end, the lack of experience on the field told. There were a couple of chances we didn’t take near the end and maybe another day, we would.”
O’Connor laughed off a query about his own future plans, indicating that he would stay on for next season: “Are you trying to retire me, Jason?! Ah, sure, we don’t know. This management has another year in its contract or whatever so we’ll hopefully see that out.”
The analysis of why this campaign ended will continue in the Kingdom. O’Connor acknowledged that a fairly soft run to the last four might have left Kerry under-prepared – but he stuck to his view that the lift Armagh’s players and supporters got from their goal was crucial:
“Well, we weren’t tested to that extent that we were tested out there, I suppose, and maybe that was a factor.
“That was possibly a factor but like my abiding feeling is when you miss chances and then you concede a poor goal like we did, that’s huge because it’s a momentum changer.
“Momentum is big in games and then when you have a huge crowd behind Armagh and the momentum swings, that’s a poor combination from our point of view.”
