Armagh’s penalty shootout hoodoo continued as Shaun Patton’s save to deny Shane McPartlan secured Donegal’s Ulster Final triumph last May
John Haughey
BBC Sport NI Journalist
It couldn’t happen again, could it? A third successive penalty shootout on Ulster Final day?
Armagh selector Conleith Gilligan insisted last week that the Sam Maguire Cup holders hadn’t been practising penalties even though their shootout record since the dastardly spot-kicks tie-breaker infiltrated the championship is zero and four.
He claimed that the words ‘penalty shootout’ hadn’t even been uttered at Armagh training.
But that was last Thursday. It’s difficult to imagine that Armagh players haven’t been lining up at regular intervals over the past week in an attempt to beat Ethan Rafferty and Blaine Hughes from the spot.
“From chatting to the boys they’ve done it every which way,” said Gilligan of Armagh’s approaches to exorcising their shootout hoodoo.
“They practised it to death and they didn’t win. They didn’t practise and didn’t win then they practised again and they didn’t win so it’s the sort of thing where you just have to put it to the back of your mind.
“Maybe all the defeats on penalties means the next one you’re mentally better prepared to be in that situation or maybe those defeats won’t help you in the future……at some point it will come again but hopefully it’s not at the weekend.”
Armagh seek first Ulster title since 2008
But while it seems scarcely conceivably that lightning could strike thrice on Anglo-Celt Cup final day at Clones, the reality is that it almost seems destined to happen.
Any attempted crystal ball gazing going into Saturday’s contest inevitably comes up with another tight battle.
It will be a huge surprise if there is more than two points between the sides at the end of normal time and the smart money, whatever about the outcome of a potential shootout, could be on the provincial decider going to extra-time once more.
The huge Orchard County travelling support that will pack into St Tiernach’s Park will hope that the Armagh team’s metamorphosis into a side that can close out the big games will make the difference on Saturday evening as the men in orange seek their first provincial title since 2008.
Armagh seemed to have victory in their grasp when they led 0-15 to 0-11 after 53 minutes of last year’s provincial decider.
Donegal’s body language at that stage suggested a beaten team but at that very moment, Jim McGuinness’ voice cut through the Clones cauldron as he exhorted his players for more.
As Armagh looked for the finish line, their attempts at keep-ball led to their advantage unravelling with Donegal hitting the next five points before extra-time ensued
And while Armagh briefly regrouped to lead by two in extra-time, the inevitable shootout was required with Shaun Patton’s save to deny Shane McPartlan’s second spot-kick clinching Donegal’s sudden death victory after all previous 11 penalties had been scored.
Aidan Forker’s son Ross consoling the Armagh skipper after last year’s Ulster Final was one of the enduring images from the Clones contest
The sight of a head-in-hands Aidan Forker being consoled by his then two-year son Ross after the final whistle was one of the enduring images from last May’s contest.
Yet some 11 weeks later, Forker was ecstatically hoisting the Sam Maguire Cup aloft in the Hogan Stand.
The surprise All-Ireland semi-final win over Kerry after extra-time seemed to be the moment when Armagh finally truly believed in themselves.
Interviewed seconds after the final whistle, man of the match Rian O’Neill, normally the most softly spoken of fellows, roared: “They said we couldn’t win tight matches……we won a tight match today.”
Armagh had to ride their luck in the All-Ireland decider as Galway missed a bagful of chances but gaelic football’s Holy Grail was theirs and that achievement has fostered a belief and a composure that was evident in their win over Tyrone two weeks ago.
On that occasion with the scores level, Armagh found themselves in possession of the ball after winning another Niall Morgan kickout when the hooter sounded.
They proceeded to methodically work the winning score as a foul on Conor Turbitt set up a free from straight in front of the posts, 21 metres out which Rory Grugan was never going to miss.
“That’s very much player led. Once possession is won, nobody is sort of trying to pull the trigger because they think ‘here’s my chance for glory in a game that tight’,” said Conleith Gilligan.
As for the holders, their expected progression to the provincial decider has been functional rather than particularly impressive – although there is that suspicion they have been keeping their powder dry, particularly in their most recent wins over Monaghan and Down.
Dara O Baoill was particularly impressive in the opening win over Derry in Ballybofey but that was a game where the Oak Leafers butchered several goal chances before Donegal took control late in the second quarter.
Donegal had to repel a second-half comeback from the Farney men before chiselling out 0-23 to 0-21 success in the quarter-final and Jim McGuinness’ side then laboured somewhat in the 1-19 to 0-16 victory over Down.
Michael Murphy, Patrick McBrearty, Oisin Gallen and teenage talent Finbarr Roarty were all replaced well before the end two weeks ago as planning for the provincial decider was already under way.
The absence of centre half-back Caolan McGonagle’s physical presence and ability to drive at the opposition defence was evident in Donegal’s two most recent contests and his availability following his calf injury would be a big boost for the provincial holders.
Whether the Buncrana man plays or not, one must anticipate Donegal returning to the high tempo game that marked them out as early All-Ireland favourites a couple of months ago.
But while the focus will quickly move to the All-Ireland series after this weekend, nobody will be expecting anything other than a heavyweight ‘shootout’ between these two intense rivals.
And after he bulled head first into Michael Murphy’s chest – picking up a red card in the process – when greeting the Glenswilly man’s return to the inter-county stage in Ballybofey a couple of months ago, will Armagh skipper Forker – if indeed he is involved after being named on the bench amid his recent back issue – opt to get up close and personnel with the Donegal legend once more?
Watch the Ulster final on BBC Two NI & the BBC iPlayer from 16:55 BST on Saturday; live text commentary with in-game clips, report and highlights on the BBC Sport website
