Armagh recruit Billy Joe Padden is looking forward to teaming up with Ronan Clarke in the Orchard attack in the coming months.

Padden has started all three of Armagh's Allianz National League games to date having completed his transfer from Mayo during the winter.

Dual All-Star Clarke, a member of the Armagh side which won the All-Ireland title nine years ago, is on his way back from an Achilles tendon injury which kept him on the sidelines for all of last year.

It is the second time in four years that the Pearse Og man has missed a championship campaign - a cruciate injury kept him out in 2007 - and Padden admits his return to action will be a massive boost for Paddy O'Rourke's side.

In an interview with the Irish News, the Belmullet native said, "Ronan is a phenomenal player, he proved that over the last number of years and it's just great for him on a personal level to see him back on the pitch because injuries are so hard for people to deal with.

"It's so unfortunate that he missed the whole of last year but, in terms of the quality he brings to the field as a target man, as a scoring threat, you know he'll be a major boost to Armagh later on in the summer." Tweet

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