Armagh's Mr Consistent Neil Smyth Sees a busy football season ahead on both domestic and inter county fronts. Two years ago Armagh midfielder Neil Smyth firmly believed that he was on his way to collecting his first Ulster Senior Football Championship medal. The Orchard County had just buried Down's challenge in a replayed semi final match and the gods seemed to point to a climatic win over Donegal in the provincial decider. A fairytale ending beckoned in his sixth anniversary championship season in Armagh colours. Likewise, a provincial title dangled before his beloved county exactly one hundred years after their first Ulster Championship success, writes KEVIN CARNEY. What transpired though was a Donegal demolition job on the Smyth/Armagh dream. Two summers later the same dream has been given another kick start; this time the man at the heart of the Armagh's engine room believes his team can help bring about the meeting of the same two finalists again, but this time around, the Mourne men will once again be down and out but Armagh and not Donegal will be making a B-line for Jones' Road on August 16th '92. Armagh's ever present midfielder is a practical being. Talk of fairytales and romantic football dreams are the preserve of the statisticians he would argue. The reality for Neil Smyth is that Down still represent the biggest hurdle Armagh will have to cross if they are to make a mockery of their ten to one odds and lift this years Ulster Senior title. Can the team rubbish the bookies assessment? "Its a cliche but there'd be no point of taking the field if we didn't believe we could go all the way", the 27 year old Mullabawn stalwart typically replied. For the moment, even amidst the greatest plethora of hype ever to accompany a first round Ulster Championship tie, the guardian of his county's midfield boiler-house would just as well discuss the likelihood of his native Mullabawn progressing through Armagh's second division, unbeaten and champions elect. It's not a question of divided loyalties. Rather a case of getting things in perspective, balancing domestic goals with inter county objectives. That's the way it's been for the Armagh Ace since the juxtaposition of the two worlds first came about back in 1984. Eight years ago, the athletic Mullabawn clubman toiled determinedly with the parish side in Division Four of the Armagh county league. The powerhouse's of Newry Shamrocks and Crossmaglen Rangers sparkled either side of Smyth's home patch with one eye fixed on the burgeoning talents of the student teacher, no doubt hoping to be around if and when his relationship soured with the home club. It never did. Instead he worked hard at his game and complimented the efforts of such as Kieran McGeaney and Brendan Tierney to steer the local club right up through the divisions. Two years in Division Three and then promotion, similarly in Division Two until a place in the place in the premier division was secured. At present Mullabawn players show their skills in Division Two having being relegated last year. It looks certain to be a brief rekindling of old flames though. At the time of going to press, Smyth and Co. had navigated a one hundred percent record, ten wins from ten starts. Neil Smyth was only twelve years old when arguably Armagh's most famous team of all time fell to Dublin in the All Ireland decider of 1977. Injured on the teams way up to Croke park, Mullabawns Raymond Kelly was an early icon for the sports underage starlet. Smyth was then a glistening product in the making of the clubs well organised and ambitious youth policy, a system which many like Joe Daly, Sean McCann, Eamonn Murphy and Charlie Grant have become synonymous with. To this day, the tiny parish team are the team to beat at under 16 and at under 21 levels in the county. A big fish on the club front it was nevertheless a sizeable leap for Neil Smyth, when he found himself togging out beside experienced like Jim McKerr and Brian McAlinden prior to making his Armagh debut in '84 National League match against Tyrone. Few recognised or indeed could have imagined that the 6 foot 2 inch, 13 stone attacker would graduate to become the ace of the reshuffled Armagh pack brought together by Father Sean Hegarty in the wake of the County's National League final defeat to Monaghan. Indeed, apart from a period approximately four years ago when he was dropped prior to an Armagh/Tyrone championship encounter, the versatile teacher has been Armagh's Mister Consistent for close on a decade now. A one-time inter county corner forward then a half back, but now thankfully resident in his favourite midfield position, Neil Smyth lives in Newry. More importantly, from a loyal Armagh supporters perspective, he lives more specifically on the RIGHT side of the Newry canal. In the coming days, the canal will be viewed by rival Down and Armagh fans as a metaphorical peaceline across which the incessant pre-match forecasts will be flung like bunting in the wind. As a primary school teacher at Cloughoge, he's well used to silly banter, the kind that dominates and causes an irritating din in the air for an amateur sportsman caught up in a frenzied atmosphere. Still, one gets the impression he's enjoying every minute of a truly crazy build up. One of six boys and three girls born to Belfast native Doctor Anthony Smyth and the former Phyllis Reid of Dundrod, Co. Antrim, Neil Smyth is the youngest gasun in the family. Older brothers, Kieran and Aidan wearing the Mullabawn number three and number 6 jerseys respectively have played alongside the easily recognisable number nine on several occasions. Brotherly love wont play any part, as far as the Smyth's are concerned, in Sundays showdown but according to Smyth the Younger, Armagh's cohesion and sense unity could be their trump card over hot favourites Down. "Jim McCorry has put us on the right tracks psychologically. We've also prepared very well and there's definitely a feeling in the camp, that we can put one over Down this Sunday", the '91 and '92 Railway Cup medalist insisted. There will be no question of Armagh being intimidated or frightened of winning, he says, and even given the fact that each set of supporters are to receive six thousand tickets each, playing at the Athletic Grounds will give Armagh a psychological head start. In saying that, Neil Smyth firmly believes that the winning or losing of a match depends to a very large extent on the physical well being of the team "on the day" rather than any great mental preparedness for that which is to come. An astute reader of the game, his anticipation and stamina makes Neil Smyth and Bryan Robson of Ulster Gaelic Football. Most Armagh supporters would tell you that if Smyth doesn't score in the Armagh jersey in the course of the game, then the probability of the Orchard County losing out on the day is high. Certainly such was the case when Armagh lost by 1-16 to 0-11 against Down in the McKenna Cup on March 29th last. Similarly, in the 1-5 to 2-3 National League defeat to Tyrone at the Athletic Grounds in February, the galloping midfielder was held scoreless. In a team whose forwards can often be over elaborate and ultimately wasteful in front of goal, points from any other source are very rich scores indeed. B.B.C.'s player of the championship in 1990, Neil has benefited tremendously over the last few months from the county's squad training sessions in the enemy territory. "We've spent quite a bit of time using the open parks at Newcastle and the sand dunes of Rostrevor to build up our stamina and overall strength and I've no doubt that those stints will stand to us in the draining heat 'cum Sunday", remarked the popular muinteoir. There's a large body of opinion down Mullabawn way which declares that Neil Smyth is playing the best football of his career. It is generally recognised that he's seen at his very, very best when on championship duty. That being so, Armagh supporters there are in for a June 7th summer bonus. It promises to be a bright summer for Armagh Gaels in the Mullabawn area at least irrespective of how things transpire next Sunday in the county capital. Promising youngsters at the well organised club such as Justin and Paul McAnulty and Rory McDonnell look set to aid and abet seniors like Neil Smyth on the home front this season and for many seasons to come. The ideal obviously for Neil Smyth would be a club and county double in this summer's knockout season but he confesses that he'll not be to greedy. He'll allow the Armagh Division Two League title slip by, if he has to choose! Taken from Hogan Stand magazine 5th June 1992 Tweet

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