FL1: Mayo clip Armagh's wings
March 03, 2012
Armagh's Anto Duffy and gets out in front of Mayo's Aidan O'Shea during the Allianz FL Division 2 game at the Morgan Athletic Grounds ©INPHO/Presseye/Russell Pritchard
It was all Mayo in the first half and they deservedly led by four points at the short whistle, 1-7 to 0-6.
Alan Freeman fired over the first three points for the victors and Andy Moran followed up with an eighth-minute goal to make it 1-3 to no score.
Enda Varley was on hand to stretch the gap further and the Orchard County looked rattled by the visitors' rip-roaring start. Armagh replied with a pointed free from their stand-out performer, Aidan Forker.
The home side landed three of the next four points - via Andy Mallon, Gavin McParland and Forker - to leave the goal between them, 1-4 to 0-4, before Freeman made it double scores with another converted free.
The Connacht champions were causing the Ulster men all kinds of problems and they knocked over another couple of frees from Conor Mortimer and Freeman to lead by six, 1-7 to 0-4.
Forker brought his tally to four but the visitors still took a useful 1-7 to 0-6 lead into the break.
Mortimer fired the first score of the second half from a free and he was on target again before Varley made it 1-10 to 0-6.
Lee Keegan made it an eight-point game and a Forker free eventually opened the Orchard County's second-half account.
Armagh kept going strongly and they hit four more successive points to close within four, Forker finishing the night with 0-6. Substitute Colm Watters pointed twice but they needed a goal…
And unfortunately for them, Ryan Rafferty's effort was blocked by Colm Boyle.
However, it was Mayo who finished strongest and Varley's brace and Freeman's fifth point (free) provided the icing on the cake.
Mayo - D Clarke; K Keane, G Cafferkey, K Higgins; R Feeney, D Vaughan, L Keegan (0-1); A O'Shea, B Moran; A Freeman (0-5), A Dillon, J Doherty; C Mortimer (0-4), A Moran (1-0), E Varley (0-4). Subs: S O'Shea for B Moran, C Boyle for Keane, P Harte for A Moran.
Armagh - P McEvoy; A Mallon, B Donaghy, D McKenna; K Dyas, P Duffy, F Moriarty; C Vernon, M Mackin; A Forker (0-6), B Mallon (0-2, 2f), A Duffy; C Rafferty, J Kingham, G McParland (0-1). Subs: S Campbell for Vernon, C Watters (0-2) for B Mallon, J Lavery for McParland, M Stevenson for Duffy.
Ref - M Deegan (Laois). Tweet
