Kieran McGeeney refused to blame goalkeeper Ethan Rafferty for Armagh’s last-gasp All-Ireland SFC Round 2A defeat to neighbours Louth.

A late replacement for Blaine Hughes, Rafferty let Sam Mulroy’s late two-point attempt slip through his hands and into the net for the winning goal at a heaving Inniskeen. The defeat means the Ulster champions will face a huge do-or-die clash away to Kerry next weekend after being paired with them in this morning's All-Ireland SFC Round 3 draw.

“Listen, everybody makes mistakes,” a crestfallen McGeeney told reporters.

“We gave the ball away three or four times. If we hadn’t given it away, the ball wouldn’t have went in. It’s not Ethan, it’s all of us. It’s just the way you go. You win together, you lose together.”

The Armagh boss added: “Just disappointed and a bit of a sucker blow at the end. But that’s sport and it can happen.

“We had possession at the end. We probably didn’t take a few shots that we could have near the end too. We knew the hooter went, but there’s not much point in going into things like that because the referee counts it.

“It’s the only rule in the game. Whatever the referee says is right.”

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