Kerry 0-10 Armagh 2-08

Armagh shocked Kerry on their home patch with a wonderful performance in the Allianz Football League Division 1 on Saturday night.

The Orchard men led from the very outset and were 1-03 to 0-00 in front by the 15th minute thanks to a Brian Mallon goal.

Kerry eventually scored through James O’Donoghue in the 18th minute but Armagh was winning the entire breaking ball around the middle with Ciaran McKeever, Malachy Mackin and Brian Mallon winning key possession.

Armagh led 1-04 to 0-03 at the interval and once John Kingham took advantage of a keeper error by Brendan Kealy and goaled two minutes after the restart, it was game over.

Kerry cut the deficit to three points thanks to Bryan Sheehan from frees but three unanswered Armagh points and the red carding of Tomas O’Se late spelled disaster for the Kingdom and Armagh deservedly took a valuable brace of league points.

Early Armagh points from Aidan Forker and Brian Mallon saw the Kerry defence at sixes and sevens and it was little surprise when Armagh struck for a well-worked goal when Caolan Rafferty crossed for Mallon to shoot low to the Kerry net.

Aidan Forker added a point from a free and suddenly Armagh were six points clear while Kerry’s form from a week previously had deserted them.

Kerry’s problems were best illustrated by the fact that Jack O’Connor was forced to summon Declan O’Sullivan from the bench.

He was in the action straight away but he looked harshly treated with a yellow card after his first touch.

Forker finished the scoring with another Armagh free and the visitors retired 1-04 to 0-03 in front and Kerry had plenty to ponder, during the half-time talk.

Kerry were dealt a body-blow within a minute of the restart when Brendan Kealy and Armagh’s John Kingham clashed and he back-healed to the net.

However the arrival of Declan O’Sullivan was to have a huge impact as Kerry hit back with a succession of points from Bryan Sheehan (0-03 frees).

A superb Declan O’Sullivan point saw Kerry reduce the deficit to three and they had a goal scored by Darran O’Sullivan disallowed for a throw ball.

Armagh full-back Brendan Donaghy then took the ball off the line after O’Sullivan knocked the ball over the keeper.

But Armagh rallied and kicked three unanswered points from Forker, Anto Duffy and Mackin which saw them move six clear again.

Kerry tried hard but Armagh were superb at the back and the red card for Tomas O’Se late on spelled disaster for the Kingdom.

Armagh deservedly took the points, despite also finishing with just 14-men after Finnian Moriarty received a second yellow.

Kerry: B Kealy, S Enright, M O’Se, B McGuire, T O’Se, K Young, A O’Mahony, A Maher, B Sheehan (0-06 ,0-05 frees) , P Galvin, Darran O’Sullivan, S O’Sullivan( 0-01 , J O’Donoghue,( 0-02, 0-01 free) K Donaghy, B J Keane

Subs: Declan O’Sullivan 0-1 for S O’Sullivan (35), D Bohan for S Enright (45), P Crowley for A O’Mahony (58), P Curtin for B J Keane (60), S Scanlon for A Maher (68)

Armagh: P McEvoy , A Mallon, B Donaghy, D McKenna, K Dyas, C McKeever, F Moriarty, C Vernon, M Machin 0-02 , A Forker 0-04 ( 0-02 frees) , B Mallon 1-00 , A Duffy 0-01, C Rafferty, J Kingham 1-00, E McVerry

Subs: B J Padden for C Rafferty (44), C Watters (0-01) for B Mallon (54), J Lavery for K Dyas (65), G McPartland for A Forker (68), D Lavery for A Duffy (70)

Referee: Maurice Condon (Waterford)