Late rally takes MacRory points for Armagh

Danske Bank MacRory Cup
St Patrick’s Armagh 1-14 St Mary’s Magherafelt 2-6
NINE wides from St Mary’s Magherafelt in the first half and then they came back from nine points down nine minutes into the second half to draw level only for St Patrick’s Armagh to finish strongly by outscoring them by 1-3 to 0-1 in the final nine minutes in this opening Group C game Danske Bank MacRory Cup in Donaghmore.
Mattie McGleenan will have been happy enough with the outcome of this game particularly as Armagh were missing a couple of first team players including his son Michael and the team worked well for each other – apart from that spell midway through the second half.
Kevin Brady and the Magherafelt line will perhaps have a mixed reaction – frustration from the first half which delivered them just one score, a point from Callum Ormsbey, but also pleased that Eoin McAvoy, John McErlean and Aidan McCloskey drove a second half comeback and there was a goal-chance near the end as well.
Armagh were off target just twice during the game and, inspired by James Walsh up front, led by six points before Ormsbey scored Magherafelt’s only score of the half.
After the break, St Patrick’s added four more points from Mark McKeever (a free), Walsh, Kevin Robinson and Ryan Bradley before St Mary’s got going with a goal palmed home by Sean Duffin and a couple of frees from Terry Devlin.
Shea McSorley added a point before Dan Higgins crashed home a second goal and suddenly the sides were level at 0-11 to 2-5.
However James Walsh won the kick-out and set up Oisin Conaty for a point and, with Magherafelt coughing up easy possession on a couple of occasion, the initiative was back with Armagh and they sealed the win with a penalty strike from Conaty.
St Patrick’s : James Walsh 0-4, Mark McKeever 0-4, 0-1 free, Oisin Conaty 1-1, 1-0 pen, Kevin Robinson, Ryan Bradley, Steve Donaghy, Sean Quigley and Jayson Hughes 0-1 each
St Mary’s : Sean Duffin 1-0, Dan Higgins 1-0, Terry Devlin 0-4 frees, Shea McSorley 0-1, Callum Ormsbey 0-1