Armagh 1-19 Roscommon 2-17
Roscommon handed Armagh their second straight defeat of the season following from their loss to Tyrone last weekend.
A draw would have been a fair result but in the end. But the Rossies nicked a one-point win to claim the two points on offer.
The sides were evenly matched throughout and were level a total of 13 times in a back-and-forth affair.
The first half turned into a straight shootout between the two free takers, Fionntan Donnelly and Cathal Dolan.
It was all square after 35 minutes, 0-10 apiece, and the free-taking exhibition continued before Dean Gaffney finally broke the deadlock midway through the second half.
Roscommon shot ahead with a goal through their dangerous corner forward Brendan Mulry. His sweet strike flew by Simon Doherty and into the top corner.
Padraig O’Connor’s men fought back with the accurate Donnelly, who finished with 0-15, landing two points to level the game once again.
It was Armagh’s turn to raise a green flag. Gaffney rippled the net after capturing a long delivery from Middletown clubmate Kieran McKernan.
Roscommon raised the intensity and controlled the final ten minutes of action. They hunted in packs, worked liked dogs and got the scores to win the game.
Mickey Joe Egan made a telling difference when introduced, latching onto a spilled ball to close the gap for the visitors.
Egan then smashed home Roscommon’s second major as the game headed towards additional time.
Dolan (free) extended the margin to two and while Donnelly fired over with his last touch, it wasn’t enough for the Orchard to get something from the game.
Armagh Team: Simon Doherty, Paddy Quinn, Tiarnan Nevin, Jim Short, Oisin Keenan, Shea Gaffney, Caolan Rice Paddy McBride, Odhran Curry, Dean Gaffney 1-1, Nathan Curry 0-1, Ryan Gaffney 0-1, Fionntan Donnelly 0-15 (15f), Shaun Toal, Lorcan Oliver. Subs: Eoin McGuinness for R. Gaffney, Danny Magee 0-1 for S. Toal, Kieran McKernan for L. Oliver, Paul Gaffney for J. Short.
