Dungannon defeated by ‘class’ Armagh

DUNGANNON were always facing an uphill task during Thursday’s Ulster Premiership final against City of Armagh.

Not only were they playing a team three divisions above them in the All-Ireland League ranks, but they were taking them on in their own back yard at the Palace Grounds in Armagh.

And while the game and the result ended somewhat predictably in Armagh’s favour, Dungannon head coach Jonny Gillespie was pleased with his side’s efforts in what was seen more as a competitive training session against top class opposition to prepare them for the remainder of their AIL 2B promotion push, than anything else.

“We didn’t underestimate what [Thursday night] was about. We’ve played two 1A teams and a 1B team already this year, so getting through the game was as much about preparing for the second half of the season as it was competing for the Shield,” Gillespie explained.

“But we acquitted ourselves reasonably well, we had as much green zone ball as they had. We just found them a little more difficult to break down with their athleticism and experience.

“They were strong, they picked a strong team as we thought they would but our guys more than contributed to the game, they asked enough questions, so we were proud and content without being over the top.

“We’ve played much worse this year, so we were pleased with how we managed a few areas of the game, but they are a class side and there is a gulf in experience and ability. But that’s okay because both teams understand that and it was a good game, which we were happy to play our part in.”

In front of a very large crowd of supporters and with the Stevenson Shield at stake, Dungannon kicked off but it wasn’t long before Armagh took possession and brought play into the visitor’s half.

The opening score came on five minutes with hooker Finn Fehnert touching down following a driving maul from a lineout. The score was converted by fullback, Kyle Faloon for a 7-0 lead. The Armagh fullback then crossed for an unconverted try of his own.

The home side continued to dominate the game and midway through the first half, Fehnert claimed his brace of tries following another driving maul. Faloon converted to edge Armagh ahead 19-0.

The final score of the half came from winger Sam Cunningham following some excellent phase play. Faloon kicked his third conversion to make the score 26-0. Dungannon then had a spell of pressure on the Armagh line, looking for their opening score, but a penalty for holding on saw Armagh clear their line.

The Orchard County side started the second half at pace and slick backline play saw winger Dylan Nelson cross for a converted try.

Dungannon came more into the match in the second period and were rewarded for their efforts with a try under the posts by flanker, David Leyburn, converted by Ben McCaughey.

With the score 33-7, conditions deteriorated with the threat of snow and play became more scrappy.

The final score of the match came when Armagh outhalf, Rocky Olsen squeezed in at the corner following sustained pressure. Faloon was in superb kicking form and converted from the touchline to make the final scoreline, City of Armagh 40, Dungannon 7.

Having come through the encounter unscathed, Gillespie and his players will now turn their attentions to the final two AIL 2B games before the Christmas break when they travel to UL Bohemians in Limerick before hosting Malone when they will be targeting two wins to maintain their promotion push.

“[Taking on Armagh] was perfect preparation [ahead of the UL Boh’s game],” Gillespie acknowledged.

“We do train against clubs who are better than us and we’re quite deliberate in choosing that and arranging that at certain times of the year to expose us to a level above what we will experience on a Saturday, so this was a live extension of that.

“It was a good experience for the boys, not only to play against that level of opposition but also in front of a big crowd, and the boys more than stood up for themselves.

“We’ll target maximum points [in the next two league fixtures] because that’s the level we feel we want to push on towards. We may get it, we may not, but we’re not going to die wondering.

“We have to back ourselves to go down to UL and get a result.”

The teams

City of Armagh: N Carville, F Fehnert, P Mullen, J Glasgow, J McKinley, S Glasgow, A Willis, J Anderson, L Finlay, R Olsen, S Cunningham, T McNiece, M Hooks, D Nelson, K Faloon. Replacements: J Reaney, D Poyntz, J Cunningham, E Crummie, R Taylor.

Dungannon: A Edgar, D Mikolajczyk, M Stockdale, P Nicholl, C Steenson, M Maguire, D Leyburn, J McMahon, T Gribben, A McGregor, C Conroy, K Gormley, J Girvan, A Kennedy, B McCaughey. Replacements: S O’Hagan, J Gamble, L McCrabbe, A Johnston, Z Holmes.