29th September 2007

Armagh gained more valuable points on Saturday from their League match at the Palace Grounds. There were no bonus points to be gained by either team but Ballymoney must feel the more upset that since their constant attacks yielded absolutely no score. However, all the more credit to the Armagh defence which stood up so firmly to the battering it received.

Armagh’s two tries were very similar, forward drives for the line from close in, but the possibility of two more tries to secure the bonus point never looked very likely.

Armagh’s injury problems continue to be a big worry. In the backs both Redpaths were ruled out again and Adam Gowing had not recovered from his Portadown injury. Ralf Mercer was unavailable and Johnny Allen’s leg injury still rules him out. In the forwards James Morton was a late cry-off due to a nagging rib injury while Eddie Orr’s eye surgery kept him off the team sheet. On the other hand, the replacements fitted into the team very well.

Stuart Lester, returning from Ulster duty, had a good game on the wing while Peter Elliot fitted in very well in the centre. At out-half Alan Whitcroft enjoyed a good return to the first fifteen and made life very difficult for the Ballymoney defence.

The forwards were helped by the return of Connor O’Neill at prop and Brian Bassett in the second row. Both had very sound games.

The altered back row worked well together so all in all Armagh survived the injury crisis pretty well and keenly look forward to the return of the injured players.

If Armagh can pull off a victory with a weakened side, then prospects for the future fixtures with a full strength team looks good.

For a newly promoted side Ballymoney looked very impressive.

They began with a flurry of attacks and did very well with their set pieces. However, their place-kicking was not of a very high standard, unlike the home team’s.

The Co. Antrim side began well but were short with a drop-goal attempt five minutes into the game. It took a great tackle by man–of the-match Joe Clarke to deprive Ballymoney of an early try. Brian Bassett was off, in the blood bin, receiving attention when Armagh were fortunate to be saved by a penalty under the posts. Their luck held again when Ballymoney were awarded a penalty in a similar position at the other end but their lack of an accurate kicker led to no points.

As the half wore on Armagh continued to mount more attacks and 32 minutes into the game they scored their first try following a forward rush after a line-out. It was Joe Clarke who was judged to have touched down. The try was converted by Johnny Steenson.

Ballymoney were awarded a penalty for off-side in front of the home posts but once again the kick went horribly wrong. On the other hand a tap penalty an a kick to the left corner led to Armagh’s second try, this time Brian Bassett got the touch-down.

The conversion went wide. Steenson’s only miss of the day. Indeed, his kicking has been first class managing tremendous length and accuracy with his touch kicks. This gained the home side some tremendous field positions throughout the game. In contrast, Ballymoney missed 4 place kicks so half-time came Armagh’s lead 12-0.

However, there was a set-back for Armagh when James McCall had to leave the field due to a knee injury. He was replaced by Ally Birch. A fine kick down the line by Johnny Steenson gave Armagh a line-out but this time the backs took over and the chance was lost. So the next score was the first of three Armagh penalty goals. Stuart Lester put in a fine run down the right wing but all that resulted was a penalty for Armagh which was kicked into the corner. The forwards managed to lose possession in the resultant line-out. The line-outs were dominated by David Martin who put in a fine performance.

The home scrum was improving as the game progressed and it was very heartening to see a unit perform so well when not at their full strength. The third Steenson penalty finished the scoring for the afternoon at 18-0, but Ballymoney attacked well in the dying minutes of the game. Indeed the visitors proved to be a very impressive side which will, undoubtedly have a very successful first season in the Qualifying 1 League.

Armagh have another home fixture next Saturday when they entertain Enniskillen. It should be remembered that this was the side which inflicted the only league defeat of the 06/07 season. So all attention will be focused on the Armagh physio, Peter Vance, as he toils to get injured players back on to the field.