MIDDLETOWN will face Keady for the fourth Armagh SHC decider in-a-row after semi-final victories at the BOX-IT Athletic Grounds yesterday.
Reigning champions Middletown, aiming for a historic sixth title on the trot, got the better of Craobh Rua 1-11 to 0-11, while Keady beat Derrynoose 3-21 to 3-14.
Craobh Rua, 2021 Ulster junior champions, proved a tough nut to crack and hung with Middletown until the end but couldn’t find the goal they needed to peg back Na Fianna.
The sides matched each other score for score during the opening exchanges before Middletown, who won all five group stage games to top the table, grabbed a five-point lead thanks to a goal from experienced attacker Cahal Carvill.
Craobh Rua, who were without Jarly Og Burns after he suffered an injury in Silverbridge’s football championship clash with Crossmaglen the previous day, kept in touch, however, and the accuracy of free-taker Tiarnan O’Hare ensured they were never too far away. Middletown opened up a five-point gap, 1-8 to 0-6, by half-time.
The sides swapped scores to open the second half before a Sean Og McGuinness point moved Middletown into a six-point lead. Two points from O’Hare cut the deficit to four as the game entered the final quarter. Craobh Rua notched on one final point but a goal never arrived.
In the opening match in Armagh city, Keady, in search of their first title since 2018, were seven-point winners over Derrynoose. While they could never fully pull away, Keady always kept the underdogs at arm’s length.
Goals from Pauric and Shea McNaughton kept Derrynoose in touch during the first half, while Keady also rattled the net through sharpshooter Conor Corvan, who proved a thorn in Derrynoose’s side all day.
Keady stormed into a 0-6 to 1-0 lead after 10 minutes, but Derrynoose fought back with scores from Aaron Fox (0-2) and Paddy McGrane to keep them in contention. Corvan traded frees with Fox before firing home Keady’s first major.
McNaughton netted soon after and the sides traded scores at the end of the opening period to leave two points the difference at half-time, with Keady ahead 1-13 to 2-8.
The sides were fairly evenly matched in the second period before a Sean Colton goal on the 53rd minute, followed by another pointed free from Corvan opened up a six-point gap.
Derrynoose hit back with a Sean Og McNaughton goal but Keady found another gear and a quickfire 1-1 from Tomas Galvin restored some breathing space.
