BEGINNING his 10th year at the helm, position as the country’s longest-serving current manager secured since Colm Collins’s Clare departure, Kieran McGeeney has been around the block too many times to get drawn into early season promotion proclamations.
“January 27th [home to Louth] is the only game,” smiled the Armagh boss in the wake of Wednesday night’s Dr McKenna Cup win over Tyrone, which set up a semi-final showdown with Derry on Saturday.
“It is cliched but it is very true. That’s the only game we are looking at.”
Experience tells him that the road ahead is laced with potential potholes, the different kind of challenge that Division Two brings at least coming as no shock to the Orchard having spent some time trying to escape it in relatively recent memory.
Getting back up to the top tier was a critical step for Armagh under McGeeney, so relegation last March – and the fact it was sealed by their Red Hand neighbours – was a bitter pill to swallow.
Dublin and Mayo are among those to have come straight back up, but the Mullaghbawn man is under no illusions about the challenge that lies ahead – beginning against the Wee County.
“It is a tough division - Armagh have been through it over the years,” he said.
“It is a very difficult division to get out of. I actually think it is a harder division to play football in than Division One. In Division One, there’s a bit more scope. In Division Two, teams are very hard to break down, everybody is fighting and every point counts when it comes to the end.
“We got caught out seven years ago, going down on score difference. It was the same going up - it was very tight. Our first two games, Louth and Meath, are very big, strong, aggressive teams, they’ve good defences and they like to go into you.
“We’ve our work cut out, but this is where we are and we’re looking forward to it.”
For the time being, though, McGeeney will gather his troops together for Saturday’s visit of Mickey Harte’s Ulster champions to the BOX-IT Athletic Grounds.
Armagh progressed as the best second-placed side, narrowly pipping Down on scoring difference, and one of the real plusses for the Orchard was the return of Oisin O’Neill for the first time since their 2022 All-Ireland qualifier win over Donegal.
The Crossmaglen ace looked sharp, while McGeeney was also heartened by the performances of others either returning to the fold, or taking their first steps onto the inter-county stage. “He [O’Neill] did very well.
“There was a lot of fellas there we haven’t seen in a while. Mark Shields was coming back from a cruciate, it was his first game back. I know that walk - it is a long 12, 14 months, so it is great to see him back as well.
“Cian McConville put in a good shift, Joe Sheridan was very good as well, Niall Rowland who has had a lot of injury problems, Connaire Mackin in the same boat, Niall Grimley, young Peter McGrane was excellent as well at corner-back, Tomas McCormack got his first run out, Aaron McKay got minutes. There was a lot of good stuff out there for us.
“It was a great run out - both probably didn’t field their strongest teams but sometimes when you do that, you find there’s other players there who are stronger. Our boys did well, the goal in the end sort of took the shine off it but it was a good performance.”
That came courtesy of a Dalaigh Jones Hail Mary into the square that dropped over the head of Shea Magill and into the net, forcing a nervy final new minutes.
Yet the Killeavy ‘keeper was among Armagh’s best performers on the night, pulling off three superb saves to keep Tyrone at bay. With regular number one Ethan Rafferty still sidelined, Magill did his future selection hopes no harm.
“He was excellent,” said McGeeney.
“He probably should have had somebody in there beside him to help with that catch, but that’s the problem with being a ‘keeper - you do 10 things brilliantly, one thing bad and everybody gives you a hard time.
“When you’re a full-forward you do 10 things bad and one thing brilliant and everybody gives you a good time. It’s just the nature of the beast.”
