Armagh always looked to have the edge against already-relegated Derry at the Athletic Grounds but their task was made considerably easier by Shane McGuigan’s red card – after he picked up a second yellow – which came after probably the Oak Leafers’ most encouraging period of the game.
After trailing 0-10 to 0-5, Derry had cut Armagh’s advantage to only two points after two Niall Toner scores and a Mark Bradley point but McGuigan’s second yellow – seemingly for something off the ball as the players waited on an Armagh kickout – ended the brief period of Oak Leaf momentum.
Points from Conor Turbitt and Peter McGrane extended Armagh’s advantage to 0-12 to 0-8 at half-time and the match was then emphatically put to bed in a five-minute period after the resumption when all the home team’s goals arrived.
The opening two goals came as Ross McQuillan and Barry McCambridge pounced to net rebounds which had come back off the Derry woodwork.
Armagh’s third goal did seem questionable as Derry keeper Ben McKinless was deemed to have carried the ball over his own line after being barged into by an opponent following the keeper’s fielding of a high ball from Conor Turbitt.
There was some delay before an umpire’s frantic signalling of the green flag.
Darragh McMullen soon added Armagh’s fourth major and while black cards were handed to home duo Turbitt and Jemar Hall and Derry’s Conor Doherty, the game petered out in the closing stages with Anton Tohill hitting the Oak Leafers’ late goal.
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