GAA: Derry see off Armagh to lift 17th Ulster minor football title in Healy Park

Derry 0-12, Armagh 1-07

Derry were crowned Ulster Minor football champions for a 17th time as Damien McErlain's young Oak Leafers held off the challenge of a dogged Armagh side to the lift the Fr Murray Cup in Healy Park on Sunday.

The victory was McErlain's fourth provincial title in five seasons as minor manager and sets up an intriguing home All Ireland quarter-final with Leinster runners-up, Dublin. But that's for another day! This one was about saluting a Derry conveyor belt that just seems to keep on producing talented young players.

Eamon Young and Ger Dillon were the attacking inspirations of Sunday's two point point victory in which Derry were forced to dig deep against an unlikely late Armagh onslaught of high balls.

But when they needed it Derry had players prepared to put their bodies on the line, players like the excellent Luke Grant, tough tackling Ronan Canavan and the hard working Dara McGuckin. With captain James Sargent knitting it all together in midfield alongside the Cathair McBride, the Oak Leafers fully deserved a victory that should have been more comprehensive.

the fact it wasn't was down to a hugely disciplined Armagh defensive effort. Aidan O'Rourke's team were beaten by 17 at Owenbeg in the group stages but this time came armed with a plan to remain in the game and hit Derry on the counter. It almost worked too injury time was reached with Armagh three points behind and now able to cause chaos with high dropping balls into the edge of the square.

It was squeaky bum time for Derry as the ball bounced around in front of the Oak goal on more than on occasion in five nerve jangling added minutes but that was Derry's chance to show Armagh weren't the only one who knew how to defend and they did it in style to reach the final whistle intact as champions of Ulster.

Derry started with a quartet of players who had started last year's Ulster final in Jack McCloy, Luke Grant, James Sargent and 'Man of the Match' Young while Dara McGuckin came off the bench last year as the Oak Leafers defeated Monaghan.

And just like 12 months ago McErlain's men once again went into this final as favourites, especially given that 17 point victory. However O'Rourke's team showed five changes from that game, a reflection perhaps of the progress they'd made in impressive victories over Monaghan and Donegal to reach the decider.

And that progress was evident in an opening half in which there was next to nothing between the teams. Armagh set up with a rigid defensive shape out of possession, content to allow Derry as far as the '45' before engaging. Derry's response was to keep the Healy Park pitch as big as possible with three men hugging each touchline and probing for gaps in the Armagh defensive unit which formed a ring around the 'scoring zone'.

It led to a game in which Derry bossed the ball but found inroads difficult to come by.

Armagh by contrast sought breaks and as soon as possession was secured they moved one of (or both) the tall figures of Keelan McEntee and Jack Loughran inside to provide a target for the long pass. It was a tactic which led to the half's only goal as Ross Marsden's ball was plucked out of the sky by McEntee who fed full forward Eoin Duffy to fire low into the Derry net on 19 minutes.

That put Armagh into the lead for the first time in the match at 1-3 to 0-4 after Derry's 'twin terrors', Young and Dillon, had accounted for their side's opening four points with one free and one from play each.

The goal was the break Armagh were seeking but Derry should have cancelled it out within seconds when Sargent's superb through ball sent Young chasing in our goal. The young Newbridge player's shot was well hit but slightly too high and cleared the crossbar to make it 0-5 to 1-03.

Grant had already made two excellent turnover producing tackles by this stage and after another Dillon free had tied the game on 24 minutes, it was another brilliant tackle, this time from Caoimhinn Hargan, that brought a black card for Armagh's Marsden, son of Armagh legend, Diarmaid.

Marsden had been powering forward at pace when Hargan stripped him off the ball inside the Derry '45', the Orchard player responding by tripping Hargan as he tried to break forward which brought the inevitable card.

The extra man allowed to edge ahead at the break thanks to a lovely Sargent point to leave it 0-7 to 1-03.

The goal remained Armagh's last score for a full 21 minutes either side of the break as Frees from Young and DIllon stretched the Derry lead to 0-9 to 1-04.

Back to 15 players, Armagh rallied thanks to scores from Aaron Garvey and Fionn Toale to leave only one between the teams as we entered the final 10 minutes.

Derry had now gone 18 minutes without scoring but just when it appeared the tide may be turning, Luke Grant popped up at the other end the break two tackles and split the posts for a score worth more than a point to Derry.

Lifted once more Dillon quickly tagged on another from play and when Young stormed through to score his fifth Derry looked home at 0-12 to 1-05 as we reached injury time.

Eoin Duffy's free for Armagh ensured no one was leaving early but weren't for moving. This was an Oak Leaf day.

Derry scorers: Eamon Young (0-5, 2f), Ger Dillon (0-5, 3f), James Sargent (0-1), Luke Grant (0-1),

Armagh scorers: Eoin Duffy (1-3, 3f), Sean Woods (0-1), Keelan McEntee (0-1), Aaron Garvey (0-1), Fionn Toale (0-1).

Derry: Jack McCloy, Caomhan McNally, Ronan Canavan, Rian Collins, Luke Grant, Cathal O Mianain, Dara McGuckin, James Sargent, Cathair McBride, Eamon Young, Ger Dillon, Caoimhin Hargan, Chris McCullagh, Ruairi Biggs, Dylan Rocks. (Subs) Padraig Haran for C McNally, 42mins; Cody Rocks for C Hargan, 47mins; Turlough McHugh for C McBride, 53mins; Gabhan McIvor for C McCullagh, 61mins.

Armagh: Michael Finnegan, Tomas Fox, Gavin O'Rourke, Conall Wilson, Fergus Toale, Sean Woods, Diarmuid O'Rourke, Jack Loughran, Daithi O'Callaghan, Aaron Garvey, James McCooe, Keelan McEntee, Fionn Toale, Eoin Duffy, Ross Marsden. (Subs) Lewis Bellew for R Marsden, 38mins; Shea Loughran for A Garvey, 53mins; Oisin Gribben for D O'Callaghan, 53mins; Conor Dunne for S Woods, 62mins; Paidi Comiskey for D O'Rourke, 62mins.

Referee: Barry McMenamin (Cavan)