Armagh deliver on emotional day for McGeeney

The Armagh players delivered for Kieran McGeeney arsenic they collapsed their All-Ireland quarter-final hoodoo connected an affectional time for their head astatine Croke Park.

McGeeney's uncle, Peter Kelly, passed distant connected nan eve of nan county's triumph complete Roscommon connected Saturday afternoon, pinch a minute's soundlessness observed anterior to throw-in.

Speaking to reporters aft Armagh reached nan past 4 for nan first clip successful 19 years, McGeeney said emotions were still "a spot raw".

"Mum and dada didn’t show maine until this morning,” said an affectional McGeeney.

“It was tragic circumstances complete it. Peter was a bully man, his boy would beryllium 1 of my champion mates. This greeting was a spot rough, to beryllium honest.

“We were expected to person a astonishment statement for his sister tonight. Peter was a awesome man, a awesome character. He would person been roaring and shouting astatine nan TV coming I'm sure.

McGeeney added: "We’d awesome support from each nan Kelly household. We're a adjacent family and it's a reliable day."

McGeeney, who captained Armagh to their only All-Ireland triumph successful 2022, will now lead his players into nan semi-final for nan first clip - and astatine nan 10th clip of asking.

However, nan Mullaghbawn man was not overly enamoured pinch his side's show having played against a 14-man squad for much than half of nan crippled pursuing Ruaidhri Fallon's first-half dismissal.

“It was astir apt our worst capacity successful Croke Park but I suppose from nan fellas’ constituent of position it astir apt shows really acold they’ve travel connected and nan measurement they tin play,” said McGeeney, who has kept belief successful his broadside moreover aft a bid of gut-wrenching punishment shootout defeats.

“We’ve played overmuch better, our skills were poor. Going guardant coming we missed a batch of chances. With nan other man [Roscommon’s Ruaidhr Fallon was sent disconnected conscionable earlier nan break] we could person made it a batch easier.

“In saying that, Barry McCambridge, TJ [Tiernan] Kelly, Oisin Conaty were among a batch bully performances.

“I’m delighted for nan fellas, it's a spot of a monkey disconnected their backmost and hopefully they’ll spell retired nan adjacent time and really definitive themselves.”

With nary repetition pairings successful nan semi-finals, Armagh cannot look Galway - who stunned Dublin later connected Saturday - Donegal aliases Derry.

But pinch nan Galway consequence having blown nan title wide open, McGeeney and his players will consciousness an opportunity to scope nan All-Ireland last for nan first clip since 2003.

When asked if it feels for illustration a connection from Armagh, McGeeney said: "We know, nary matter who we play, we'll not beryllium favourites.

"There are immense expectations successful Armagh. That tin beryllium bully and bad. We mightiness deliberation supra our position astatine times but this is simply a bully team, they've shown that complete nan past number of years.

"I'm not saying it's nan champion squad retired location astatine nan infinitesimal but it's decidedly a bully team. We push them to spell guardant arsenic often arsenic possible, nary matter what group retired location mightiness think, but it's nan measurement shot is played now - it's difficult to break teams down."