McGeeney urges Armagh to 'go one more step' as All-Ireland glory beckons

Armagh head Kieran McGeeney insists his squad tin execute moreover amended and has urged his players to “go 1 much step” aft their stunning All-Ireland semi-final triumph complete Kerry aft other time.

Playing successful their first semi-final successful 19 years, Armagh came from 5 points down successful normal clip to unit other clip earlier winning 1-18 to 1-16 to scope nan All-Ireland last for nan first clip since 2003.

As nan enormity of nan accomplishment began to descend in, McGeeney praised his players for their resilience successful shrugging disconnected past disappointments and performing astatine specified a precocious level.

“I deliberation location is much successful them," he claimed,

"A batch of our players didn’t play arsenic good arsenic they are tin of and I dream to spot that (in nan final)".

“I dream they push connected and realise that coming is simply a semi-final.

“I want them to bask it because they haven’t won 1 earlier – but hopefully they tin push connected and spell 1 much step.”

Armagh will play either Galway aliases Donegal, who play each different successful nan 2nd semi-final connected Sunday, successful nan All-Ireland last showpiece connected 28 July.

Although Armagh ran Kerry ragged successful other time, nan Kingdom hung connected successful location and McGeeney revealed he was fearing it mightiness spell each nan measurement to penalties.

And aft losing 2 All-Ireland quarter-finals connected penalties successful 2022 and 2023, arsenic good arsenic 2 Ulster last shootout defeats, no-one could blasted McGeeney for wanting to debar nan dreaded spot kicks yet again,

“As we was getting person to nan extremity of other clip we were each going, 'Is it going to penalties again?'

“But nan boys really went aft it. Ross (McQuillan), Turbo (Conor Turbitt) really went to triumph nan game, which is thing you person to beryllium proud of. They showed awesome resilience today."

Kerry led 0-10 to 0-6 astatine half clip and Paul Murphy’s extremity had them 1-11 to 0-9 up aft 47 minutes.

But erstwhile Barry McCambridge boxed location a extremity aft Shane Ryan’s large fumble, Armagh took over.

“It was a soft extremity we conceded though they’d astir apt consciousness nan aforesaid astir nan extremity we got," McGeeney said.

"I didn't deliberation we should person been down for truthful agelong but we person shown that resilience complete and complete again and pushed each squad to nan limits.

“It’s a in installments to nan fellas because it’s a reliable grind. Some of those players person been location 10, 11 years truthful I’m delighted for them today, I genuinely am.”

Jack O’Connor said Kerry would return conclusion “with a spot of grace”.

While confirming his desire to spot retired nan remaining twelvemonth of his three-year statement successful 2025, nan Kerry leader felt 2 missed goals chances early successful nan 2nd half costs his team.

He besides pointed to nan effect Armagh sewage from their chair and nan immense orchard support guidelines successful nan 55,548 attendance arsenic cardinal factors.

O’Connor admitted: “the crowd drove them on”.

“They outnumbered america reasonably substantially retired location and I thought nan crowd was a facet successful nan game.

“No mobility astir it, it conscionable lifted Armagh and we tried very difficult but it was difficult to apprehension that momentum.

“We did good to travel backmost and equalise successful normal clip but we had a ferocious effort from our boys but it was bitterly disappointing, it was a crippled we had capable chances to triumph it.”

Tom O’Sullivan’s glaring miss early successful nan 2nd half seemed a large infinitesimal astatine nan clip and moreover though Paul Murphy palmed location a 47th infinitesimal extremity to put Kerry 1-11 to 0-9 ahead, O'Connor still rued nan earlier miss.

“It looked for illustration that missed extremity chance into nan Hill was a captious moment,” he said.

“If that went in, I thought nan crippled was astir apt beyond Armagh and past nan goal, that mediocre extremity that we conceded (from Barry McCambridge) was a immense infinitesimal successful nan game.

“I deliberation that is wherever nan crippled swung, those 2 moments. The extremity we conceded was a slayer successful nan consciousness that it sewage nan Armagh crowd into it.”