Familiar hard luck tape plays for Kieran McGeeney as Armagh lose on penalties - again

A by now all too familiar tape played before the eyes of Kieran McGeeney in Clones on Sunday.

As he linked arms with his Armagh troops in St Tiermach's Park, he must've thought that, surely, the time was now.

Armagh waiting since 2008 to win Ulster, McGeeney in his tenth year as manager craving a first success as boss of his home county.

When Donegal goalkeeper Shaun Patton saved from Shane McPartlan, time stood still and Armagh's wait goes on.

Twice last year, at the hands of Derry, also in the Ulster final, and Monaghan in an All-Ireland quarter-final, Armagh were on the wrong side in shoot-outs. In 2022, Galway prevailed on penalties to defeat Armagh in an All-Ireland quarter-final.

“It’s hard luck but I suppose when it happen four times maybe it’s not hard luck, maybe it’s something else that we’re missing,” McGeeney offered.

“When you‘ve been on the receiving it and when you lose four or five massive games where we’ve been on the bad end of it, it is difficult and there’s no point in saying otherwise. We can’t do much about it.”

The first five penalties by both teams were flawless.

Tied at five-all, Aaron Doherty gave Donegal the advantage before Patton thwarted McPartlan.

“It’s tough, it’s hard work and I suppose somebody has to miss,” McGeeney said.

“I was never really a penalty-taker myself, it’s just one of those things. You guess right, like, Shane is probably the best penalty-taker in the team, and of all people . . .

“Sure what can you do about it? I can’t control what is written.

“hen you win a game by a point or a penalty shoot-out – it was the same against Derry last year, we were doing a lot of things wrong and they were doing a lot of things right. But listen, we all know that’s sport. We need headlines and drama, it’s all part of the game and you get used to it.

“The standard from both teams, serious pace, serious tackles – it’s a ball one way or a ball the other.

“A slip one way or a slip the other. When you lose you’re the gobshite, but that’s just the way it goes.”