Armagh Out of Their Depth

By Robin Mitchell

Bottom of the league side Armagh travelled to Comber on Saturday and returned home soundly beaten following a 14 – 0 annihilation. This was never a contest with North Down strolling to an 11 – 0 halftime scoreline but credit to the young inexperienced Armagh side as they never gave up and a fighting display in the second half kept the score at 14.

It was Ulster U18 player Rowan Poots who led the onslaught with a superb 5 goal haul. He started the rout with a short corner strike after 2 minutes and the goals flowed thereafter. Two further goals from Poots, a corner strike and a penalty flick, hat tricks from Simon Watt and Richard Willis, a poached goal from Steven Dalzell and a penalty from Keith Conway completed the scoring at halftime. Gareth McBride in goal was a spectator throughout the half not being called into the action whereas the Armagh keeper although beaten eleven times made a number of fine saves.

The second half was again dominated by North Down but a lack of concentration and better defending by Armagh ensured that the goals did not flow. Poots’ fourth goal was the goal of the game. Watt made ground into the circle and passed to Poots who beat off a challenge before shooting home. Poots added a further goal and Dalzell completed the scoring when he finished off a Wilson effort.

Three points for North Down but not a game to remember. However 14 goals will go down as a record for a North Down team in a competitive game and young Poots needed one more goal to equal Andy Forrest’s record of six in one game however he just fell short of that particular landmark.