Crossmaglen are back and they won’t be going away anytime soon.
They didn’t make it to an Armagh final for two years and they were calling it a drought. The people of Crossmaglen were worried, were experiencing withdrawal symptoms and it just didn’t feel right.
They won minor championships though and there were young lads rising up through the ranks. Not just any young lads though, good young footballers who come from good Crossmaglen stock.
“It felt like it was a lifetime…We’ve just won four of the last five minors…there’s some superb footballers coming through, with good pedigree, coming from traditional families,” said Aaron Kernan recently on The GAA Hour Show.
That’s Cross for you. One of Ireland’s most successful ever clubs – and normality has been restored now. They ended the Armagh famine a couple of weeks ago when they beat Ballymacnab and they’re bowling along through Ulster now.
The familiar faces – the Aaron Kernans and the Johnny Hanrattys are still there and the youngsters, the Oisin and the Rian O’Neills, the Cian McConvilles – they are coming of age and Cross are as dangerous as they’ve ever been.
Saturday’s Ulster quarter final triumph over Coalisland wasn’t as swashbuckling as their county final win but it was as sweet, with those youngsters doing the honours.
The Tyrone champions were down to 13 men after 25 minutes of the game making Cross’ task a bit easier, but to the Coalisland men’s credit, they fought like dogs against the odds and without Brian Toner and Eoghan Hampsey.
So hard that they had the scores level after 45 minutes and that they had Crossmaglen fouling to the extent that they were down to 13 men by this stage too. Johnny Cumiskey and Johnny Hanratty getting their marching orders after the break.
By the final whistle, referee Martin McNally had issued 11 yellows and one red card but these stats must be taken with a pinch of salt with both sets of supporters, and Joe Brolly claiming that he’d ruined the game.
Ref losing control. All his own fault. Very soft first sending off. Crowd very annoyed. And rightly so.
— Joe Brolly (@JoeBrolly1993) November 3, 2018
Referee destroying the game. Crowd in uproar. Endless petty stoppages
— Joe Brolly (@JoeBrolly1993) November 3, 2018
Half Time: Crossmaglen 0-06 Coalisland 0-05. They reckon this Martin McNally was gathered up out of some bar in Monaghan earlier to referee this #Shambles #UlsterClub
— Emmett Bradley (@EmmettBradley) November 3, 2018
Crossmaglen leading by 1 in what could be a good game, except they let McNally referee it. Some shocking decisions and wrecking the game. Coalisland won't lay down in this second half #UlsterClub #Blues
— Big Red (@DaireDevine) November 3, 2018
In the end, the O’Neill brothers, with nine points between them, kicked Cross to a 0-12 0-10 victory, but Coalisland left Armagh unhappy with the ref’s performance.
