'Mixed emotions' for Tally after Derry lose to Armagh

Derry manager Paddy Tally conceded that he had "mixed emotions" as his battling side went down 2-21 to 2-17 to Armagh in their opening game of the All-Ireland round-robin series at the Athletic Grounds.

The All-Ireland champions led 2-16 to 0-13 midway through the second half thanks to goals from Barry McCambridge and Conor Turbitt before Conor Glass and Dan Higgins hit the net for Derry cutting the deficit to four.

Despite that Derry comeback, Armagh steadied the ship however to secure the victory.

Tally told BBC Sport NI that he believed his side had carved out enough scoring chances to win the game.

"Immensely proud of the effort the players put in, especially in the second half when it looked like the game could get away from them," reflected the Derry boss.

"Delighted that they showed the heart and spirit that was required to come back but also very disappointed that we didn't win the game with the chances that we created.

"We had enough chances to win the match but some of our decisions and shot selection was poor, and even some of our execution.

"We scored two goals in the second half but could have had another four, so mixed emotions, disappointed, but proud of the effort."

Tally expressed satisfaction with the manner in which the Oak Leafers fashioned their opportunities but bemoaned a lack of a clinical edge on occasions.

"Every chance we got was a worked move but you've got to take them. A lot of these matches are decided on fine lines.

"We hadn't played for seven weeks since losing in the Ulster SFC and you could see a bit of rustiness but that is out of our system now.

"We were loose defensively at times which wasn't good enough and we struggled with kick-outs at times."

Next up for Derry is a Celtic Park encounter on 1 June against a Galway team who lost out to Dublin in their first All-Ireland outing.

"I've never doubted the character of this team. We've got to stick at it and we have a massive game against Galway next week."