Grimley: Armagh 'determined to win for Ciaran'
Armagh manager Paul Grimley says his side will use suspended captain Ciaran McKeever as motivation for Sunday's crunch Allianz Football League tie with Galway at the Athletic Grounds.
McKeever picked up the ban after referee Eddie Kinsella reported him for an incident towards the end of Armagh's 1-12 to 1-10 home defeat by Louth in mid-March.
The Armagh skipper was injured and did not play in the game. He was acting as team runner on the day and stood near Louth's Brian White as he took a late sideline free.
Referee Kinsella had to break up a minor scuffle along the sideline prior to White taking the free.
He duly reported McKeever for interfering with the free-taker, and the Cullyhanna clubman was handed a four-week suspension for his verbal altercation with White.
Minus McKeever, Armagh have the task of beating Galway in their bid to avoid being relegated from Division 2.
Grimley's charges are second-from-bottom in the table with four points, one behind both Wexford and Louth who face Laois and relegated Longford respectively in the final round.
Armagh are winless in their last three games, having drawn with Derry in early March and followed up with narrow defeats to Louth (two points) and Westmeath (one point).
McKeever told the Irish News: "We're still confident of beating Galway. We shouldn't have lost any of our last three matches.
"We should have beaten Derry, we should've beaten Louth and we should never have lost to Westmeath. It's a fine line.
"It would be different if we getting beaten by six or seven points but we're not. We're getting beaten by one."
He added: "The boys are in good shape. Mentally and physically, we're in a good place. I know results haven't gone our way over the past couple of weeks but the buzz is still there at training, and the bite is still there.
"We'll do the job against Galway and our main focus after that is Cavan in the Ulster Championship on May 19 and the boys are looking forward to that."
Aaron Kernan will deputise as captain in McKeever's absence this weekend, and manager Grimley is willing his players to come out fighting as they look to notch an elusive victory and hope that other results go their way.
"We are left heading into the most important game of the season so far without our inspirational leader and captain," Grimley told BBC Northern Ireland.
"It is a hugely disappointing decision, especially as they (CCCC) said they were giving the ban because the incident was more likely to have happened than not to have happened.
"This will just make us more determined to win the game, to win it for Ciaran.
"We have our backs to the wall and we have to come out fighting if we want to stay in this division."
