‘Army’ marches on after his return to the Galway ranks

Forty-five minutes gone in Galway’s opening fixture of the National Football League against Cork, in Pearse Stadium, in February, and the comeback kid, Seán Armstrong got the curly finger from manager Kevin Walsh.

The Salthill/Knocknacarra clubman had proved against Corofin the previous October that he remained one of the craftiest forwards in Galway.

That county final performance no doubt encouraged Walsh and his selectors, Brian Silke and Sean Conlon, to have a chat with Armstrong over coffee just before Christmas, with an eye to coaxing him back.

As the Cork game passed Armstrong by, lads in the stands and in the terraces perhaps questioned the wisdom of that decision.

It’s only natural that the man himself, now 31, and having not played at inter-county for the guts of two and a half years, might have had doubts, too.

But rather than get disheartened by his underperformance against the Rebels, it spurred him on. And he ploughed on.

Walsh believed in him, and backed him, and ‘Army’, as he’s affectionately referred to, knuckled down.

Armstrong’s league form improved as the campaign progressed, and he acclimatised to life back in the fast lane at county level.

They often end in failure, but on Sunday, there was nobody questioning the wisdom of Armstrong’s decision to comeback.

He kicked six invaluable points from placed balls – including a couple of very tricky ones into the wind, and one or two from a great distance that weren’t converted by his counterpart, Cillian O’Connor, when in a similar situation.

And he also contributed handsomely in open play, more than justifying his selection, and repaying the faith his manager showed him, and the faith that he showed in himself.

“I know I was taking a risk, do you know what I mean? But it was a risk I was willing to take. High risk, high reward. At the start of the league, I was thinking ‘jeez, what am I after doing?’. In fairness, again, myself and Kevin, constant communication. I came off once or twice and he said ‘not to worry, you’re not up to the pace yet’.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.