Armagh defeated Fermanagh by 0-20 to 0-11 in tonight's all-Ulster back-door encounter at the Athletic Grounds.

Beaten by Down in the provincial championship three weeks hitherto, Kieran McGeeney's men impressed after getting off to a sluggish start and will confidently take their place in tomorrow morning's Round 2B Qualifier draw, where they will be paired with either Westmeath, Monaghan, Tipperary or Leitrim, with that game scheduled to take place in a fortnight.

A run of five unanswered points between the 24^th and 34^th minutes was instrumental in giving the hosts a 0-8 to 0-6 interval advantage. Fermanagh tried to stay with them after the restart, despite having influential midfielder Eon Donnelly sent off twelve minutes from time, but the home side reeled off the last five scores to prevail at a canter.

Pete McGrath's charges started brightest and moved 0-5 to 0-2 ahead with five successive scores of their own from Tomas Corrigan (3), Ryan Lyons and  Donnelly after Andrew Murnin and captain Rory Grugan had posted first for the hosts.

With Sean Quigley absent from the visitors' starting ranks, the Orchard County went 20 minutes without a score before Murnin, Jamie Clarke (with a spellbinding strike), Grugan (two frees) and Cathal O'Hanlon made it 0-7 to 0-5. Corrigan and Grugan traded two more frees before the short whistle sounded.

Playing into the breeze, the victors recorded eight wides in the first half, against four from the Ernemen.

Midfielder Niall Grimley hit the first score of the second half for the home team but Corrigan won and converted a free in the 43^rd to leave one score potentially between the teams, 0-10 to 0-7. Grimley tapped over a free and substitute Stefan Campbell extended the Armagh advantage to five points in the 52^nd minute after a Corrigan penalty appeal was waved away at the other end.

Grugan's converted free meant it was 0-13 to 0-7 going into the fourth quarter and any lingering hopes of an unlikely Fermanagh recovery dissipated in the 58^th minute when Donnelly was dismissed for a second yellow-card offence.

Quigley pulled back a brace for the 14 men to leave four between them with twice as many minutes left but another Grimley free stopped the visitors in their tracks again. Clarke popped up with his second point on 65 minutes and Corrigan pulled back a Fermanagh free as time started to run out for Pete McGrath's men - as well as probably his reign at the Fermanagh helm.

Lyons had it back to a four-point game with three minutes of normal time to go but Clarke replied instantly to make it 0-16 to 0-11 and Ethan Rafferty, Campbell and top scorer Grimley ('45', free) completed the scoring as Armagh won easily in the end.

Armagh - B Hughes; P Hughes, C Vernon, A McKay; A Forker, B Donaghy, M Shields; S Sheridan, N Grimley (0-6, 4f, 1'65); C O'Hanlon (0-1), A Duffy, R Grugan (0-5f); J Clarke (0-3), A Murnin (0-2), G McParland. Subs: S Campbell (0-2) for A Murnin, C McKeever for C O'Hanlon, E Rafferty (0-1) for G McParland, O O'Neill for R Grugan.

Fermanagh - C Snow; M Jones, C Cullen, C McManus; A Breen, R McCluskey, C Murphy; E Donnelly (0-1), R Hyde; R Lyons (0-2), L Cullen, P McCusker; D McCusker, B Mulrone T Corrigan (0-6, 5f, 1sl). Subs: R Corrigan for R Hyde, S Quigley (0-2) for R Corrigan, D Teague for C Murphy, K Connor for M Jones.

Referee - C Reilly.

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