Bank of Ireland Dr. McKenna Cup Group C

Monaghan v Armagh, Sunday, 2.00, Clones

Monaghan will attempt to get their first win of 2016 when they face Armagh in Clones on Sunday.

Monaghan fell to a heavy defeat against Ulster University last Sunday, while Armagh also lost their opening game at home to Cavan. Both teams need a win to have any ambition of qualifying for the knock-out stages.

Malachy O’Rourke has again named an experimental team featuring four debutants (Jamie Smith, Niall McKeown, Dónal Courtney and Fergal McGeough), as well as a fourth Rockcorry player, Mark Thornton, who gets a first start after coming on as a sub last Sunday. There are ten changes in total from round one, with Smith, McKeown, Dónal Courtney, McGeough, Thornton, Drew Wylie, Dessie Mone, Neil McAdam, Stephen Gollogly and Daniel McKenna coming in for Cian Mohan, Fintan Kelly, John McCarron, Karl McQuaid, Owen Coyle, Karl O’Connell, Anthony Courtney, Pádraic Keenan, Christopher McKenna and Barry Hanratty. Daryl Traynor will hope to make his debut from the bench, which also includes the likes of Jack McCarron and Mark Keogh.

Armagh are, of course, without their Crossmaglen contingent as they prepare for another All-Ireland Club SFC campaign and Brendan Donaghy is set to miss Sunday’s game through suspension, but Kieran McGeeney, who has been joined on the sidelines by his former county team-mate Aidan O’Rourke, can still call on some experienced campaigners. Ciarán McKeever and Charlie Vernon backboned the defence last Sunday, with Stefan Campbell, Ethan Rafferty and Aaron Findon other key players.

Monaghan: Jamie Smith; Kieran Duffy, Drew Wylie, Niall McKeown; Dessie Mone, Colin Walshe, Dónal Courtney; Neil McAdam, Mark Thornton; Dermot Malone, Stephen Gollogly, Owen Duffy; Fergal McGeough, Barry McGinn, Daniel McKenna.

Subs: Mark Keogh, Karl McQuaid, Owen Coyle, Karl O’Connell, Anthony Courtney, Pádraic Keenan, Christopher McKenna, Daryl Traynor, Jack McCarron, Fintan Kelly, John McCarron.