'We don't quit' - McKay hails Armagh's champions

Aaron McKay's goal gave Armagh their first lead of the final

To deliver their long-sought All-Ireland title, Armagh relied upon the most unlikely of goal-scoring heroes.

By his own admission, Aaron McKay is not a man the Orchard County look to for scores and yet it was the full-back who drove forward in the 47th minute and palmed Stefan Campbell's pass into the Galway net for the decisive goal in the 1-11 to 0-13 triumph.

Indeed, as he celebrated his side's first All-Ireland in 22 years, McKay joked that substitute Campbell's assist was more likely to have been a wayward attempt at a point.

"He wasn't passing," McKay laughed. "Soupy never passes, especially to me."

He added of his goal-scoring prowess: "It's a rarity. The boys were slagging me, looking in the match programme I only had one point in championship football and it was on my debut, and it should have been a goal. 

"Maybe it was written in the stars."

'There's no stopping these boys'

Armagh finally got their hands on Sam Maguire once again only after a series of gut-wrenching losses in recent years.

A pair of Ulster final defeats on penalties, and two All-Ireland quarter-final defeats by the same method, left some in the county questioning the future of manager Kieran McGeeney, who now becomes just the sixth man to captain and manage his county to an All-Ireland title.

"You can't put into words how much heartache that we've been through, penalties and everything else, trying to get rid of Geezer [McGeeney] as well," McKay added.

"We just stuck in, all those boys from 1-44. They just kept grinding. We don't quit.

"We're just delighted they got the just rewards for all their hard work."

When Armagh were last on this stage in 2003, the game came to be remembered for 'The Block' as Conor Gormley denied Steven McDonnell what would have been a levelling goal as Tyrone won their first All-Ireland at their great rival's expense.

This time, the boot was on the other foot as Joe McElroy threw himself at Paul Conroy in the final minute of the game as Galway chased the point that would have forced extra-time.

"I knew it was the last play or so. The ref was going to blow it, 76 minutes, I just had to get on his foot," said McElroy.

After seeing so many championship contests slip away in the most cruel of manners, this time it was to be Armagh celebrating at the end of a game fine margins.

"We knew we had the players to come on and finish strong," added McElroy. 

"We went in at half-time level and we just knew we were always going to win that game.

"There was not a chance we were going to let that slip.

"The last four years, heartbreak, penalties, heartbreak and penalties. I don't know how long it's been since we were beaten in 70 minutes in championship football. 

"Them boys never give up."