Time was when a late, late call-off of an important game might have been calculated to trigger anger and disgust.
Yet rather than face the brickbats of fans at the Athletic Grounds on Sunday, officials and volunteer helpers showed commitment, efficiency and patience in their efforts to facilitate fans in leaving the ground after the County Football Championship Final between Clan na Gael and Clann Eireann was called off because of the high winds that had engulfed the ground.
It was clear that, in the eyes of most people, a sensible decision had been taken, particularly as a PSNI warning had also been issued advising people to travel only if it was really necessary.
One long-serving Athletic Grounds volunteer appeared to sum up the feelings of his colleagues and others when he said: “There are family groups in here, and we certainly don’t want to see them exposed to danger.
“Obviously, it’s a big decision to call off the game and ask people to leave, but this is all very much in the interests of their safety.”
While many people were forced to show considerable experience in exiting the car parks surrounding the venue, patience and an acceptance of what was a grim situation were the order of the day.
Already the fact that the Clan na Gael versus Clann Eireann Final has been rearranged for the following weekend has sparked a whole new wave of conjecture not just within Lurgan, the headquarters of the two teams, but throughout the county as a whole, according to one County Board official.
“A lot of people are still on a high following Armagh’s success, and they are still very much up for this county Final. They accept that their safety was a prime factor in what happened, and we are particularly keen to ensure that they have a very good day out when the county Final is played next weekend.”
There is no doubt that the clash of the Lurgan rivals continues to have a magnetic appeal despite Sunday’s setback.
Even former club and county players were there and, while regretful that the match would not take place, this if anything appeared to heighten their interest in the following weekend’s game.
With Clann Eireann set to parade their three All-Ireland winners – Conor Turbitt, Barry McCambridge and Tiernan Kelly – and Clan na Gael ready to parade the imposing twosome of Stefan Campbell and Shane McPartlan, they just know what a rare treat could be in store. This quintet look set to represent Armagh in 2025 but, for the moment, club priorities are very much in vogue.
With McCambridge believed to be very much in the running for the national Player of the Year, there is certainly solid belief that Clann Eireann’s honours may not have finished for 2024.
Football fever, of course, has been rampant in Armagh since the end of January when crowds of 9,400 and 10,600 attended two early Allianz League games, thus nurturing the belief that the Armagh fans were on the march again – big time.
And when some 18,000 followers turned up at the Athletic Grounds to welcome Kieran McGeeney’s All-Ireland-winning side home 24 hours after they had beaten Galway in the decider, the city was transported into a seventh heaven.
Who’s to say that it cannot return there despite Sunday’s disappointing setback?