Armagh ready for tough Cork Con assignement after last-gasp victory over Young Munster in All Ireland League

Chris Parker believes the victory shows the team is learning how to grind out results in tight games.

“It was a win is one way of looking at it,” said Parker. “We have played a lot better and lost but at this stage of the season with how valuable points are you take whatever you can.

“Credit to the boys for finding a way to win it, it was tight with them kicking a penalty with a minute to go; credit to Kyle (Faloon) to step up and slot a difficult enough penalty to win it with the last kick.

“We’ve been on the wrong side of plenty of those in the past, even last year there were a couple of last-minute losses.

“We are happy to be able to get points and push on and we take a lot of confidence from being able to grind out a win when we are not playing at our best.

“We just now need to improve our performance for this weekend.”

The victory allowed Armagh to open up a seven-point gap over UCD in ninth place.

Parker added: “We play each other in a couple of weeks and anybody is capable of beating each other in this league, so things are going to chop and change at both ends of the table fairly regularly from week to week. So we just have to make sure we pick up points every week and see where that takes us.

“We’ll start with Con this week and hopefully we can get something on the road and keep adding points to our tally.”

Cork Con are second in the table but Parker is confident his side can give a good account of themselves.

“We were probably unlucky against them at home,” he said. “We played quite well that day, we just gave them two easy entries from poor kicks in the second half and they scored from them.

“There is confidence among the group if we go down and play to our potential we’ll be there or thereabouts. In saying that they are a top side.

“They are a fairly complete side and they have some of the most athletic players in the league across the team. It is a challenge but that’s why we are in 1A – you want to be challenged by the top players and top clubs in Ireland.

“Getting to play at places like Temple Hill is great and there is a bit of excitement amongst the group this week around it.”

Evan Cromie and Tim McNiece are injured, Charlie Worth makes his AIL debut in the centre.

It’s fifth against sixth at Ballymacarn Park as Ballynahinch welcome Lansdowne.

Queen’s are once again hampered by representative call-ups and injury as Nenagh visit the Dub in 1B.

Division 2A leaders Instonians travel to Old Cresent, Banbridge are in Wicklow to face Greystones, while Ballymena host Buccaneers.

In Division 2B second-placed Dungannon clash with leaders Wanderers at Stevenson Park, Malone face Skerries, Clogher Valley visit Malahide and Rainey are at Sligo.

In the fifth tier Belfast Harlequins visit Dolphin, Ballyclare are in Clonmel while Omagh welcome Enniscorthy.