An eight-point victory over Dublin was a welcome result for an Armagh side blowing hot and cold in the league, something defender Barry McCambridge is keen to rectify come championship.
The roving corner-back claimed a beauty of a goal in the first-half, where the home side laid much of the foundation for the win at the Athletic Grounds last night.
As has been the pattern for league football this year, it really was a game of two-halves, weather and high winds can play a role, but this time couldn't be blamed, as it was an almost balmy March evening in the city with two cathedrals.
It has been a mixed bag for the Orchardmen so far this year, with two wins, two losses and a draw, making that substantial win over Dublin more significant for the All-Ireland champions.
McCambridge admits they have been following an undulating pattern so far and he is seeking more consistency, especially since Mayo got over Kerry yesterday.
"After Mayo they got the win against Kerry, it put pressure on us, but we needed a big performance after that.
McCambridge shares that the goal of their league campaign is to avoid relegation and use it as a springboard towards the championship, where they hope they squad will be back to full strength once injured players and Rian O'Neill make their much-awaited return to the squad.
"All we're planning to do is get as many points as we can to stay up and push on from there.
"We've had a number of injuries, so we're trying to just give new boys like Tomás McCormack, Darragh McMullen, etc. putting their hands up, standing out. Tomás kicking a vital point there towards the end," added the man of the match.
McCambridge has been enjoying the new found freedom in the backline with the new FRC rules and hopes he can get his share of spoils this season.
"At times it's nearly a race to the halfway line, but when there's a chance, you can go. When there's not, you stay... the way the game is, it's up and down.
"You're constantly running, so you have to get your chance when you take a break," he laughed.
Defence is something McCambridge says was a focus for this round, especially in that second-half.
"At defence, we weren't as happy last week, and towards the Donegal game. We're very open and we really wanted to focus on that this week. It felt like we were just standing off a bit too much."
While it was a better performance than last week against Mayo and their first with Donegal, McCambridge admits there is also work to be done on making use of their attacking chances, which will be vital come their first Ulster outing against Antrim in April.
"When we're getting forward, we're still missing a lot of chances.
"In this game now, there's so many shots, so it doesn't matter how well you defend, at times there's going to be a shot somewhere, so just try your best and try and work as hard as you can."
