Armagh veteran Charlie Vernon says the absence of ace attackers Jamie Clarke and Stefan Campbell has left a "big hole" in the Orchard County's front lines.

Speaking to The Irish News, Vernon said that the pair are high quality players to try and replace as Kieran McGeeney's men look to gain promotion from Division 3, which they missed out narrowly on last year after a late defeat to Tipperary.

"We felt like we were getting somewhere and then when you come back this year you have a mountain to climb with Jamie, 'Soupy' (Campbell) and stuff away… They're quality forwards - and quality forwards are like hen's teeth in Armagh. It's been almost a traditional problem with us.

"We've plenty of good defenders and middle third players and it's just trying to get a marquee scoring forward and unfortunately when players of that calibre step away it does leave a big hole in terms of quality.

"But that's the nature of football - you don't have a permanent team and each county will have their own story to tell in that regard with players leaving."

The defender added: "We have a lot of quality lads coming through who have a great attitude - but you need experience, you need to be able to convert your chances and I can nearly foresee that being a bit of an issue for us but it's up to us to find the solutions."

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