Donnelly Point Captures Two Points

Sunday 11.02.2018

County

Kildare 0-18 Tyrone 1-16

It took a brilliant piece of individual skill from Tyrone captain Mattie Donnelly to secure Tyrone’s first two points of the Allianz League season in Newbridge on Sunday afternoon.

Donnelly stepped up to fire over what proved to be the winner seconds from the end of what was a cracking contest. The game was level five times across some 80 minutes of football. The points were vital to Tyrone’s cause following losses to Galway and Dublin in recent weeks.

Kildare raced into an early 0-5 to 0-1 lead after 15 minutes but points from Sludden and Brennan dragged Tyrone back into the contest. Kildare kept the heat on and but for a neat finish to the net from Lee Brennan in the 28th minute the Kilare might might have gone into the break with a comfortable lead. It was Tyrone however that finished the stronger and Niall Morgan’s late free in the half secured a narrow one point advantage at the short whistle.

Points from Niall Kelly and Cian O’Donoghue edged Kildare in front in the third quarter and it was nip and tuck between then and the final whistle.

Next up for Tyrone is a clash with Donegal in the final of the McKenna Cup on Saturday night before an away game to Monaghan on Saturday 24th February.

Tyrone Scorers: Lee Brennan 1-3 (3F) Niall Sludden 0-3, Mattie Donnelly 0-2, Cathal McShane 0-2, Conor McAliskey 0-2 (1F), Niall Moragn 0-1 (1F), Darren McCurry 0-1, Padraig McNulty 0-1, Tiarnan McCann 0-1.

Kildare Scorers: Kevin Feely 0-9 (9F) Fergal Conway 0-2, Mark Donnellan 0-1 (45), Peter Kelly 0-1, Cian O’Donoghue 0-1, Niall Kelly 0-1, Paul Cribbin 0-1, Ben McCormack 0-1, Daniel Flynn 0-1.

Tyrone: Niall Morgan; Hugh Pat McGeary, Padraig Hampsey, Cathal McCarron; Tiarnan McCann, Rory Brennan, Ciaran McLaughin; Mattie Donnelly, Padraig McNulty; Conor Meyler, Niall Sludden, Peter Harte; Lee Brennan, Cathal McShane, Conor McAliskey.

Subs: Michael McKernan for McLaughlin, Darren McCurry for R Brennan, Ronan McNamee for McNulty, Conall McCann for L Brennan, Mark Bradley for McAliskey, Kieran McGeary for T McCann

Kildare: Mark Donnellan; Peter Kelly, David Hyland, Mick O’Grady; Jonathan Byrne, Eoin Doyle, Cian O’Donoghue; Kevin Feely, Tommy Moolick; Fergal Conway, Niall Kelly, Paul Cribbin; Ben McCormack, Daniel Flynn, Paddy Brophy

Subs: Jimmy Hyland for McCormack, Luke Flynn for Moolick, Chris Healy for N Kelly, Keith Cribbin for Conway, Cathal McNally for Brophy

Referee: Paddy Neilan (Roscommon)