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LIVE SFC Final Updates – Dromore are champions again!
Sunday 23.10.2011


Dromore in possession, they’re on the verge of another county title, their third in five seasons… It’s 1-8 to 2-4… Clonoe need the ball but can’t get their hands on it…
POINT FOR DROMORE! Niall Sludden, Dromore’s youngest player, swings over a wonderful point after great play by McCullagh and Conor O’Neill to create the chance. Dromore are back in front, 1-8 to 2-4… Clonoe get a free moments later but it’s cleared by the Dromore defence… Exciting finish here, Clonoe need a score to keep the match alive… We’re a minute into the two minutes of injury time…
Where is the O’Neill Cup going for 2011? We’re still waiting for the answer to that question with five minutes left on the clock. This could go either way and there’s great excitement all around the ground… Wait, Colm Donnelly has a great chance for Clonoe but he puts it inches wide. Martin Hughes is now on for P J Lavery, three minutes to go. Are we going to get a draw here?
CLONOE GOAL!!! The O’Rahillys have chalked up goal number two and what a brilliant finish it was after 20 minutes of this second half! A brilliant ball inside from Ryan R O’Neill is caught and finished magnificently by fellow substitute Daniel McNulty, the youngest player on the field! We’re all set for a grandstand finish and Clonoe have all the momentum after coming from seven points behind… It’s now 1-7 to 2-4 with eight minutes to go…
There’s twelve minutes of normal time remaining and the next few minutes will be vital. Can Clonoe build on that goal and close this three point gap, or can Dromore stay in front until the end and collect their third title in five seasons?
CLONOE GOAL! Patrick Doris puts a quick free across the Dromore goal and Shane Coney is in a great position to slot the ball brilliantly into the corner of the net beyond Peter Ward who picks up a yellow card for his troubles. The O’Rahillys are right back in contention here at Healy Park… It’s now 1-7 to 1-4 for Dromore…
Both sides have made changes – David Hanna replacing Declan Coney in the Clonoe side and Conor O’Neill coming on for Kevin Donnelly. Twelve minutes now played in this half and Dromore are 1-7 to 0-4 in front…
Clonoe get a much needed score through Patrick Doris whose pointed free from the left wing brings the deficit down to six points for the O’Rahillys. They can still win this but there’s a lot of work to be done…
GOAL DROMORE! Ronan McNabb feeds Colm McCullagh for a chance and despite the ball being spilled it’s Eoin McCusker who gets it in a crowded Clonoe goalmouth and drills a brilliant low shot to the net. Dromore are in a great position, 1-7 to 0-3 ahead, early in this second half…
We get our first score of the second half and it’s two of the Dromore defenders who are responsible for it as Niall Sludden cleverly sets up Ryan McMenamin and Ricey delivers a sweet score for the St Dympna’s. It’s 0-7 to 0-3…
The teams are back on the field ready for another thirty minutes of action… Unfortunately the rain is coming down heavily and conditions are deteriorating. We keep referring back to that 2008 final when Clonoe beat Dromore by a point in extra time, but the conditions were poor that day too. Incidentally there will be no extra time today in the event of a draw. We’re still awaiting a first score in this half as Ryan ‘Rambo’ O’Neill comes on for Conor McAliskey as a blood sub…
So we’re at the midway point of the 2011 County Final and it has been a decent game up to now considering the poor weather conditions. After the early change of referee we then had a few frees at either end courtesy of Eoin McCusker, Paddy Montague and Patrick Doris but since then we’ve had some excellent scores from play, via Montague, McCusker, Kevin Donnelly and Sean O’Neill at one end and from Colm Donnelly and Daniel McNulty at the other end. In fact, the last six points have all come in open play…
The half time whistle is blown with six minutes of injury time played on account of the referee being injured in those opening exchanges. Dromore will be happy to lead by three points, 0-6 to 0-3, and it’s a lead they deserve although Clonoe were showing signs of improvement in the closing stages of the first half. Three years ago when these two sides crossed swords in the county final, Dromore were 0-5 to 0-3 ahead. It’s 0-6 to 0-3 at halfway today, so not much difference three years on…
Kevin Donnelly polishes off an excellent Dromore move started by Peter Ward with a wonderful score with the outside of his right boot, leaving it 0-6 to 0-2, but within a minute the young sub McNulty scores a beauty from the left wing reminiscent of two brilliant scores he knocked over for Clonoe in that county minor final defeat. So it’s 0-6 to 0-3 approaching the half time whistle…
Clonoe supporters haven’t had too much to cheer about so far in this game but they might want to remember that they trailed Dromore by 0-5 to 0-2 in the 2008 decider before collecting the silverware after extra time. The O’Rahillys bring on young minor Daniel McNulty, who lost out in the county minor final last week, in place of Ryan T O’Neill…
Dromore’s 0-5 to 0-1 lead is reduced slightly as Clonoe captain Emmett Teague sets up former captain Colm Donnelly, who raised the O’Neill Cup in 2008, for a good point from play, leaving it 0-5 to 0-2 in favour of Dromore with 28 minutes gone…
Things are getting even better for Dromore as Ronan McNabb sends Sean O’Neill off on a superb solo run which ends in typical fashion with a superbly executed point from the Tyrone man. Dromore are strong all over the field at present, not least in defence where they aren’t giving Clonoe much chance to shine…
Paddy Montague just misses the opportunity to slot over another Dromore point but Dromore are immediately back on the attack and Colm McCullagh sets up that man McCusker for a brilliant long range point, leaving it 0-4 to 0-1…
With 20 minutes gone on the clock, Dromore, impressive winners over Omagh at the semi-final stage, have shaded the exchanges so far and Eoin McCusker is just off target with a good effort from the right wing. McCusker is virtually guaranteed the Top Scorer trophy for this year’s Tyrone senior championship, with 1-19 scored before today, but he will also want a winners medal and to be the man who lifts the O’Neill Cup when the proceedings have ended. Colm McCullagh secured that famous treble in 2009 after being the match winner against Ardboe, picking up the Top Scorer trophy and then lifting the cup…
Ronan McNabb sends Paddy Montague away with a neat lay-off on the right wing and the in-form Montague records his second point of the day, and the game’s first from play, as he drills over a great score. It’s 0-3 to 0-1 in Dromore’s favour with over 18 minutes gone…
Patrick Doris becomes the third player to receive a yellow card and moments later Stephen McNulty, the man who notched the winning score when these two sides met in the 2008 final, tries his luck from distance but registers Clonoe’s first wide of the proceedings…
Shane O’Hagan is penalised for a foul on Colm McCullagh on the left wing and Paddy Montague restores Dromore’s advantage with a fine strike. It’s 0-2 to 0-1 to the St Dympna’s and all scores have come from frees so far…
With just over ten minutes played, but barely three minutes of football played, Clonoe get their first chance of the game from a 35 metre free kick and Patrick Doris curls over a superb point to tie things up. Kevin Donnelly got a yellow card for committing that foul, soon to be followed into Eugene McConnell’s notebook by Sean O’Neill. Two yellow cards brandished already!
We’re at six minutes on the clock but the players are still waiting to get the match restarted with that McCusker free. Eugene McConnell arrives on the pitch with nearly eight minutes gone so there will be lots of injury time to be played in this half. The Dromore captain, who is aiming to emulate Fabian O’Neill and Colm McCullagh by becoming the third Dromore man to lift the O’Neill Cup, pops the ball over the bar and Dromore are a point ahead with eight minutes gone…
The 2011 County Final is underway and with a minute gone the first man injured is referee Eamon McHugh! The Aghyaran man is getting treatment after going down and it looks like he is about to be replaced by Eugene McConnell. The play will resume with an Eoin McCusker free for Dromore which should see the opening score of the final but the Dromore captain will have to wait a while longer until Clogher man McConnell takes up his position. It’s very bad luck for Eamon McHugh who had just blown his second free of the game when he sustained his injury after only 45 seconds.
DROMORE: Peter Ward, Fabian O’Neill, Cathal McCarron, Ryan McMenamin, Conor O’Hara, Niall Sludden, Kevin Donnelly, Hugh McNulty, Paddy Montague, Ronan McNabb, Eoin McCusker, Sean O’Neill, Sean McDonnell, Emmett O’Neill, Colm McCullagh
CLONOE: Michael O’Neill, Damian Burke, Aidan Brady, Declan Coney, Emmett Teague, Shane Coney, Gary Coney, Shane O’Hagan, Stephen McNulty, Conor McAliskey, Colm Doris, Colm Donnelly, Patrick Doris, Ryan T O’Neill, P J Lavery
One change in the Clonoe side as Gary Coney comes in for Eamon Hughes and it looks like Conor O’Neill will not start for Dromore, as yet we have not heard who is lining out in place of him.
The expected rain has so far not materialised and the pitch is still in magnificent shape for the most prestigious day in Tyrone club football as we await the start of the Power NI Senior football final.
Dromore are out and move immediately to their warm up area following their team photograph. Clonoe have their photo taken and are off to their warm up area.
The two best teams have reached the 2011 Tyrone Senior Football Championship final. Will Dromore avenge the defeat of 2008 or will Clonoe overcome them once again? We’ll keep you right up to date with every little incident as we bring you the Power NI Tyrone Senior Football Championship final from Omagh. Join us LIVE from 3.15pm for all the build up to the big one.