Tyrone Into Semi Final

Sunday 06.01.2019

 

Tyrone 2-14 UUJ 1-9

Tyrone have booked their place in the semi finals of the McKenna Cup with a game to spare after they saw off the challenge of UUJ at Healy Park on Sunday afternoon.

 

The Red Hands once again fielded an experimental side and at times they struggled to break down the Students before a late Peter Harte goal helped put the issue beyond any doubt. Ryan Gray was a late call up to the starting fifteen and he marked his debut with the opening score in the 5^th minute. His Trillick clubmate Lee Brennan levelled matters for UUJ before centre half back Michael McEvoy put them in front for the one and only time in the contest.

 

Midfielder Conan Grugan sent over a fine equaliser before his Omagh teammate Conor Meyler gave Tyrone the lead. Liam Rafferty then cut in along the end line to fist a fine score before Aidan McCrory became the third Tyrone defender to raise a white flag. The home side though missed chances and two frees from the trusty left peg of Brennan reduced the deficit to the minimum again. Tyrone though finished the half strongly with Kyle Coney converting a free and Rafferty taking the score of the game after cutting in from the left wing to leave it 0-8 to 0-5 at the short whistle.

 

UUJ though weren’t there just to make up the numbers and they made a bright start to the second half to get on level terms thanks to points from Tyrone duo Brennan and Nathan Donnelly after interval substitute Ronan Beatty had opened the scoring. In the next attack though Tyrone grabbed their first goal when substitute Peter Harte provided the pass for Declan McClure to finish past keeper Tiarnan McConville.

 

Tyrone then stepped on the gas as David Mulgrew, McClure, Harte and Coney all tagged on points to leave them 1-12 to 0-8 in front by the 55^th minute. Jack Doherty had a UUJ point before Trillick’s Daire Gallagher got a goal to leave just a single score between the sides with six minutes of normal time left to play. Tyrone though sensed the danger with Brian Kennedy landing a fabulous point from distance and after Harte had got his second of the afternoon the same player completed the scoring when he took a pass from Cathal McShane to finish low to the bottom right hand corner of the net.

 

Tyrone: B Gallen, C McLaughlin, HP McGeary, A McCrory (0-1), L Rafferty (0-2), C Meyler (0-1), M Murnaghan, C Grugan (0-1), B Kennedy (0-1), D McClure (1-1, 1F), K Coney (0-2, 2F), R Gray (0-2), D Canavan, R O’Neill, R Sludden. Subs: P Harte (1-2) for Murnaghan, D Mulgrew (0-1) for O’Neill, N Sludden for R Sludden, R Brennan for McGeary, C McShane for Canavan

 

UUJ: T McConville, M Magee, K McKaigue, S Fegan (0-1), D Gallagher (1-0), M McEvoy (0-1), O McConvey, T O’Brien, R Mullen, N Donnelly (0-1), F Burns, M McKernan, L Brennan (0-4, 2F), P Laverty, L Harney. Subs: E Murray for Magee, R Beatty (0-1) for O’Brien, D Cassidy for McKaigue, J Doherty (0-1) for Harney, C O’Hagan for Burns

 

Referee: C Branagan, Down