Tyrone Into Ulster Minor Final

Friday 21.06.2019

 

Tyrone 1-14 Derry 0-10

Tyrone turned the formbook on its head at the Athletic Grounds in Armagh on Friday night to book their place in the Ulster minor final following a deserved seven point success over Derry.

 

The Oaf Leaf County came into the game unbeaten and fancied to make it through to the Provincial decider but on the night they came up against a well drilled Tyrone side who were brilliantly led by man of the match Luke Donnelly, the Eglish clubman finishing with an impressive 1-6 to his name.

 

At one stage in the first half Tyrone led by five points but Derry finished the stronger to only trail by three at the interval, 0-9 to 0-6. Mark Devlin opened the scoring for Tyrone and by the 7^th minute they led 0-3 to 0-0 with Sean O’Donnell, James Donaghy and Mark Devlin again on target, all three scores of the highest order. Callum Downey opened Derry’s account but Devlin cancelled that out with another fine score before a Matthew Downey free closed the gap.

 

Tyrone then enjoyed a good spell as Donnelly scored a brace from play and O’Donnell got his second of the contest. Marc Dixon hit a superb effort with the outside of his boot from out on the right wing for Derry before Donnelly knocked over a free to leave it 0-8 to 0-3. In the closing stages of the half Derry narrowed the deficit with efforts from Jamie Dougan from play and two Matthew Downey frees but Donnelly had the final say of the half from another placed ball.

 

It was Donnelly who opened the second half scoring after collecting a quickly taken free from Devlin before Derry had the ball in the Tyrone net but it was correctly ruled out for a foul on keeper Fintan Coney. Enda Downey closed the gap to three but in the 46^th minute Tyrone grabbed the only goal of the game when Donnelly expertly tucked a penalty into the bottom left hand corner of the net after he had been fouled himself.

 

Matthew Downey scored from a free as well as from play but Tyrone had a vice like grip on proceedings and they weren’t going to let go. Substitutes Conor Daly and Ethan Neill both scored and after Liam Downey had a Derry point it was the winners who had the final say through Shea Daly. Tyrone now play Monaghan in a repeat of last season’s final, the same side who beat them earlier in the Ulster championship.

 

Tyrone: F Coney, C Cuddy, M McCann, S Sweeney, A McGrath, N Devlin, J Donaghy (0-1), S Donaghy, M McGleenan, S O’Donnell (0-2), M Devlin (0-2), R Campbell, D Fullerton, S Daly (0-1), L Donnelly (1-6, 1-0 penalty, 2F). Subs: C Daly (0-1) for McGrath, S Gallagher for S Donaghy, R Canavan for Fullerton, E Neill (0-1) for O’Donnell, R McHugh for Cuddy (black card), SP McKernan for Devlin

 

Derry: C Lagan, O McLarnon, R McFaul, S McGuckin, J Dougan (0-1), A McCluskey, L Brady, T Higgins, O McMenamin, C Downey (0-1), PJ McAleese, J McGurk, M Downey (0-5, 4F), E Downey (0-1), M Dixon (0-1). Subs: A McGonigle for McGuckin, J McDermott for McMenamin, D Gilmore for C Downey, C Diamond for Dougan, L Downey (0-1) for McGurk, J Moore for Dixon

 

Referee: S Laverty, Antrim