Tyrone V Down Goes To Replay

Wednesday 16.03.2011

The match is heading to a replay, next Wednesday night in Omagh, as neither side was able to muster a late match winning score as the play swung from end to end. Paddy McNeice was very unlucky not to have won it with a fine effort near the end but overall a draw was probably the fairest result and Tyrone can’t complain about having to do battle with Down again next week. This match should bring on a lot of players although it will take both sets of players a few days to recover from this gruelling encounter. Final score Tyrone 1-12 Down 0-15.

It’s all to play for in this under-21 championship thriller with less than five minutes remaining. The next score could be the decisive one as Tyrone bring Brian McGarvey into the action in place of Stefan McKenna. Can the Red Hands conjure up a late winner here?

It’s three minutes into the second period of extra time and Tyrone are level once more thanks to Ronan O’Neill who wins a free himself and then converts it to bring his personal tally for the evening to 0-6. It’s now 1-12 to 0-15 in Pairc Esler and a big finish is in store…

It’s half time in extra time and Tyrone find themselves trailing once again in a remarkable encounter, Paul McPolin’s point making it 0-15 to 1-11 in favour of the Mournemen just before the whistle. It’s going to take a lot of character for Tyrone to come out of here with a victory because this Down team have been really fired up all night and are going to fight to the bitter end…

Not surprisingly Down are on level terms again through Danny Savage as tired legs are in evidence all over the ptich at this stage, Niall Sludden replacing Tiernan McCann in the Tyrone half back line…

Ben O’Reilly opens the extra time scoring to give Down a slender advantage but Kyle Coney is making a growing impact on the game and hits a great point to equalise before winning a free for Pady McNeice to send his side back into the lead for the first time in a while…

Extra time is underway, after the referee has had words with the Down coach about an incident that occured on the stroke of full time. The second half was a tense affair and Tyrone will do well to come out of Pairc Esler successfully from this assignment…

The match is heading for extra time after a 1-9 to 0-12 scoreline at Pairc Esler. Tyrone were struggling for most of the second half but the introduction of Richard Donnelly proved significant as his performance helped the Red Hands to get going again and the Trillick teenager almost pulled off a late winner but was just off target from a difficult sideline free won by his impressive minor teammate of last year Ronan O’Neill…

Richard Donnelly is making a big difference for Tyrone around midfield and his catch paves the way for Ronan O’Neill to swing over a superb equalising point for the Red Hands who are suddenly looking the more likely side to emerge from this match victorious after playing second fiddle for most of this half…

The margin is back down to the bare minimum with 4 minutes left on the clock as Paddy McNeice misses an easy free but then makes no mistake  when he gets another chance from a much more difficult free…

Tyrone are unable to build on the score from Donnelly as Down go straight back on the attack and double their advantage through Paul Devlin. Down, leading by 0-12 to 1-7 with 8 minutes remaining, are currently showing the much greater appetite and hunger and Tyrone, who have replaced John McCullagh with Richard Donnelly, have a lot of work to do

Tyrone have been going very badly in this second half but, after conceding yet again to Down’s Danny Savage who records his side’s fourth point in a row,  the Red Hands finally get their long awaited first score of the half from a rare attack as Mattie Donnelly floats the ball over to leave his side trailing by 1-7 to 0-11 with twelve minutes to go…

Tyrone are struggling to get going in this second half and are still awaiting their first score of the half with 13 minutes gone as Down make their opponents pay once again for indiscipline with a pointed free from Ben O’Reilly, the home side now leading by 0-10 to 1-6…

Down’s Danny Savage brings the sides level once again from a free with eight minutes gone in the second half as the pendulum continues to swing back and forward, Tyrone making two changes to their team by introducing Kyle Coney and Stefan McKenna for Ruairi Keenan and Mickey Slane…

Down open the second half scoring four minutes after the resumption as centre half forward Paul McPolin drills the ball over to leave just a single point between the sides, 1-6 to 0-8…

The Tyrone management will be well pleased with how things stand at the break following that crucial injury time goal from Mattie Donnelly which was created beautifully by Diarmuid McNulty, whose Gortin teammate Kevin Mossey had to go off late in the half to be replaced by Ronan McNabb.  Niall Morgan, Finbarr McQuaid, Ryan Pickering and Tiernan McCann have all done well in the Tyrone defence so far, while Peter Harte, Diarmuid McNulty, Mattie Donnelly and Ronan O’Neill have impressed up front, the latter pair hitting 1-5 between them…

Tyrone bounce back once more and finish off the first half in great style as Ronan O’Neill delivers his fourth point of the evening to cut the deficit to a minimum and then, after Niall Morgan has made a great save, the Red Hands round off the half perfectly with the game’s opening goal courtesy of Mattie Donnelly, leaving it 1-6 to 0-7 in Tyrone’s favour at the halfway stage…

Down continue their good run with points from Danny Savage and Chris Clarke, making it four points in a row for the home side, and suddenly Tyrone are trailing again by 0-7 to 0-5 as tempers become a little frayed leading to a batch of yellow cards…

Having turned the game around with those four points, Tyrone are pegged back again as Down respond with points from Danny Savage and Conor Harrison to leave the match finely balanced again at 0-5 apiece…

Tyrone are going well early in the second quarter after hitting four points in a row, including three from Ronan O’Neill who has been linking up dangerously so far with John McCullagh and Mattie Donnelly in the Tyrone full forward line…

The brilliant Peter Harte makes his first big imprint on the game when he takes off on an excellent run which earns a free kick for fellow senior panelist, Paddy McNeice, to convert stylishly. Then, two minutes later, Ronan O’Neill is on target again, notching his third point of the night from a free kick earned by Kevin Mossey.

Raymond Munroe’s side are back on level terms with ten minutes played as Ronan O’Neill comes to life in great style with two classy points from play, leaving it 0-3 apiece in Pairc Esler…

Down are suddenly two points in front with seven minutes gone following three scores in quick succession from Ben O’Reilly, Conor Poland and Ryan Brady. The Red Hands now know for sure that this is a tough test ahead for them…

Tyrone lead by a single point after four minutes following a superb individual point from Mattie Donnelly who has been in eyecatching form for UUJ in recent weeks. It was nearly 2-0 to the Red Hands only for Niall Morgan’s 45 to go just wide. Finbarr McQuaid has been lively in defence for Tyrone in the opening stages…

Tyrone, fielding nine players from the 2008 All-Ireland minor final victory and two from last year’s minor final win, are expected to do well in tonight’s Ulster under-21 championship opener but this will be a difficult assignment against Down.

Tyrone lineout v Down: Niall Morgan, Michael Slane, Ronan Mc Namee, Finbar Mc Quaid, Kevin Mossey, Ryan Pickering, Tiernan Mc Cann, Niall Mc Kenna, Ruairi Keenan, Paddy Mc Neice, Peter Harte, Diarmuid Mc Nulty, Ronan O’Neill, John Mc Cullagh, Matthew Donnelly.