Tyrone Minors defeat Monaghan

Sunday 29.05.2011

The final whistle is blown and Tyrone are safely through to the Ulster minor championship semi-finals with a very pleasing 0-15 to 1-5 win over Monaghan in Enniskillen. Apart from the first few minutes of each half when Monaghan enjoyed their best moments of the evening, the All-Ireland champions performed impressively, with big contributions from a range of players throughout the team. This was a very good start to the championship for Mickey Donnelly and his players, following a disappointing league campaign, and there was much to like about the manner in which they disposed of Monaghan’s challenge…

Tyrone will have to see out the match with fourteen players as midfielder Niall Donaghy is shown a second yellow card, but the sending off is unlikely to have any bearing on the outcome as the match enters its closing moments with Tyrone holding a 0-15 to 1-5 lead…

Monaghan’s Mark McGurk, who recorded 1-2 earlier in this half, adds another point to his tally but the score is almost immediately cancelled out as Tyrone surge forward allowing Sean Hackett to increase his own personal tally with another cool finish…

Two more magnificent points from substitutes McGahan and McNulty, the latter hitting an amazing kick from a long range dead ball, leave Tyrone well on their way to the semi-final stage of the Ulster minor championship, the Red Hands leading by 0-14 to 1-4 with only three minutes of normal time remaining…

Tyrone appear to have rediscovered their form of the first half as Matthew Heagney slots over a fine score following great work by the two McAleers and substitute Daniel McNulty. It’s now looking much better again for the Red Hands who lead by 0-12 to 1-4 in this final quarter, with substitute Enda McGahan having notched Tyrone’s eleventh point moments earlier…

Monaghan have been really fired up since the break, trimming five points off the half time deficit, but Tyrone finally respond with a much needed score at the opposite end, Sean Hackett firing over his third point of the evening to give his side a 0-10 to 1-4 advantage. Jonathan Munroe has had to depart the action because of injury…

The whole complexion of the game changes dramatically as the increasingly influential Mark McGurk finds the back of the Tyrone net in great style to leave just two points between the sides, 0-9 to 1-4. That’s 1-2 without reply so far in this second half from Monaghan and Tyrone need to stem the tide quickly because Monaghan are now looking a far more dangerous side and their momentum is growing…

As happened in the early minutes of the first period, Monaghan make it two points in a row, Mark McGurk again converting a free, and the gap is now just five points, 0-9 to 0-4…

Monaghan’s long barren spell finally ends as Mark McGurk pops over a welcome score for them from a free kick, Tyrone not starting the second half particularly well, as was the case in the opening half…

Monaghan produce a good move which spells danger for Tyrone but a fantastic save by Mark McReynolds, an All-Ireland winner from last year, keeps Monaghan at bay on this occasion and the seven point lead remains intact for now…

The second half is underway in front of 2000 spectators and Matthew Jones, who had to go off temporarily with an injury before half time, is back on the field for the second half as Tyrone bid to maintain the excellent form they showed in the first half. The exchanges have been going very well for Tyrone so far but there’s a long way to go here…

It’s half time in the Ulster minor championship at Brewster Park and Tyrone find themselves in a wonderful position after hitting nine unaswered points in a very impressive spell, after they had fallen two points behind in the opening minutes. Monaghan have been held scoreless since the 3rd minute of the game with Sean Molloy and the outstanding Conor McAleer leading the way in an excellent defensive performance. Donaghy and Barker have been doing very well in midfield and the scores have come from a variety of sources, including two from Daniel McNulty who was only on the field very briefly as a blood sub! Darren McCurry, Sean Hacket, Ryan Devlin and Matthew Heagney have all been on target with Jonathan Munroe and Cathair McCullagh contributing handsomely to a fine attacking effort from Tyrone.  Mickey Donnelly, making his managerial debut at this level, will surely be very pleased with what he has witnessed from his young charges in the opening half hour of their 2011 championship campaign…

Great play by the Tyrone defence leads to a ninth Tyrone point in a row, Jonathan Munroe and Cathair McCullagh playing their part as Sean Hackett swings over another great point, giving Tyrone a healthy seven point lead as we enter the closing seconds of this opening half in Enniskillen…

This is great stuff from Tyrone who register their eighth successive score of the proceedings through Sean Hackett, and once again Conor McAleer is involved along with midfielder Barker as Mickey Donnelly’s outfit continue to play very well…

Tyrone’s impressive scoring sequence continues as Darren McCurry hits his third point of the evening following good work by Jonathan Munroe, sending the Red Hands into a 0-7 to 0-2 lead…

A very good build-up by Tyrone, initiated by Niall Donaghy and the eyecatching Conor McAleer in defence, sees Sean Molloy stride forward and provide a great assist for a superb point from Ryan Devlin, one of the few survivors from the 2010 winning team…

Another well taken free from Darren McCurry gives Tyrone a three point cushion, 0-5 to 0-2, with twenty minutes completed, the Red Hands going well at this stage after hitting five points in a row…

Daniel McNulty is making a huge impact in his short time on the field, lobbing over a brilliant long range point to send the Red Hands into a 0-4 to 0-2 lead. That’s four points in a row now for Tyrone as McNulty makes his way back off the field again to allow Niall Donaghy to return to the fray. What an impressive cameo from young McNulty and the crowd show their appreciation as he makes his way off…

Daniel McNulty, on as a blood sub for midfielder Niall Donaghy, sends over another Tyrone free after great work by Jonathan Munroe, son of Raymond, and Mickey Donnelly’s side are in front for the first time this evening, 0-3 to 0-2…

The Red Hands, fielding a very inexperienced team this year with only a few survivors from last year’s all conquering side, are on level terms with nine minutes gone, Cathair McCullagh earning a free kick which is converted by Darren McCurry from Edendork…

Tyrone open their account in this Ulster championship encounter with a fine point from Matthew Heagney and they create a goal chance moments later but the opportunity goes abegging, leaving it 0-2 to 0-1 after six minutes of play, Tyrone now settling into the game…

The action is underway in Brewster Park in the Ulster minor football championship fixture between Tyrone and Monaghan and it’s Monaghan who make the brighter start with an early point from Conor Boyle after two minutes, the Farney side extending their lead moments later with a point from full forward McGeough. Tyrone 0-0 Monaghan 0-2.

Tyrone – M McReynolds, M McAleer, S Molloy, B Burns, M Heagney, C McAleer, M Jones, P Barker, N Donaghy, M Cassidy, J Munroe, R Devlin, D McCurry, C McCullagh, S Hackett.

Monaghan – C Forde, F Malone, C Boyle, R Wylie, P Keenan, P Finnegan, B Greenan, J McGuigan, C Lavelle, K Rudden, M Boyce, C Cromwell, T Kerr, F McGeough, P Greene