Winning Start For Red Hands

Sunday 12.05.2019

 

Tyrone 1-19 Derry 1-13

Tyrone justified their favourites tag at Healy Park in Omagh on Sunday afternoon but they didn’t get matters their own way against a Derry side who made them fight until the final whistle.

 

It was Tyrone who led 0-10 to 0-7 at the end of the first half despite having played against the wind, the Red Hands having six players on target to their opponents three.

 

The visitors almost got off to a dream start when Enda Lynn played Jason Rocks through on goal in the 2^nd minute but Tyrone keeper Niall Morgan pulled off a superb save. Cathal McShane opened the scoring in the 4^th minute before midfielder Richard Donnelly hit a fine effort with his weaker left foot. In the 10^th minute it was 0-3 to 0-0 thanks to an outstanding effort again from Donnelly with his left boot as well.

 

Derry opened their account after a dozen minutes via a well struck Shane McGuigan free but it was Tyrone who continued to make the running. Frank Burns went past a couple of challenges before his fierce shot was tipped over the bar by keeper Thomas Mallon before McShane fielded a high delivery in from Padraig Hampsey to fist the ball over the bar to leave it 0-6 to 0-1 with eighteen minutes played.

 

Derry though then enjoyed their best spell of the half. Ryan Bell knocked over a free with McGuigan pointing from play after a sharp turn. Defender Padraig Hampsey got forward for a good point for the hosts but Derry replied through a Ryan Bell free and points from play from Ciaran McFaul and McGuigan. That left the minimum between the two sides but Tyrone finished the first half on top with scores from McShane and wing half back Michael Cassidy.

 

It was Cassidy who opened the second half scoring with a brilliant effort from an acute angle but Derry still proved difficult to shake off. Bell and McGuigan (2) both knocked over frees as they reduced the deficit to two points, those scores coming after an outstanding point for Tyrone from Hugh Pat McGeary. A Peter Harte free eased Tyrone three clear again but in the 56^th minute Derry struck for a brilliant goal when the superb McGuigan hammered the ball past Morgan after good approach play from Enda Lynn.

 

A McShane free restored Tyrone’s lead but midfielder Conor McAtamney levelled matters before a point from substitute Christopher Bradley put Derry in front with eight minutes of normal time left to play. In the next attack though Richard Donnelly flicked on a kick out into the path of Frank Burns whose perfect pass picked out Darren McCurry and the substitute had only one thing on his mind as he cut inside his marker before finishing in style low to the bottom right hand corner of the net.

 

It was just the score that Tyrone needed and they never looked back. McShane scored from play as well as from a free while substitute Connor McAliskey also split the posts with a fine effort. Bradley knocked over a free for Derry but Tyrone closed the game out with a point from corner back Michael McKernan as well as a placed ball from Harte.

 

Tyrone – Niall Morgan, Padraig Hampsey (0-1), Ronan McNamee, Michael McKernan (0-1), Michael Cassidy (0-2), Ben McDonnell, Tiernan McCann, Richard Donnelly (0-2), Brian Kennedy, Mattie Donnelly, Niall Sludden, Frank Burns (0-1), Cathal McShane (0-7, 2F), Peter Harte (0-3, 3F), Hugh Pat McGeary (0-1). Subs: Colm Cavanagh for Kennedy, Darren McCurry (1-0) for Sludden, Kyle Coney for Cavanagh, Rory Brennan for McGeary, Connor McAliskey (0-1) for Richard Donnelly, Liam Rafferty for McKernan

 

Derry – Thomas Mallon, Sean Quinn, Brendan Rogers, Karl McKaigue, Paul McNeill, Christopher McKaigue, Niall Keenan, Padraig Cassidy, Conor McAtamney (0-1), Liam McGoldrick, Enda Lynn, Ciaran McFaul (0-1), Shane McGuigan (1-6, 5f), Ryan Bell (0-3, 3F), Jason Rocks. Subs: Emmett Bradley for Quinn, Christopher Bradley (0-2, 1F) for Bell, Conor Doherty for Rocks, Ruairi Mooney for Lynn, Eoghan Concannon for McGoldrick, Patrick Coney for Keenan

 

Referee – Paddy Neilan, Roscommon