Tyrone into Ulster Final

Ulster Senior Football Championship Semi Final:
Tyrone 0-14  Down 0-10

Tyrone staged a brilliant comeback to beat Down by 0-14 to 0-10 in the Ulster GAA Football Senior Championship semi-final at Casement Park.

The Red Hands were 0-8 to 0-4 down after 19 minutes, but they kicked six successive points to lead by two at the break and they produced a superb display after the break to restrict Down to just two points.

The first half was a wonderful exhibition of all that is good in Ulster football. Tyrone – and Down to a certain extent this year – have been criticised for playing overly defensive football in the past, but 18 points in the first 35 minutes was proof that both sides were intent on playing open, attacking football.

James McCartan, the Down boss, certainly gave his players instructions to attack from the off and their support play and running lines in the first 20 minutes were sublime. They dominated the midfield battle in that period and their forwards thrived on the abundance of clean ball.

The Mourne men were 0-7 to 0-3 ahead inside the first 15 minutes after a blistering start to the game in which Martin Clarke (both frees), Mark Poland and Ambrose Rogers all scored two points each.

Tyrone were struggling to deal with the pace of the Down attack and their poor start was made even worse when their full-forward, Stephen O’Neill was forced off with an injury and replaced by Brian McGuigan.

Brian Dooher kicked two excellent points from play in that period for the defending champions who might have been even further behind had their goalkeeper, Pascal McConnell, not denied Benny Coulter with a smart save in the 19th minute. The rebound fell to Dan Hughes and his point left Down 0-8 to 0-4 ahead.

However, that proved to be Down’s last score of the half, as Tyrone took over to kick a remarkable six successive points to lead by two at the break. Joe McMahon, wearing 12 but playing in defence, chipped in with an inspirational point, raiding down the right wing and drilling the ball over the bar with the outside of his right foot.

Martin Penrose levelled the game for the first time in the 30th minute, before Seán Cavanagh and corner back Dermot Carlin left Tyrone leading 0-10 to 0-8 at half-time. Alarmingly for Down, Poland and Martin Clarke both missed close-range frees just before the break and the Mourne men, who had sparkled for 20 minutes, were in trouble at the break.

The second half failed to live up to the fare that went before it. Down’s problems in the second quarter were further exacerbated and they failed to trouble Tyrone, despite playing with a strong breeze. They managed just two points in 35 minutes. Mickey Harte’s team kicked just four, but they were content to play a possession game, suffocating the life out of Down.

Colm Cavanagh and Owen Mulligan stretched the Red Hands’ lead to four points before the game went through an extended lull in which there was no scores for 19 minutes. Down kicked wide after wide and struggled to win any possession in midfield.

Yet, for all their inadequacies, Down nearly levelled the game in the final ten minutes. Martin Clarke landed a wonderful point to reduce the gap to three points and then Dan Hughes should have hit the back of the net when he was played in by Coulter. Hughes’ shot was well saved and Paul McComiskey drilled the rebound badly wide. Penrose settled matters with his fifth point of the evening just before full time.

Tyrone: P McConnell; M Swift, Justin McMahon, D Carlin; P Harte, C Gormley, P Jordan; C Cavanagh, K Hughes; B Dooher, S Cavanagh, Joe McMahon; M Penrose, S O’Neill, O Mulligan.

Tyrone Scorers: M Penrose 0-5 (0-3f), B Dooher 0-2, S Cavanagh 0-3 (0-2f), Joe McMahon 0-1, D Carlin 0-1, C Cavanagh 0-1, O Mulligan 0-1.

Down: B McVeigh; D Rooney, B McArdle, D Rafferty; K McKernan, J Colgan, C Garvey; A Rogers, K King; D Hughes, M Poland, B Coulter; C Maginn, D Gordon, M Clarke,

Down Scorers: M Poland 0-2 (0-1f), M Clarke 0-3 (0-2f) A Rogers 0-2, D Gordon 0-1, D Hughes 0-1, P McComiskey 0-1 (0-1f).