Hurlers crash to defeat at Celtic Park

Derry 2-20  Tyrone 0-16

A TIE which saw Tyrone struggle to stay in touch during the first half ultimately rested on two decisive red cards which eventually ended any Red Hand hopes of pulling off a remarkable comeback in this National Hurling League Div 2B opener at Celtic Park on Sunday.

They trailed by 13 points at one stage in the opening period before staging a dramatic revival on the resumption. Seven points in a row brought them right back into contention, before the red card dismissals of Joe McToal and Lorcan Devlin combined with two Derry goals proved decisive.

But Tyrone will take hope from the commitment displayed when the odds were stacked against them for long periods. Now they prepare for a home tie against Roscommon next weekend,

The Red Hands entered this tie hopeful of repeating their heroics in the clash between the counties a year ago. But playing against the wind in the first half dealt a big blow to their chances, as Derry dominated on and off the scoreboard.

It wasn’t long before the Oak Leaders established their authority on proceedings. As Tyrone’s Dean Rafferty, Fionn Devlin and Ben Gormley worked hard to stem the tide, the Oak Leafers piled on the scores.

They were on top throughout the field. Richie Mullan and Meehaul McGrath worked hard in defence, while Cahal Murray and Corey O’Reilly won a lot of possession at midfield and in the attack. As a result, the task facing the Red Hands was immediately clear.

Points in quick succession from Cormac O’Doherty got the home team going. Then, Ruairi O Mianian, John Mullin and Corey O’Reilly all got on the scoresheet. It ensured a worrying and difficult first quarter for the visitors, who soon found themselves trailing by 0-9 to no score.

Nevertheless, there was no doubting the effort of the Tyrone lads. Aidan Kelly opened the scoring for them at the end of that first quarter, and they were far more in contention for the remainder of the half as well.

Still, Derry continued to extend their advantage. John Mullin, Cormaci O’Doherty and Corey O’Reilly left them 0-14 to 0-1 approaching the closing stages of the half.

But then Tyrone suddenly found their form. From then until the half-time break, the Red Hands competed well and made some inroads into that big deficit. Their new-found confidence owed much to the efforts of Fionn Devlin and Tiernan Morgan in defence, Ben Gormley at midfield and the determination an workrate of Mickey Little, Aidan Kelly and Cormac Munroe in the forwards.

Scores from Mickey Little and Aidan Kelly increased their total. While there was still a very long way back, the remainder of the half at least gave them hope and boosted their confidence.

Aidan Kelly’s shot was well saved by Eoin Mulholland after sustained Tyrone pressure. He got a point soon after from a free, and then came their best chance for really reducing the lead. A foul on Turlough Mullin resulted in a penalty. Up stepped Dean Rafferty, but his well struck shot was again saved by the Derry goalkeeper.

Swapped points between Mickey Little and Richie Mullin completed the 0-17 to 0-5 lead for Derry at half-time. But the prospect of wind advantage in the second half at least gave Tyrone hope of a much more fruitful time on the resumption.

Close early exchanges provided little indication of what was to follow as Tyrone really found their form in that second half. They used the advantage of that strong wind to really make their mark with a spirited revival.

Some of the statistics provide a background to their efforts during the third quarter of this clash. At one stage in the first half they trailed by 13 points. Then, they came good when it mattered to really cut the deficit.

Evidence of their determination was clear when Rory Weir just hit wide. But then the scores began arriving, and in double quick time as well. A great spell lasting just 10 minutes gave them real hope of completely turning the game around.

Aidan Kelly got things going from a free, then long range points from Lorcan Devlin and Tiernan Morgan made the score 0-17 to 0-8. Aidan Kelly added a second free, before Rory Weir and Mickey Little reduced the deficit to only six points with just seven minutes of that second half gone.

Tyrone came close, too, to grabbing a goal. Lorcan Devlin’s shot was fumbled by the goalkeeper and Turlough Mullin just missed firing the rebound to the net. But there was no stopping Tyrone even with that as Mickey Little made the score 0-17 to 0-12 with plenty of time remaining to complete the revival.

But, just as quickly as the Red Hands had cut the deficit, Derry took control and grabbed the scores to give them breathing space again. Cormac O’Doherty’s point very much against the run of play settled the Oak Leafers and worse was to follow for their opponents.

A great pass from Dara Mooney found Corey O’Reilly who raced through to fire to the net. That left Derry 1-18 to 0-13 and proved to be a decisive blow to Tyrone’s hopes of finishing the comeback job that they had started so effectively.

Ruairi O Mianian increased the Derry lead before Dara Mooney turned scorer after taking a pass from Cahal Murray. Those scores combined with red cards for substitute Joe McToal and Lorcan Devlin knocked the heart out of Tyrone during those closing stages.

Long range scores from Tiernan Morgan completed their total, but there was no way back as Derry emerged winners with 10 to spare at the final whistle.

THE SCORERS
Tyrone
Aidan Kelly 0-5 (4f), Mickey Little 0-4, Tiernan Morgan 0-3, Rory Weir 0-1, Ben Gormley 0-1, Fionn Devlin 0-1, Lorcan Devlin 0-1.

Derry
Cormac O’Doherty 0-7 (6f), Corey O’Reilly 1-3, Ruairi O Mianian 0-4, Dara Mooney 1-1, John Mullin 0-2, Christy McNaughton 0-1, Meehaul McGrath 0-1, Richie Mullin 0-1.

THE TEAMS
Tyrone
Conor McElhatton, Dean Rafferty, Ruairi Devlin, Oran McKee, Bryan McGurk, Fionn Devlin, Tiernan Morgan, Ben Gormley, James McCann, Mickey Little, Aidan Kelly, Lorcan Devlin, Turlough Mullin, Cormac Munroe, Rory Weir.
Subs Joe McToal for Mullin (56), Conal McKee for R Weir (66)
Derry
Eoin Mulholland, Simon Duffin, Sean Cassidy, Paddy Kelly, Thomas Brady, Richie Mullin, Meehaul McGrath, Cormac O’Doherty, Ruairi O Mianain, Corey O’Reilly, Christy McNaughton, Callum O’Kane, Dara Mooney, John Mullan, Paul Cleary.
Subs Cahal Murray for P Cleary, James Friel for T Brady, Mark Craig for C McNaughton , Darragh McGilligan for C O’Kane (64), Padraig Nelis for R O Mianian (68).

Referee – James Clarke, Cavan.