Brilliant Tyrone U20s leave Louth trailing in their wake

Tyrone 5-16 Louth  0-17

A RED Hand team which sizzled when it mattered most produced a power-packed display laced with five brilliant goals that clinched them a second consecutive All-Ireland Under-20 title against Louth on Wednesday night at the Athletic Grounds

It was an occasion to remember for Tyrone as they cruised to a brilliant success and their eighth title at this level. Team captain, Joey Clarke, lifted the aptly named Clarke Cup to climax yet another golden season for the county’s U-20s.

Noah Grimes spearheaded the challenge when the going was tough. His two first half goals kept them on top, and after a brief revival from their opponents the Tyrone onslaught was continued on the resumption when Eoin McElholm hit the net and Shea McDermott completed the five star demolition of a Louth side which must be cursing its luck.

There were jubilant scenes at the final whistle. For this display was one that provided happy memories stretching back to Tyrone’s big breakthrough at this level. Now this latest generation of talented stars has the gaelic footballing world beckoning them to realise their potential.

This novel All-Ireland final pairing fulfilled all its potential for an intriguing tie. From start to finish, both teams went all-out for victory with a combination of good defending, strong fielding and exciting attacking play.

Two players stood out during an opening period which ended with the Red Hands leading by 2-7 to 0-8. A magnificent total of 2-3 from Noah Grimes proved crucial for the reigning champions, as the midfield dominance of Sean Callaghan and James maguire saw them have a huge impact for Louth.

For all that, though, Tyrone just about merited that interval advantage. Points courtesy of Noah Grimes and Joey Clarke saw them settle fastest, and they looked strong as Fiachra Nelis, Conor Devlin and Callum Daly excelled in defence.

There was an early goal chance when Conall Sheehy raced through before being brilliantly dispossessed. Louth equalised through James Maguire and Sean Callaghan, before Conor McCreesh put them ahead, 0-3 to 0-1. They also came close to getting a goal, with Conan McGarvey being on his toes to stop Tony McDonnell’s shot.

By the end of the first quarter, this decider was developing perfectly. The end-to-end play enthralled the attendance of almost 8,000. It was then that Grimes really began to make his mark in the Red Hand attack.

He grabbed his first goal when a great run through from Matthew Quinn saw the corner forward fire home. That left Tyrone 1-2 to 0-3 ahead, and provided them with a respite as Louth continued to dominate in terms of possession.

The Leinster champions were soon back on track. Darragh Dorian and James Maguire brought them level. Tyrone responded, with Eoin McElholm firing over before Grimes edged them two ahead again. This was classic football, as both teams worked hard to grab the initiative.

Louth’s determination to record a first ever All-Ireland at this level was highlighted when a sudden spurt saw them go ahead. Tadgh McDonnell ran along the endline to fist over and then Sean Callaghan curled over a magnificent two-pointer.

Strong runs from the likes of Joey Clarke, Callum Daly and Conan Devlin gave Tyrone an edge going forward. Their speedy attacking put Louth under pressure and this was highlighted by a scoring blitz which left them in control at the break.

Points from Grimes, Ruairi McCullagh (free) and Conor O’Neill put them two ahead. Then, a great second goal from Grimes enlivened their challenge. A mistake by the Louth goalkeeper was capitalised on by Eoin McElholm who placed his attacking colleague through to fire home soccer-style.

It was a score which maintained Tyrone’s impressive momentum when they had looked in trouble for stages of that opening period. But more big questions awaited on the resumption as they sought to keep the pressure on.

Among the most important was how much the aid of a slight win would aid Louth. As it happened, though, the opening minutes of that second half saw the Red Hands gain in confidence significantly throughout the field.

Two points in quick succession from McElholm and Grimes extended their lead. Conor O’Neill came agonisingly close to scoring a third goal, his shot being saved by the toe of Tiarnan Markey the Louth goalkeeper.

If the first half was good, then those opening minutes of the second half were arguably even better. Louth’s challenge seemed to be faltering before a sudden burst of scores brought them right back into contention. Tony McDonnell, Shane Lennon and then a massive two pointer from Tadgh McDonnell reduced the deficit from seven down to two, after Adam Gillespie converted a free.

Things could have been even better for them, too. Clarke cleared off the line from a Shane Lennon shot and then Darragh Dorian’s rasping shot rebounded off the crossbar. This was exciting stuff, and the following minutes saw Tyrone forge forward with a winning blitz.

Two goals from Eoin McElholm in the space of just five minutes fired them out of sight. He took a pass from Liam OgMossey for the first, and then brilliantly shot from 14 yards to score his second. Add in a point from him and a second courtesy of Caolan Donnelly and the title’s destination was already decided.

Tyrone were also defending more effectively. Time and again, Caolan Donnelly, Fiachra Nelis and Callum Daly tracked back to win possession and start the counter-attacks. It was free-flowing football, and the contrasting fortunes of both teams was clear as the clocked ticked down to the final whistle.

Louth briefly responded in a desperate bid to revive their challenge. Dylan Shevlin, a James Maguire two pointer and a brace of converted frees courtesy of Tony McDonnell boosted their total. But it didn’t mattered as a process of Red Hand players put them totally out of sight.

Ruairi McCullagh, Shea McDermpott and Eoin McElholm all hit the target as the Red Hands cruised to victory.

Tyrone :  Noah Grimes 2-6, Eoin McElholm 2-4, Shea McDermott 1-1, Ruairi McCullagh 0-2 1f, Conor O’Neill 0-1, Caolan Donnelly 0-1, Joey Clarke 0-1.

Louth:  Sean Callaghan 0-4 1 2ptr, James Maguire 0-4 1tp, Tadhg McDonnell 0-3 1tp, Tony McDonnell 0-2, 1f, Shane Lennon 0-1, Conor McCreesh 0-1, Adam Gillespie 0-1 1f, Darragh Dorian 0-1.

The Teams

Tyrone:  Conan McGarvey, Fiachra Nelis, Ben Hughes, Conor Devlin, Callum Daly, Joey Clarke, Caolan Donnelly, Conan Devlin, Conor O’Neill, Conall Sheehy, Eoin McElholm, Matthew Quinn, Noah Grimes, Ruairi McCullagh, Liam Og Mossey. Subs Eoin Donaghy for C Sheehy 53, Darragh Donaghy for L Og Mossey 53, Shea McDermott for C Devlin 58, Sean Broderick for F Nelis 60, Liam Lawn for R McCullagh 60

Louth:  Tiarnan Markey, Michael Reid, Keelin Martin, Padraic Tinnelly, Tadgh McDonnell, CormacMcKeown, Conor McGinty, Sean Callaghan, James Maguire, Shane Lennon, Conor MacCriosta, Pearse Grimes-Murphy, Adam Gillespie, Tony McDonnell, Darragh Dorian. Subs – Ben McKeown for M Reid, 43, James McGrew for C McGinty 49, Dylan Shevlin for D Dorian 49,

Referee:  Noel Mooney, Cavan