Classy Clifford hat-trick leaves Tyrone shell-shocked

Tyrone 2-13  Kerry  3-13

TYRONE’S difficult National League campaign took another blow on Sunday at Pomeroy as they squandered a promising lead against Kerry, leaving them in a battle to avoid relegation.

All seemed to be going good for the Red Hands as they led comfortably  entering the closing stages. But up stepped Kerry’s star attacker, David Clifford, to complete a hat-trick of goals to see the Kingdom come back from the brink to win.

It’s another disappointing result for Tyrone. Now the pressure is really on them ahead of a tough few matches against Galway, Donegal and Dublin in the final three rounds.

But it will be a case of hope rather than expectation as they prepare to launch a big survival fight. There was no doubting the demands on Tyrone as they sought to restore some lost confidence as a result of the improvements required from their narrow defeat the previous week.

Home advantage provided them with an ideal opportunity to make amends. But the initial signs in this clash against the Kingdom weren’t good. It was the visitors to Plunkett Park who made most of the early running: David Clifford opened their account, as Brian O Beagloich, Dylan Geaney and Paudie Clifford all added scores.

Only good defensive work from Frank Burns, Peter Teague and Michael McKernan prevented Kerry from going even further ahead. Conn Kilpatrick and Brian Kennedy gained increasing amounts of possession at midfield, as the Red Hands gradually gained a foothold.

While the opening stages were worrying from the viewpoint of the home team, they really upped the tempo subsequently. What followed for the remainder of that first half was a display that ranks among the best against their Munster opponents.

It took Michael McKernan’s inspirational efforts to turn the tide. He forged forward twice in quick succession before firing over two brilliant two points. Those points brought Tyrone from being a worrying four in arrears to levelling at 0-4 ahead.

What mattered even more, though, was the nature of their play at this stage. The tenacity, determination and tactical awareness was clearly evident, and the likes of Mattie Donnelly, Frank Burns, Mark Bradley and Michael McKernan attacking the ball, yielded the desired dividends as the half progressed.

The introduction of Darragh Canavan was a further signal of intent and he made an almost-immediate impact on the tie. Two pointed frees from him, and another from play courtesy of Mark Bradley extended the Red Hand lead to 0-11 to 0-5.

Tyrone’s ability to restrict the space to the Kerry attacking, forcing them out to difficult scoring angles also worked well, and the efforts of Peter Teague, Brian Kennedy and Niall Devlin were again to the fore. However, they were knocked back when David Clifford got in behind the defence to slide home a goal for Kerry.

Now there were just three points between the teams, and that goal ensured that there could be no complacency even though they could expect the aid of the breeze on the resumption.

What a roller-coaster of action that second half proved to be. It was right from the the start that control was destined to switch dramatically between the two teams, and Tyrone seemed certain to enjoy the better of the exchanges as their impressive workrate continued to impress.

Darragh Canavan extended their lead early on the resumption. There was even further grounds for optimism moments later when Niall Morgan pulled off a great save from a David Clifford rasper.

The star attacker from the Kingdom struck the crossbar moments later, as the Red Hand defence just about held firm.
Points courtesy of Paudie Clifford saw Kerry reduce the deficit. But those hoping for a strong Tyrone response in this tie were left even happier when a goal really put them on the front foot.

Good work from Mark Bradley saw him run along the endline before placing Darragh Canavan. He made no mistake by hammering the ball to the net.

Darren McCurry made the score 1-13 to 1-6 and the outlook was certainly bright for the Red Hands. With Rory Brennan, Peter Teague and Ciaran Daly doing well, it was very much a case of working to maintain that lead as the final quarter loomed.

But they reckoned without the brilliance of David Clifford, who almost single-handedly kept Kerry in touch and then dragged them right back into contention. A brilliant scoring blitz saw them score 1-2 in a row to leave just two
between the teams.

Still, Tyrone appeared to have the upper hand. That feeling was enhanced when Darragh Canavan raced through before being hauled down by Joe O’Connor.

A penalty resulted and Mark Bradley fired home the rebound after his initial shot was saved by Shane Ryan.
Tyrone led by 2-13 to 2-8 at that stage. Kerry were briefly reduced to 13 players and Tyrone’s blend of controlled aggression was causing their opponents serious problems.

The two points so badly needed appeared to be within reach. Then came the final 12 minutes of action, and a Kingdom revival which saw them haul themselves back from the brink to record a very valuable victory.

It was a scoring blitz mark by a third goal from David Clifford to complete his hat-trick. He hit 1-2 in that final spell, as Graham O’Sullivan and Dylan Geaney also contributed to leave Tyrone’s hopes of a win in tatters.

Scorers

Tyrone: Darragh Canavan 1-3, 1f, 1x2ptr, Michael McKernan 0-4 2 x2ptr, Mark Bradley 1-1, Darren McCurry 0-2 1f, Conn Kilpatrick 0-2 2ptr.
Kerry: David Clifford 3-3 0-2f, Paudie Clifford 0-2 1f, Paul Geaney 0-2, Brian O Beaglaoich 0-1, Joe O’Connor 0-1, Diarmuid O’Connor 0-1, Dylan Casey 0-1, Dylan Geaney 0-1, Graham O’Sullivan 0-1.

Teams
Tyrone: Niall Morgan, Aidan Clarke, Peter Teague, Niall Devlin, Michael McKernan, Rory Brennan, Frank Burns, Brian Kennedy, Conn Kilpatrick, Michael O’Neill, Mattie Donnelly, Ciaran Daly, Darren Mc- Curry, Mark Bradley, Eoin McElholm. Subs: Darragh Canavan for M O’Neill 28, Ruairi Canavan for D McCurry 47, Seanie O’Donnell for F Burns 56, Peter Harte for M Donnelly 58, Kieran McGeary for E McElholm 66.

Kerry: Shane Ryan, Damien Bourke, Jason Foley, Dylan Casey, Graham O’Sullivan, Mike Breenan, Brian O Beaglaoich, Diarmuid O’Connor, Joe O’Connor, Diarmuid Lynn, Paudie Clifford, Rory Murphy, David Clifford, Paul Geaney, Dylan Geaney. Subs: Conor Geaney for D Geaney 46, BD O’Sullivan forMurphy 58, Michael Burns for P Geaney 64, Paul Murphy for O Beaglaoich 68.

Referee: Paddy Neilan, Roscommon