Darragh delighted with Tyrone fightback

THERE was no hiding the sheer delight of the Tyrone supporters on Saturday at O’Neills Healy Park as they celebrated an emphatic league win over Mayo which had seemed so unlikely following their below-par performance in the first half.

But then Darragh Canavan and Darren McCurry swung into action with a deadly partnership. They registered all except one of the Red Hand scores on the resumption, with a devastating display of total football.

The Errigal Ciaran player’s classy goal highlighted the sheer joy of this Tyrone performance, and provided the perfect launching pad for them to cruise to the victory and two important points in Division One.

“It’s good obviously, although the first half probably wasn’t good enough,” he said afterwards.

“We’ve a lot of work to do that way. Dazzler (Darren McCurry) coming on was a big help and the second half was far better in intensity and tackling. So we’re delighted.

“We got a bit of a dressing-down at half-time. However, we deserved it because the first half wasn’t good enough. But we just came out with that bit more intensity and it’s a good job that we got the scores and it’s an important win for us.

“Darren (McCurry) is a quality footballer. It’s a pleasure to be playing with him. He showed up when we needed him in the second half and it was some performance.

“Hopefully, we can push on a wee bit from this performance. But as I said the first half wasn’t near good enough. We’ve a lot of work to do, but we’re very happy.”

Mayo manager, Kevin McStay, was less content with some of the second half decisions which had gone against the Connacht side as they had hoped to sustain the levels which had seen them lead 1-4 to 0-4 at half-time.

“It was a tough second half for us and the third quarter was the big one. We were in a very good position and a three point lead at half-time in Omagh was a decent position,” he said.

“In the first five or six minutes of the second half we got a few hard calls. The very first play there was a line ball and then they got the momentum with the goal. It was a hard for us then to pull it back.

“The league would have been over for Tyrone nearly if they had lost to us tonight. We beat them convincingly last year and then the following week they defeated Kerry. Tyrone are a gritty Division One team.

“Players and management all need to get this right and put up a big show against Roscommon. Tonight wasn’t where our supporters wanted to be.”