Fun in the sun as Red Hands seal final spot

TYRONE’S flair has catapulted them into the Ulster Final thanks to a brilliant 0-23 to 1-14 win over Donegal.

It’s the first time that the Red Hands have been in the Anglo Celt showdown since 2017 and the former U-21 All-Ireland captain was one of a number of players who really upped the tempo to see them through.

The Pomeroy man hit three points, while Darren McCurry, Conor Meyler and Mattie Donnelly also excelled. There will also be delight at the performances produced by the subs, with Tiarnan McCann, Conor McKenna and Cathal McShane all scoring after being introduced.

Now the Red Hands are preparing for an Ulster Final clash against Monaghan which promises to be another intriguing encounter.

For the moment, team managers, Feargal Logan and Brian Dooher, and the players will take immense satisfaction from this result.

Right from the start they set their stall out as the opening stages produced an evenly balanced encounter. They were level at the end of the first quarter, but the real talking points concerned an injury to Neil McGee and the dismissal of Donegal captain, Michael Murphy, for a second yellow card.

Just minutes earlier he had hit the post from a penalty and his dismissal dramatically changed the game.

Tyrone led by 0-9 to 0-8 and were quick to capitalise on their numerical advantage on the resumption. Points from Niall Sludden, Tiarnan McCann, Mattie Donnelly and Peter Harte saw them into a 0-14 to 1-9 lead.

However, their hopes of pressing further ahead weren’t immediately realised. Instead, Donegal kept the pressure on and on several occasions reduced the deficit down to just a point before the Red Hands finally forged home to victory.

Four points in the closing stages saw them complete the win. Cathal MShane, Darren McCurry, Niall Sludden and Tiarnan McCann all hit the target to seal their final spot.