Ladies made to ‘Erne’ their victory in the Ulster Championship

Fermanagh 3-11 Tyrone 4-10

FOUR second-half goals proved crucial as Tyrone edged over the line against Fermanagh in a keenly-contested Ulster Intermediate Championship preliminary round tie at Kinawley on Sunday.

There was little chance of fluent football from either side, with an over-officious referee ensuring a stop-start contest that frustrated both camps. Still, the teams served up good entertainment.

The Erne side led by five at the break and held the upper hand for spells in the second period, but an improved Tyrone fought back, with a late Aoibhinn McHugh goal snatching the lead to spare their blushes.

Fermanagh could so easily have taken something from a game that had been such a stop-start contest. Eimear Smyth’s accuracy kept Fermanagh in control for long periods, but the clinical finishing of Niamh O’Neill proved decisive for Tyrone.

The Red Hands were off the pace in the first half, with Fermanagh carrying the ball well and Smyth on target from right-sided frees to put them two ahead.

Points from Aoife Horisk and Elle McNamee levelled the match briefly, before Niamh McManus crashed home a Fermanagh goal after good work by Cliodhna Martin, Smyth and Lisa Maguire.

Smyth tagged on further points as Fermanagh dominated, while Tyrone struggled to break the home line.

Horisk pulled one back from range, but Fermanagh stayed in charge, and it took a superb save from Tyrone keeper Amelia Coyle to deny Smyth a second goal.

Fermanagh led 1-7 to 0-5 at the break, and they almost struck again within seconds of the restart when Sinead Barrett’s hopeful cross came back off the bar, but no finish followed with both Joanne Doonan and McManus caught flatfooted and unable to turn the ball in.

Within two minutes Tyrone were back in the tie when Sorcha Gormley put O’Neill through and she slotted the ball past Aine Haren.

Gormley’s effort on the run left a point between the sides within 20 seconds, but Martin added a tidy point of her own to steady the home nerves.

McCrossan added another point after a powerful Clare Canavan run, and an O’Neill free levelled the scores again. But Fermanagh responded; Aoife McCabe producing a great save from Coyle before Smyth nudged them back ahead with a free. Moments later, Barrett finished a sweeping move for Fermanagh’s second goal which left them four clear again.

Still the contest swung. Substitute Emer McCanny found the net from a neat Slaine McCarroll pass to narrow the gap.

This was end-to-end stuff and the narrative continued to change when Doonan and influential midfielder Molly McGloin combined for a well worked goal.

Smyth’s long range point then had Fermanagh five clear with ten minutes left. Yet Tyrone, with the introduction Chloe McCaffrey adding fresh impetus, rallied.

Gormley pointed before O’Neill’s second goal after good work by Gormley and McCaffrey. O’Neill was then yellow-carded after a follow-up foul.

Heading into injury-time, McCaffrey worked the ball in from the left to set up captain McHugh for Tyrone’s fourth goal. That put the Red Hands one up, and in a frenetic finale, Horisk added a point to stretch the lead to two.

Fermanagh needed a goal but that would not come.

Scorers

Fermanagh: Eimear Smyth (0-8), Niamh McManus (1-1), Joanne Doonan (1-0), Sinead Barrett (1-0), Molly McGloin (0-1), Cliodhna Martin (0-1)

Tyrone: Niamh O’Neill (2-2), Emer McCanny (1-0), Aoibhinn McHugh (1-0), Aoife Horisk (0-3), Sorcha Gormley (0-2), Cara McCrossan (0-2), Elle McNamee (0-1)

Teams

Fermanagh: Aine Haren, Shannan McQuaide, Ciara Clarke, Eimear Keenan, Aoife McCabe, Sarah McCarville, Cara Bogue, Sinead Barrett, Molly McGloin, Aisling O’Brien, Cliodhna Martin, Lisa Maguire, Joanne Doonan, Eimear Smyth, Niamh McManus. Subs: Niamh Boyle for McCarville.

Tyrone: Amelia Coyle, Jayne Lyons, Grainne McKenna, Eimear Quinn, Clare Canavan, Meabh Corrigan, Slaine McCarroll, Meabh Mallon, Aoibhinn McHugh, Michaela Moore, Sorcha Gormley, Aoife Horisk, Elle McNamee, Cara McCrossan, Niamh O’Neill. Subs: Caitlin Colton for Corrigan, Emer McCanny for Moore, Chloe McCaffrey for McNamee, Aine Strain for Quinn.

Referee: Jude Dixon, Derry.