Minors flatten Fermanagh to reach Ulster semis

Tyrone 6-21

Fermanagh 2-4

The Tyrone minors cruised into the Ulster Championship semi-finals with a 6-21 to 2-4 victory over Fermanagh on a sunny Saturday afternoon, and it’s fair to say it wasn’t much of a contest.

This was Tyrone’s first knock-out encounter of the campaign and they wasted no time in getting to work. By the 20th minute, they led by 4-8 to 1-1 as they overpowered their opponents with a masterclass in attacking football.

Nathan Farry opened the scoring after 90 seconds with a magnificent effort from 45 metres and it wasn’t long before Tyrone had the ball in the back of the net, Aidan Hegarty finishing decisively after a flowing counter-attacking move the length of the pitch with three minutes on the clock.

The signs were already ominous from a Fermanagh perspective and Tyrone twisted the knife when Sheehan Fay (point) and Darragh Donaghy (goal) left it 2-2 to no score after five minutes.

Ruairi McCullagh, a late inclusion after missing their final group stage match with injury, found his range from a long-range free but Fermanagh hit back with a goal of their own, Michael Burns latching onto a probing ball from Lochlann King and finishing impressively to the net.

It certainly didn’t deter Tyrone who responded almost immediately with two quickfire points to extend their advantage to 2-5 to 1-0.

Tyrone’s efficiency in front of the posts was hugely impressive. When Leo Hughes made it 2-7 to 1-0 from a mark, they were yet to hit a single wide and their work-rate on and off the ball was evident right from the word go.

There was no sense that Fermanagh’s heads had dropped completely, but Tyrone were lethal in attack and captain Conor O’Neill tagged on Tyrone’s third goal of the day with only 18 minutes on the clock.

Tyrone’s hard pressing high up the pitch made it nigh-on possible for their opponents to find a way through, and they compounded their advantage when Galbally’s Darragh Donaghy made it 4-8 to 1-1 in the 20th minute with his second goal.

It wasn’t as if Fermanagh were completely hopeless and when they managed to ping in a few long balls, it gave the Tyrone full-back line something to think about. Mattie McDermott knocked over a free, albeit it would be a push to say it lent credibility to the scoreboard.

Ruairi McCullagh floated over a free to make it 4-10 to 1-2. The very same man popped over his fifth of the day after a mazy run from Dromore’s Brian Gallagher with the final point of the half.

So Tyrone led by an insurmountable 18 points at the interval. They’d been polished and composed in attack and continued to fight for every possession no matter the margin on the scoreboard.

Aidan Hegarty kept the show on the road with Tyrone’s first point of the second-half before one of the points of the day, a Brian Dooher-esque score from the wing from Fermanagh full-forward Mattie McDermott. Immaterial as far as the final outcome was concerned, of course, and McCullagh tagged on his sixth of the day with the next play before Ardboe’s Conor Devlin got his name on the scoresheet.

The scores flowed like confetti and Sean Corry came haring through on goal to knock over another after a super tackle from big Sheehan Fay.

Gerard Donnelly rang the changes, making a triple substitution in the 40th minute and why wouldn’t he – the game was already over. One of those freshly introduced subs, Matthew Howe, tipped over their 17th point of the day, making it 4-17 to 1-4 on the scoreboard.

Fermanagh’s main ambition seemed to be damage limitation as they brought 14 men behind the ball in the second-half (Tyrone knocked in eight on their last day out against Antrim). Against the run of play, the Erne lads got their second goal of the day when captain Oisin Swift applied a nice finish with the outside of his boot, but again, it was immaterial.

Leo Hughes, who put in a great shift, got his second point of the day as the final ten minutes approached. Then Matthew Howe finished to the net despite the scramblings of the Fermanagh defenders as they opened up a 5-18 to 2-4 lead. In the very next attack they got their sixth goal, Darragh Donaghy teed up Sheehan Fay who did the rest with a powerful finish from close-range.

That was pretty much it as the day’s action was concerned, though Darragh Donaghy brought his overall tally to 2-4 while Matthew Howe, who showed well from the bench, knocked over a thumping effort.

SCORERS
Tyrone

Darragh Donaghy (2-4, 0-1m), Ruairi McCullagh (0-6, 0-3f), Matthew Howe (1-2), Sheehan Fay and Aidan Hegarty (1-1 each), Conor O’Neill (1-0), Nathan Farry (0-3, 0-1f). Leo Hughes and Sean Corry (0-2), Conor Devlin (0-1)

Fermanagh

Oisin Swift and Michael Burns (1-0), Mattie McDermott (0-3, 0-2f), Dara Cathcart (0-1)