Oak Leafers see off Tyrone with some ease

Derry 1-12 Tyrone 0-9

ONE of the most talked about clashes for years ultimately proved frustrating from a Tyrone viewpoint as their litany of second half misses completely undermined their hopes of victory in this National League Division One tie on Sunday.

The contrasts were all too clear for the Red Hands as the optimism generated by a positive opening period clash evaporated on the resumption. The 10-wide total in that second half combined with Derry dominance to ensure that the destination of the points was clear long before the finish.

It means that Tyrone now have one win from two in their Division One campaign. But victories are becoming increasingly essential as the competition approaches its halfway stage with big-name counties including last year’s All-Ireland champions and defeated finalists still to play.

There was some anticipation for this tie. What an occasion this initially turned out to be as the rivalry of Tyrone against Derry was re-ignited in brilliant fashion. An attendance of some 12,000 thronged the near-capacity Celtic Park as the off-field issues proved just as intriguing as those on the field.

Who wouldn’t have given a penny for Mickey Harte’s thoughts as he managed against the Red Hands? But when the action began, this was a clash which enthralled the crowd and proved immensely entertaining.

Most expected Derry to win reasonably comfortably. But, as that first half developed, it became clear that this was going to be a very close game. So it proved, as the tactical match-ups and the added ingredient of an unpredictable strong wind proved tantalising.

Derry grabbed the early initiative and threatened to confirm their favourites tag. Early scores from Shane McGuigan and Niall McLoughlin settled them. Then Ciaran McFaul’s shot was well stopped by Padraig Hampsey. Importantly, though, the home team were racing through the Tyrone defence, and it took discipline and patience from Michael McKernan, Padraig Hampsey and Niall Devlin to prevent them from making an even greater impact.

Gradually, though, Tyrone settled and gained in confidence with each attack against the wind. Ciaran Daly opened the scoring for them and Aodhan Donaghy came close to snatching a goal, only being denied by a great Odhran Lynch save.

Derry continued to dominate, but their early impetus was diminishing. Points from Cormac Murphy, Shane McGuigan and Padraig McGrogan increased their lead to 0-5 to 0-1. Then, Ethan Doherty took a pass from Gareth McKinless and suddenly the gap was five points and worrying for the Red Hands.

Now was the time for the visitors to really stem the tide and they did this emphatically. A Niall Morgan pointed free boosted them and heralded the start of a very competitive third quarter. Tyrone’s ability to cut the space to a lively Derry attack, and the workrate of Brian Kennedy and Aodhan Donaghy at midfield stopped the Oak Leafers from building to the extent that had previously been the case.

Three points in succession put the game right back in the balance. Niall Morgan and Darren McCurry registered frees, as Aodhan Donaghy stylishly fired over. Two points now separated the teams and the tension and excitement was rising.

Swapped points between Darragh Canavan and Shane McGuigan kept things nicely on the boil. But then Derry showed their real quality when Conor Glass combined with Ethan Doherty to leave them three – 0-8 to 0-5 – ahead at half-time.

More of the same was required from Tyrone on the resumption. But, when they needed a good start to build on the momentum, a combination of factors let them down. Four wides and one ball dropped short in the first 10 minutes of that second half proved frustrating. Those misses came at a time when Derry dramatically increased their intensity.

The speed of Padraig McGrogan, Conor Doherty and Ethan Doherty along the flanks put Tyrone under pressure. Tyrone’s lethargy was clear, and their continued inaccuracy only made the situation increasingly difficult.

In contrast, a slick Derry team heaped on the pressure. Time and again they raced through, and found the passes to mesmerise the Red Hands defence before converting the opportunities.

Two points from Cormac Murphy gave Derry the start to the second half that Tyrone had sought. Conor Doherty added another soon after, as his shot flew over the bar thanks to a fingertip save from Niall Morgan. The score was 0-12 to 0-7 entering the final quarter when Ethan Doherty extended the Oak Leaf advantage.

Tyrone were struggling to make their mark. Their wide count continued to mount. The calm approach, ball control and tactical awareness so evident in the first half had disappeared. This was compounded by their shooting, as numerous shots from difficult angles failed to reach their mark.

Amazingly, it was to be the 23rd minute before the Red Hands finally registered their first score of the half. It was a well-taken Seanie O’Donnell effort. That point left only five between them, but already the edge was missing from the proceedings. He added another soon after, but it was too little too late.

What had proved to be such a disastrous second half only got worse when Derry scored their goal. A speculative effort from Conor Glass fooled the Tyrone goalkeeper, Niall Morgan, and went all the way to the net. That left them 1-12 to 0-7 at the end of normal time.

Brian Kennedy and Ciaran Daly increased the Tyrone total subsequently. But there was no doubting the disappointment as they reflected on an emphatic loss.

The Scorers
Tyrone
Seanie O’Donnell 0-2, Niall Morgan 0-1, Brian Kennedy 0-1, Aodhan Donaghy 0-1, Darren McCurry 0-1 (1f), Darragh Canavan 0-1 (1f),

Derry
Conor Glass 1-0, Ethan Doherty 0-3, Cormac Murphy 0-3, Shane McGuigan 0-3 (1f), Conor Doherty 0-1, Padraig McGrogan 0-1, Niall Loughlin 0-1.

The Teams
Tyrone
Niall Morgan, Conall Devlin, Padraig Hampsey, Aidan Clarke, Tarlach Quinn, Michael McKernan, Ben Cullen, Brian Kennedy, Aodhan Donaghy, Niall Devlin, Ciaran Daly, Seanie O’Donnell, Darren McCurry, Darragh Canavan.
Subs – Michael McGleenan for B Cullen (50), Joe Oguz for R Canavan (57), Conor Cush for D McCurry (61), Nathan McCarron for M McKernan (64).

Derry
Odhran Lynch, Conor McCloskey, Christoper McKaige, Diarmuid Baker Conor Doherty, Gareth McKinless, Padraig McGrogan, Conor Glass, Brendan Rogers, Ethan Doherty, Cormac Murphy, Paul Cassidy, Niall Loughlin, Shane McGuigan, Ciaran McFaul.
Subs – Niall Toner for McKinless (36), Ryan Scullion for Lynch (46), Declan Cassidy for N Loughlin (57), Donnacha Gilmore for C Glass (70), Emmett Bradley for P Cassidy (70).

Referee: Noel Mooney, Cavan.