Tyrone defeat Donegal to boost their survival hopes

Donegal  0-19  Tyrone 0-25

TYRONE swatted aside a fairly understrength Donegal with plenty to spare in Sunday’s penultimate Division One encounter at Letterkenny, a box that simply had to be ticked ahead of this weekend’s league finale against Dublin.

The Red Hands would have been relegated had they lost yesterday, but by no means are they out of the woods yet – nowhere near it unfortunately.

Malachy O’Rourke’s side have five points to their name with one match remaining. Relegation-threatened Armagh have five. Mayo, also in jeopardy, have seven. Both teams have the head-to-head advantage over Tyrone, which could come into play. There’s scoring difference. All this and all that – and, here, Kerry aren’t yet safe either.

To cite Canadian songstress Avril Lavigne, it’s complicated, but we’re reliably informed that Tyrone could feasibly become the first ever team to drop out of Division One despite accruing seven points across an entire league campaign.

Anyway, all they could do yesterday was go out and win the game and that they did in a first National League Football encounter between the two counties at St Eunan’s since all the way back in 1965.

Donegal made 11 changes from their previous match but Tyrone still had a job to do and they so in a professional manner, never really looking like losing once they came to grips with proceedings midway through the first half.

Darragh Canavan opened his account in the third minute, taking the ball on the loop before clipping a trademark score, while it was already evident that goalkeeper Niall Morgan was still happy to play his usual quarter-back role despite last week’s FRC amendments and he expertly steered over Tyrone’s second of the day – a penny for his thoughts!

Donegal’s Michael Murphy tapped over a close-range free and any suggestion that they weren’t especially fussed about the outcome started to look rather tenuous when Jamie Brennan scored a fine point to leave it 0-2 apiece.

Tyrone edged back in front with a Canavan free, though Donegal responded with a sublime score from Michael Murphy, kicking true and high over the bar from 40 yards just when it looked like their attacking move had run its course.

Anything Murphy could so, so could Darragh Canavan, and he scored Tyrone’s fourth of the day while nudged off balance by his marker Peadar Mogan. It was frantic enough stuff and Jamie Brennan ghosted through for a goal chance, blasting just over the crossbar, a moment of real trepidation from a Tyrone perspective.

Donegal lobbed in a few speculative high balls though Tyrone had their measure, and it was Mattie Donnelly who got the next score of the day after a clever pass from Kieran McGeary, who was posing Donegal plenty of problems in their full-back line.

Murphy and Canavan exchanged frees before a superb effort from Peter Teague moved Tyrone into a two-point lead.

Donegal worked a fine score straight off the training pitch when Hugh McFadden latched onto a pass from the influential Murphy, though less than a minute later Tyrone responded with a point from Ciarán Daly, who never stopped running all day.

Another player who was in lively form was Mark Bradley, who punished Donegal after a wayward restart, leaving Tyrone with a 0-9 to 0-6 lead.

Jamie Brennan landed his third point from play of the half, though Tyrone looked the more potent outfit, were bossing the midfield exchanges and Mark Bradley tapped over a free after Mattie Donnelly was hauled to the ground.

Having cracked the code in the middle, Tyrone kept on pouring forward and enjoyed a really productive end to the half, Kieran McGeary and Ciarán Daly finding the target to leave it 0-12 to 0-7 at the half-time interval.

The Red Hands had looked increasingly comfortable as the half wore on and the question of the hour was could they maintain it after the break.

Well, they started the second-half like an express train with a flurry of scores from Peter Harte, Michael McKernan (a two-pointer from a long-range free) and Brian Kennedy, though Donegal enjoyed a purple patch of their own with four points in the space of as many minutes, including Jamie Brennan’s latest effort, to keep Tyrone on their toes.

The game started to settle itself again, though Tyrone stayed in the ascendancy with scores from Mark Bradley (one from play, one from a free). Niall Morgan had an opportunity to open up a bit of breathing space with a long-range free and he picked his spot beautifully for his second two-pointer of the day with 15 minutes remaining.

Mattie Donnelly, who had a fine game, landed his third of the day while sub Seanie O’Donnell also got his name on the scoresheet, leaving it 0-24 to 0-17 and Donegal with a small mountain to climb.

The last ten minutes were pretty uneventful, both teams ringing the changes and Donegal hitting a few potshots wide of the target. Sub Darren McCurry added on another for Tyrone, Ciaran Moore got his second for Donegal, Eoin McHugh got a point but it was immaterial at that late stage.

Scorers

Donegal: Michael Murphy (0-4, 2f), Jamie Brennan (0-4), Caolan McColgan (0-2, 1 two pt), Ciaran Moore (0-2), Hugh McFadden, Kevin McGettigan, Finbarr Roarty, Odhran Doherty, Mark Curran  and Eoin McHugh (0-1 each).

Tyrone: Niall Morgan (0-5 2f, 2 two pts), Darragh Canavan (0-4, 2f), Mark Bradley (0-4, 2f), Mattie Donnelly (0-3), Ciarán Daly (0-2), Peter Teague, Kieran McGeary, Peter Harte, Michael McKernan, Brian Kennedy, Seanie O’Donnell, Darren McCurry (0-1 each).

Teams

Donegal: Gavin Mulreany, Mark Curran, Kevin McGettigan, Peadar Mogan, Odhran McFadden-Ferry, Finbarr Roarty, Caolan McGonagle, Hugh McFadden, Domnhall Mac Giolla Bhride, Jamie Brennan, Jeaic MacCeallabhuí, Odhran Doherty, Charles McGuinness, Michael Murphy, Niall O’Donnell. Subs: Eoin McHugh for MacCeallabhuí, Keelan McCroddy for McGuinness, Luke McGlynn for Doherty, Ciaran Moore for McColgan, Johnny Carlin for Murphy.

Tyrone: Niall Morgan, Aidan Clarke, Peter Teague, Niall Devlin, Michael McKernan, Rory Brennan, Joe Oguz, Brian Kennedy, Conn Kilpatrick, Peter Harte, Kieran McGeary, Ciarán Daly, Mattie Donnelly, Mark Bradley, Darragh Canavan. Subs: Seanie O’Donnell for Oguz, Ruairi Canavan for Harte, Cormac Quinn for McGeary, Darren McCurry for Bradley.