Tyrone fall to bruising McKenna Cup final defeat

Tyrone 3-12

Derry 1-5

By Niall Gartland

IT’S only January but Tyrone fell to a chastening enough defeat all the same in Saturday night’s McKenna Cup final against Derry at the Athletic Grounds.

Barring a ten-minute spell at the beginning of the second-half, the Oak Leafers were the more dynamic and energetic team throughout – and there could be no skirting around the issue with the final scoreline of 3-12 to 1-5 making for awkward reading from a Tyrone perspective.

Derry, slick and adventurous in attack, struck for three goals in the final quarter of the contest, a period in which they outscored Tyrone by 3-4 to 0-1. Whether they’re genuine All-Ireland contenders remains to be seen, but Rory Gallagher’s side are a well-oiled outfit and deservedly claimed their first McKenna Cup title since 2011.

As for Tyrone, it was a disappointing conclusion to an otherwise decent pre-season, but it’ll be forgotten about quickly enough if they chalk up a few early wins in their upcoming national league campaign, starting with Roscommon at Dr Hyde Park next Sunday. Time will only tell whether their performance against Derry was a blip or the start of a trend, but a looming Division One campaign should, at least, sharpen minds.

The game began with a prolonged spell of Tyrone possession broken by a yellow card dished out to Shane McGuigan for a rash challenge on Peter Og McCartan. Suffice it to say it gave little indication of what was to lay ahead in the first-half from a Tyrone perspective.

Derry looked happy to sit back for those opening minutes, soaking up the pressure, feeling their way into the game, and when they eventually emerged came out to play, grabbed the game’s opening point when Niall Toner blasted the ball over the bar with the goal at his mercy. A bit more composure and it could’ve been significantly worse from a Tyrone perspective.

The Red Hands levelled matters with an impressive point from corner-forward Liam Nugent, selling a quick dummy before splitting the posts. Tyrone, however, would fail to notch another point for the remainder of the half.

The reigning Ulster Champions racked up a few early wides with Shane McGuigan’s radar misfiring, but it wasn’t long before they gained a foothold in the middle sector with their big men outfielding our big men from Benny Gallen’s restarts (Tyrone played into the teeth of a stiff breeze in the first-half which didn’t help matters).

Brendan Rogers, last year’s All-Star full-back, lined out in the middle and he formed a deadly double act with Paul Cassidy, and one wonders whether we’ll see Rogers back in defence in a hurry, and for a prolonged spell in the first-half, Tyrone really struggled to get out of their own half.

A sensational score from Lachlann Murray under pressure saw Derry regain their advantage, and they added another in the 18th minute when Niall Toner popped over a handy free after the referee spotted an infringement off the ball.

The breeze was undoubtedly a major factor in Derry’s first-half dominance with forwards like Darren McCurry, playing in his first game of the year, and Liam Nugent reduced to mere bystanders at times due to Derry’s midfield supremacy.

Tyrone’s goalkeeper Benny Gallen came to his side’s rescue in the 18th minute, rushing from his line to deny Shane McGuigan after a lightning fast Derry attack. Again, the Aghyaran net-minder prevented a certain Derry goal in the 25th minute when he closed down the angles and saved from Lachlann Murray.

Gallen had saved Tyrone’s bacon but his evening’s work came to an end as he picked up a hand injury in the same play, with Niall Morgan entering the fray as his replacement.

The Oak Leafers, oft-characterised as an overly defensive and negative outfit, looked sharp and purposeful in attack and moved into a 0-7 to 0-1 lead by the half-time whistle with further scores from Toner, Murray and a nice effort from half-forward Oisin McWilliams. Indeed, their six-point advantage was all the more impressive given their Glen contingent had other things on their mind over the weekend (Chrissy McKaigue, too, was unavailable for selection due to suspension).

Right from the opening whistle at the start of the second-half there was more urgency to Tyrone’s play with Niall Devlin getting his name on the scoresheet followed by a crowd-pleasing effort from freshly introduced substitute Cathal McShane McShane. Four points between the teams, we had ourselves a game.

Derry goalkeeper Odhran Lynch had found himself under serious pressure from his restarts, but a few Tyrone wides didn’t help their efforts to further reduce the deficit. With the wind at their backs, the temptation was always to shoot but it didn’t always pay dividends for the Red Hands.

But in the 44th minute Tyrone got the first goal of the game, Darren McCurry caressing the ball into the bottom corner of the net after brilliant play from Michael McKernan, who dispossessed Benny Heron before unselfishly playing in McCurry.

Derry’s six-point advantage at the break was snuffed out entirely as Morgan boomed over a ’45’ to leave the scoreboard reading 1-4 to 0-7 with the momentum in Tyrone’s favour.

But the Oak Leafers settled themselves with a long-range point from Paul Cassidy before winning a penalty which was confidently converted by Shane McGuigan, electing to firmly strike the ball straight down the middle.

Tyrone, now trailing by four, responded with a McCurry free, but disaster struck when Niall O’Donnell palmed to the net after the Tyrone defence was prised open with a flurry of handpasses. The Oak Leafers had regained control of of the contest, leading by 2-8 to 1-5 with 57 minutes on the clock and it was hard to see a way back.

O’Donnell, this time with a point, polished off another incisive Derry move with Michael McKernan subsequently black carded for a foul in the build-up.

Tyrone almost had a goal but McShane’s shot, after a probing long ball by Cormac Munroe, was deflected narrowly wide.

After that, it was all one-way traffic. O’Donnell got his second goal of the game after the Tyrone defence was breached, not for the first time, and they rubbed salt in the wounds with late points from Paudie McGrogan and Shane McGuigan. A tough evening for Tyrone, but hopefully one that can be harnessed in a positive sense going forwards.