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Preview: Ulster SFC Semi-Final replay - Tyrone v Cavan

Cavan have named an unchanged team for the Ulster SFC Semi Final replay.

Cavan have named an unchanged team for the Ulster SFC Semi Final replay.

Sunday July 3

Ulster Senior Football Championship Semi-Final replay

Tyrone v Cavan, Clones, 4pm

Rain was falling from a grim grey sky, but within minutes of the draw Mickey Harte smiled when speaking to the assembled media.  “It had a draw written all over it right through the game.” Harte reflected about Tyrone’s encounter with Cavan.  “Once we got ourselves back into contention you could just fancy that it could go to the wire.  So it did.”

That was most certainly the case as Tyrone surprisingly leaked three goals.  The Tyrone team for the replay was announced on Thursday evening with goalkeeper Niall Morgan earning a recall.

Cavan netted three goals during the contest which was clearly a source of worry for Harte, who acknowledged that the Breffni boys were primed for a battle.

“We were very disappointed that we conceded three goals,” Harte admitted.  “We hadn't conceded a Championship goal in eight or nine games or whatever it was. 

“To have two conceded by half-time was very disappointing.  You have to say Cavan did their homework, they had a good gameplan, and they executed it very well.  We have no complaints, we could have won the game at the end, but we could have lost the game halfway through.”

Having suffered a defeat in the Allianz Football League Division Two Final to Tyrone, Cavan boss Terry Hyland felt his team produced a better performance in the Ulster semi-final.  “Did we improve from the League final?  I would probably say yes.  We stopped a lot of their bigger name guys, who had controlled the game at Croke Park.”

With Killian Clarke stationed at full-forward Cavan adopted a direct approach in the first game which bothered Tyrone.

Hyland, though, is stressing the need to be more clinical in attack.  “We just need to get better at our finishing,” was Hyland’s assessment following the June 19 encounter.

This is a fascinating replay worth monitoring.