All-Ireland SFC: Tyrone finish strongly

All-Ireland SFC Quarter-Final

Tyrone 0-23 (0-5-13) Dublin 0-16 (0-0-16)

By Francis Mooney at Croke Park

Tyrone registered a first championship win over Dublin in six attempts to claim a place in the All-Ireland semi-final.

The Red Hands finished strongly at Croke Park to put a gloss on a scrappy, error-strewn game, and were somewhat flattered by their seven points winning margin.

The Dubs missed a couple of second half goal chances, one of them due to a superb intervention by goalkeeper Niall Morgan, and had they taken at least one of those, the ultimate direction this game followed could have been different.

Dessie Farrell will reflect on the absence of injured talisman Con O’Callaghan, who came in for the last 20 minutes with a heavily strapped leg, as a huge factor in his side’s failure to make it past the last eight of the All-Ireland series.

Malachy O’Rourke will have many areas of the game to address prior to his return to GAA headquarters in a fortnight, but he’ll be delighted with the application and the resilience shown, particularly in the frantic closing 15 minutes, when they defended heroically to frustrate the Leinster men.

The form of substitutes Ruairi Canavan and Eoin McElholm to finish the job off when the game became stretched in the closing stages.

Tyrone kicked three two-pointers in the opening 10 minutes to give themselves a platform, but they looked vulnerable as the Dubs broke from deep.

Kieran McGeary was the first to hit the target from distance, followed by Peter Teague and Peter Harte, all raising orange flags to get the Ulster men off to a strong start.

Stephen Cluxton had little difficulty in picking out team-mates from kick-outs, Tyrone opting not to go with an aggressive press, and with Brian Howard and Sean Bugler pressing and Ciaran Kilkenny finding space to create openings, they chipped away at the deficit.

Paddy Small was getting little change out of Padraig Hampsey, but Cormac Costello once again proved an effective target man, narrowing the gap, before Brian O’Leary, highly effective in stretching the opposition defence, brought the sided level at the end of the opening quarter.

Costello broke away from Ciaran Daly to kick his side ahead for the first time on 20 minutes, getting on the end of a fluid move, but Harte was allowed to gallop 50 metres before thumping over another two-pointer as the Red Hands regained the lead.

Unforced errors on the greasy ball cost both sides scoring opportunities, but it was the Red Hands who nailed a couple of points late on in the half, both from Darren McCurry, to take a 0-11 to 0-10 lead into the interval.

Dublin had a golden chance in an error-strewn start to the second half, but Costello pulled his shot wide after being sent through by Killian McGinnis, but they did go level through Paddy Small

The Red Hands finally found some fluency to reel off three points through Canavan, Ciaran Daly and Niall Devlin, but the introduction of Con O’Callaghan in the 49^th minute gave the Dubs fresh belief.

For a time they looked as if they could get a grip on the contest, O’Callaghan angling over a neat score and Kilkenny narrowing the gap to a single point.

Paddy Small kept it close and Luke Breathnach crossed for what looked like a certain goal for Costello, but Morgan was off his line in an instant to cut out the ball directed at the far post.

It was an episode which gave Tyrone energy as they halted further attacks with turnovers from Seanie O’Donnell and Kieran McGeary and a Brian Kennedy tackle.

Eoin McElholm and Ruairi Canavan flashed over points, and with the Dubs forced to chase the game, they were caught light at the back for the Canavan brothers to nail points, followed by Tyrone’s fifth two-pointer from a Morgan free.

Scorers for Tyrone: P Harte 0-4 (2tp), N Morgan (1tpf, 1 ’45), D Canavan 0-3 each, D McCurry (1f), K McGeary (tp), C Daly, R Canavan, P Teague (tp) 0-2 each, N Devlin, E McElholm, B McDonnell 0-1 each.

Scorers for Dublin: C Costello 0-6 (2f), P Small, B O’Leary 0-2 each,N Scully, C Kilkenny, K McGinnis, S Cluxton (’45), C O’Callaghan, L Breathnach 0-1 each.

Tyrone: N Morgan; C Quinn, P Hampsey, N Devlin; P Teague, R Brennan, K McGeary; B Kennedy, C Kilpatrick; S O’Donnell, M Donnelly, C Daly, D McCurry, P Harte, D Canavan.

Subs: B McDonnell for Brennan (43), E McElholm for McCurry (51), A Clarke for Quinn (55), C Meyler for Teague (58), R Canavan for Harte (62), M O’Neill for McGeary (67).

Dublin: S Cluxton; E Murchan, D Byrne, S McMahon; B Howard, J Small, L Gannon; P O Cofaigh Byrne, K McGinnis; S Bugler, C Kilkenny, N Scully; P Small, C Costello, B O’Leary.

Subs: C Murphy for McGinnis (43), C O’Callaghan for O’Leary (49), T Lahiff for O Cofaigh Byrne (58), R McGarry for Bugler (64), T Clancy for Murchin (67).

Referee: D Coldrick (Meath).