All-Ireland SFC: Tyrone overcome Mayo in Omagh

All-Ireland SFC Round 2A

Tyrone 0-22 Mayo 1-18

By Francis Mooney at O'Neill's Healy Park

Niall Morgan’s late two-pointer sealed the narrowest of victories and a place in the All-Ireland SFC quarter-finals as Tyrone edged Mayo in a gripping Round 2A clash at O’Neills Healy Park.

Morgan’s Edendork clubmate Darren McCurry also had a major say in Red Hand survival, coming off the bench to hit six second half points, keeping his side in touch in the face of waves of attack from the westerners.

The sides were level on 10 occasions, but it was Mayo who held the led for most of the second half, before Malachy O’Rourke’s men found a way to swing an epic contest in their favour.

For Mayo, it’s another outing next weekend as they await the outcome of Monday morning’s Round 3 draw.

In front of a crowd in excess of 12,000, Tyrone pressed strongly early on, landing scores through Conn Kilpatrick and Ciaran Daly, but the westerners, winning possession of Jack Livingstone’s long restarts through Jack Carney and Paddy Durcan, responded with points from Darragh Beirne and wing back Enda Hession.

Ryan O’Donoghue fisted over the lead score, but within a minute, they were level again, Ronan Cassidy sending over the first of his three first half scores to set a tone that would see the sides level on seven occasions.

Ethan Jordan had the home side back in front from a free, as they pressed the opposition kick-out to claim possession, with Brian Kennedy getting his hands on plenty of ball.

Both sides created goal chances as the game opened up and gaps began to appear at the back. First Kobe McDonald sent Jordan Flynn clear, but he fired his shot straight at Niall Morgan for a comfortable save.

Moments later, Eoin McElholm broke away to have a go, but his man-marker Eoin McGreal, denied the Loughmacrory man with a crucial block.

They were level for the fifth time on 20 minutes as Paddy Durcan cancelled out another Cassidy score, but the Connacht men hit three in a row, the best of them a brilliant O’Donoghue effort, to open up a two points lead.

McElholm landed a gem, with Cassidy adding his third, and it was midfielder Kilpatrick who thundered in to connect with a Michael McKernan lob right on the hooter, his fisted effort flying over the bar when it could easily have hit the net.

They were level in 0-8 each at the interval, and but for a Jack Carney two-pointer, Mayo were on the receiving end of a Tyrone barrage for the opening 10 minutes of the second half.

The Red Hands enjoyed one of their most productive spells of the game, with Brian Kennedy and Kilpatrick powering them forward.

Cassidy sent over his fourth point, and Ethan Jordan was denied a goal by Jack Livingstone’s diving save.

Darren McCurry came off the bench to make an immediate impact with three points as Tyrone pushed three clear by the 45^th minute.

Mayo needed an injection of their famous chaos, and with Towey and Tommy Conroy entering the action to run at the Tyrone defence, they had their opponents under intense and sustained pressure.

Kobe McDonald sprinkled magic dust with a delightful sliced two-pointer, and Towey saw a shot saved off the line by Cormac Quinn after he had rounded ‘keeper Morgan.

Towey was involved with the assist as Darragh Beirne smashed home the only goal of the game on 54 minutes, and now they led by two, but the Red Hands still had plenty to say as the tension rose and the pressure intensified.

McCurry lofted over a couple of scores off his weaker right foot, but Jordan Flynn restored Mayo’s two points cushion as he blazed over the bar when a little more composure could have earned him more.

Again, McCurry danced through to split the posts, and traded points with O’Donoghue as the game entered its final five minutes.

Morgan sent a ’45 between the posts, but when Sam Callinan charged through to fist over the lead point in the 68^th minute, Mayo looked like they could hold on.

But Morgan displayed nerves of steel as he nailed a two-point free from close to the sideline with just seconds remaining.

Scorers for Tyrone: D McCurry 0-6 (2fs), R Cassidy 0-4, N Morgan 0-3 (1 ’45, 1tpf), C Daly, C Kilpatrick, P Teague, E Jordan (1 ’45, 1f) 0-2 each, E McElholm 0-1.

Scorers for Mayo: D Beirne 1-2, R O’Donoghue 0-5 (3fs), K McDonald 0-3, (1tp), J Carney, E Hession 0-2 each, S Callinan, P Durcan, T Conroy, J Flynn 0-1 each.

Tyrone: N Morgan; C Quinn, P Teague, J Clarke; M McKernan, N Devlin, K McGeary; B Kennedy, C Kilpatrick; S O’Donnell, R Cassidy, C Daly; E McElholm, M Donnelly, E Jordan.

Subs: D McCurry for Jordan (45), F Burns for McGeary (5), L McGarity for Donnelly (59), C Bogue for Daly (59), D Canavan for Cassidy (63), M Rafferty for Burns (65).

Mayo: J Livingstone; J Coyne, D McHugh, E McGreal; S Callinan, D McBrien, E Hession; J Flynn, J Carney; H O’Loughlin, C Loftus, P Durcan; D Beirne, R O’Donoghue, K McDonald.

Subs: T Conroy for O’Loughlin (45), P Towey for Loftus (47), A O’Shea for Durcan (54)

Referee: B Cawley (Kildare).