Electric Ireland All-Ireland Minor Football Final: Cork comeback floors Tyrone

​Electric Ireland All-Ireland minor football championship final

Cork 2-16 Tyrone 1-16

By Paul Keane at Cedral St Conleth's Park, Newbridge

Cork are Electric Ireland minor football champions for the first time in seven years after clinching a landmark title success thanks to a thrilling second-half revival in Newbridge.

Behind by 0-7 to 1-13 with 39 minutes on the clock, it didn't look particularly good for Cork as they trailed a Tyrone side chasing back-to-back titles.

But Keith Ricken's Cork rose superbly to the occasion and outscored the Red Hands by 2-9 to 0-3 from there on to claim a 12th title at the grade for the county.

Cork did have the stiff breeze behind them for the second half but they also turned in the 20 minutes or so of their young lives.

Captain Joe Miskella's 0-3 haul, a single and a two-pointer, ignited the comeback and goals from substitute Alex O'Herlihy and Eoghan Aherne, who finished with 1-5, hauled Cork back from the brink to clinch a landmark win.

Miskella, son of Cork great John Miskella, finished with 0-5 while Jacob Barry and Tom Whooley contributed vital points also as Cork turned the screw impressively.

Goalkeeper Rory Twohig pulled off a series of important saves too and etched his name in the county's history books.

Cork trailed for the majority of the game and only actually regained the lead when Aherne netted after a stunning solo run in the 60th minute.

For manager Ricken, who had a spell in charge of the seniors in 2022, it is an impressive double having already managed Cork to an All-Ireland U-20 title in 2019.

But it will be a bitter pill for Ger Donnelly and his Tyrone crew to swallow having led by seven points at half time and extended that lead to nine in the third quarter.

Tyrone trailed by two points at half time in last year's final win over Kerry before summoning a powerful second-half display to take the title.

This time around, against another Munster powerhouse, they were the ones with the interval advantage and it was a significant one, 1-10 to 0-6.

Miskella nailed an early two-pointer to leave the Munster champions 0-3 to 0-1 to the good.

But from there on, it was all about the collective work rate, intensity and quality of an excellent Tyrone team.

Over the next 13 minutes or so, Tyrone reeled off 0-9 without response, applying a powerful press on Rory Twohig's kick-outs and taking full advantage as the Cork goalkeeper struggled to find red jerseys.

Cork retained just six out of 12 of Twohig's kick-outs in the first half and, during this period of Tyrone dominance, coughed up five in a row.

Matthew F Daly, who came on in last year's final, sourced Tyrone's fifth point from a turnover on Twohig's kick-outs as Cork sought desperately to regain a foothold in the game.

Tyrone got another huge boost when Aodhan Corry netted from the penalty spot in the 26th minute, Gormley fouled by Conor Downing after being expertly played in by Matthew J Daly.

Cork finished the half with a couple of points from free-takers Aherne and Ben Hegarty but could have done with a goal. Donal Herlihy and Barry both had shots blocked while Miskella smashed a 17th minute effort off the bar.

Ruairí O'Neill struck the bar for Tyrone too with a ninth minute lobbed effort so they were good value for their seven-point lead at the break.

Tyrone got the gap out to nine, 1-13 to 0-7, before suffering their own kick-out malfunction.

From three Ronan O'Neill kick-outs that were won by Cork, the young Rebels turned those possessions into 1-3, sub O'Herlihy netting in the 42nd minute after recycling Hegarty's two-point attempt that dropped short.

In all, Cork scored an unanswered 1-5 to cut the deficit to the bare minimum as Tyrone clung on to a 1-13 to 1-12 lead approaching the three-quarter mark.

It was all Cork now and they were further inspired by Twohig saves from Tyrone shots by McGuckin and Corry.

Tyrone briefly took the lead after a McGuckin point in the 58th minute, 1-16 to 1-15, but that Aherne goal clinched it for Cork, prompting a pitch invasion afterwards as Newbridge was engulfed in a sea of red.

Cork scorers: Eoghan Aherne 1-5 (0-3f), Joe Miskella 0-5 (2 tp), Alex O'Herlihy 1-1, Tom Whooley 0-2, Conrad Murphy 0-1, Ben Hegarty 0-1 (0-1f), Jacob Barry 0-1.

Tyrone scorers: Vincent Gormley 0-6 (1 tp), Aodhan Corry 1-0 (1-0 pen), Conan Canavan 0-3 (1 tpf, 0-1f), Brian Óg McGuckin 0-3 (0-1f), Matthew F Daly 0-3, Tomás Gallen 0-1.

Cork: Rory Twohig; Conor Garvey, Aaron O'Sullivan, Riain McCormack; Conor Downing, Éanna Lynch, Conrad Murphy; Kieran O'Shea, Eoghan Aherne; Darragh O'Sullivan, Joe Miskella, Ben Hegarty; Donal Herlihy, Tom Whooley, Jacob Barry.

Subs: Gabriel Oronsaye for Garvey 22, Alex O'Herlihy for Herlihy h/t, Peadar Kelly for O'Sullivan 36, Kevin O'Donovan for Barry 48, Donnncha O'Mahony for Murphy 64.

Tyrone: Ronan O'Neill; Aidan Farley, James Maguire, Tiernan McCarron; Matthew J Daly, Aodhan Corry, Conor Fyffe; Tomás Gallen, Charlie Meenan; Ruairí O'Neill, Matthew F Daly, Logan O'Connor; Conan Canavan, Brian Óg McGuckin, Vincent Gormley.

Subs: Conall Shevlin for Fyffe 28, Ciarán McKeown for Canavan 54, Finbarr Quinn for O'Neill 56, Caolán McKee for O'Connor 58.

Referee: Séamus Mulhare (Laois).