Champions hit the right note
Ulster U-21 championship preliminary round
Tyrone 0-19 Donegal 0-9
REIGNING Ulster champions Tyrone made it through to a quarter final meeting with Armagh after overcoming the challenge of Donegal at Healy Park on Saturday evening. It was a game that the Red Hands led from start to finish but it wasn't until the second half that they really put their opponents away.
Cathal McCarron was the star of the show for the winners kicking a personal tally of ten points with Raymond Mulgrew playing a real captain's part in the middle of the field with a commanding performance.
At the back the likes of Damien McCaul, Cathal McCarron and Brendan Boggs gave their opponents precious little room and the fact that the starting Donegal forward line managed just a solitary point from play between them over the course of the sixty odd minutes tells its own story. On the whole this was a good performance from Tyrone and they can look forward with confidence to the rest of their campaign.
Tyrone began in lightning fashion playing quick, attacking football and they had already half a dozen points on the board before Donegal opened their account. McCarron opened the scoring from a free inside the first minute to give Tyrone a lead that they were never to lose, the St.Endas' man tagging on a further four points, one from play, with Martin Murray also converting a placed ball by the 13th minute. Donegal were struggling to get the ball out of their own half before midfielder Michael Murphy got Donegal's challenge up and running and by the 20th minute they had trimmed the deficit to three after Gary McFadden stroked over two frees. A well taken Mulgrew point from play coupled with a further McCarron score from a free ensured Tyrone maintained their advantage although McFadden and Gareth Concar left the visitors only three adrift at the break, 0-9 to 0-6.
Substitute Dara Gallagher reduced the deficit further on the restart but that was as good as it got for Donegal as Tyrone took over. A superb Mulgrew effort with the outside of the boot was followed by points from Colm Cavanagh and Marc Cunningham as Tyrone established a match winning cushion, Donegal not helping their own cause as defender Shane Doyle was sent off in the seventh minute after picking up his second yellow card inside the space of thirty seconds. Murphy and McFadden both converted Donegal frees but they failed to score in the remaining ten minutes as the Red Hands turned on the style. Murray and Mulgrew combined for John Kelly to get his name on the score sheet before McCarron fired over a brilliant point from play from out on the right wing. It was now only a matter of how many the holders would win by and Ronan McRory, McCarron and Mulgrew all tagged on late points to give them an emphatic opening victory.
Next up for Liam Donnelly and Martin Coyle's men is a trip to Crossmaglen to play Armagh on March 24 and no doubt the Orchard County will provide them with a stern test of their title credentials.
The Scorers.......
Tyrone – Cathal McCarron 0-10, Raymond Mulgrew 0-3, Martin Murray 0-2, Colm Cavanagh 0-1, John Kelly 0-1, Ronan McRory 0-1, Marc Cunningham 0-1
Donegal – Gary McFadden 0-5, Michael Murphy 0-2, Gareth Concar 0-1, Dara Gallagher 0-1
The Teams........
Tyrone – Jonathan Curran, Damien McCaul, Cathal McCarron, PJ Quinn, Brendan Boggs, Ciaran McGinley, Martin Murray, Raymond Mulgrew, Colm Cavanagh, John Kelly, Marc Cunningham, Ronan McRory, Conor O'Donnell, Aidan Cassidy, Cathal McCarron. Subs - Dean O'Neill for Quinn, Niall McGinn for O'Donnell, John Gilmore for C McCarron, Niall Kerr for McGinley
Donegal – Michael Boyle, Shane Boyle, Peter Witherow, Mark McGowan, Paddy O'Connor, Anthony Thompson, Eunan Hegarty, Michael Murphy, Ross Wherity, Frank McGlynn, Christopher Murrin, Gary McFadden, Paul McGinley, Stephen Griffin, Gareth Concar. Subs – Martin McElhinney for Murrin, Dara Gallagher for P O'Connor, Charlie Byrne for S Griffin, Adrian O'Hanlon for Concar, Noel Hegarty for McGlynn
Referee – John Joe Cleary Derry
