ULSTER SEMI-FINAL Tyrone 0-15 Derry 0-7:GIVEN THE claustrophobic rivalries of the Ulster football championship, there is always the danger of a disappointing match between Derry and Tyrone. Yesterday in Casement Park, however, fell short of expectations in that the All-Ireland champions seldom looked in danger of tumbling to the sort of defeat Derry inflicted on them the last time they were defending their title in the province, three years ago.
Tyrone took their time in putting the match beyond doubt, which they did during an inexorable final quarter. In what was an intensely tactical contest, Mickey Harte’s team started fitfully, squandering a couple of early frees but looking ominously sharp at the same time.
Derry rearranged their starting line-up, dropping Barry McGoldrick to centre back and bringing Barry McGuigan up to centre forward with Paul Murphy going to centrefield.
As has been the custom under manager Damian Cassidy, the attack was configured two-two-two, with Paddy Bradley and Mark Lynch inside and Eoin Bradley just behind them. This gave the latter Bradley more scope but Paddy was choked for a supply of ball and well marked by the athletic Justin McMahon when in possession.
In defence, things went better for Derry as the full-back line of Kevin McGuckin, Seán Lockhart and Gerard O’Kane played well enough until McGuckin was red- carded on the hour after showing his frustration on Seán Cavanagh after a Tyrone score. But between them the menacing trio of Cavanagh, Stephen O’Neill and Owen Mulligan managed just two points, allowing for the usual shuttling around that meant they didn’t stay together on the inside line together for long.
But, typical of Tyrone, if one section of the team isn’t having as productive a day as usual, others pick up the responsibility. Tommy McGuigan kicked enough frees to keep the scoreboard moving and Martin Penrose pounced for a couple of well-taken points and engineered room for himself effectively all afternoon.
The match stayed tight until the end of the first quarter at which stage Tyrone made their first break. A free by McGuigan and Penrose’s two points in quick succession, both coming from quick build-up, intelligent running and snappy finishing, pushed the All-Ireland winners 0-6 to 0-2 ahead.
At this stage Tyrone were simply too accomplished for their struggling opponents. Their drifting, support game is so well practised that they can effortlessly enact complex strategies, such as the switching backwards and forwards by Joe McMahon, who dropped deep to provide an extra man in defence but also got up in support of attacking moves without unbalancing the team.
This constant, meaningful movement – players picking out each other accurately and at pace and moving into space – was in contrast to Derry, who rarely managed to elude their markers when attacking and more than once the attacking runner showed little vision of which colleagues had got free and where.
They eventually put together a couple of promising moves. Eoin Bradley kicked a 45. Séamus Bradley came into attack replacing Murphy, who had looked out of sorts at centrefield, and kicked a point from play. Eoin Bradley scored again after a sweeping and assured movement that started all the way back with the goalkeeper.
Tyrone got some scores as well, O’Neill for once skinning Lockhart and punching a point and Kevin Hughes, who had a massive match at centrefield, hoofing a long-range point. But in the circumstances a three-point deficit at half-time wasn’t the worst outcome for Derry and there was something for them to build on in the second half.
Cassidy and Seán Cavanagh separately said afterwards the first 10 minutes or so of the second half had been critical. Derry needed to get back on terms quickly. Instead they shot two wides in as many minutes and failed to make a spell of pressure pay off.
In all they would manage just two points in the second half and if that statistic is influenced by the amount of hopeful lobbing in of the ball that went on in the dying minutes to try and conjure a goal, it’s not an unfair reflection on the Derry attack.
Tyrone eventually came too. Brian Dooher, who made his anticipated appearance shortly after half-time, swooped for the first point of the second half, which pushed the lead to four, 0-9 to 0-5, a margin that was already beginning to look too daunting.
Barry Gillis was also required to make a point-blank save from Tommy McGuigan to prevent things turning even more difficult but the creaking Derry challenge was about to break altogether.
Tyrone’s defence had now completely subdued their opponents. Conor Gormley continued to tidy up unfussily and all around him the defence, augmented as necessary by auxiliary troops dropping back, were able to stifle anything that threatened.
The grace notes were provided by replacements. Dooher, Seán O’Neill and Brian McGuigan all got on the scoresheet but with the match ever more obviously in the bag, some of the finishing became sloppy.
There were injury concerns in a match that featured some rough play and eight yellow cards as well as McGuckin’s red but Mickey Harte afterwards said that Stephen O’Neill had dislocated a thumb, challenging for a dropping ball, and would be expected to recover.
Joe McMahon could be a more serious loss with a rib injury requiring his removal on a stretcher and further diagnosis anxiously awaited in respect of one of the team’s most consistent performers.
TYRONE:1 J Devine; 2 PJ Quinn, 3 Justin McMahon, 4 R McMenamin; 5 D Harte (0-1), 6 C Gormley, 7 P Jordan; 8 K Hughes (0-2), 9 E McGinley; 10 M Penrose (0-2), 11 T McGuigan (0-5, four frees), 12 Joe McMahon; 13 Stephen O'Neill (0-1), 14 S Cavanagh (0-1), 15 O Mulligan. Subs:20 B Dooher (0-1) for Mulligan (45 mins), 26 B McGuigan (0-1) for O'Neill (48 mins), 29 Seán O'Neill (0-1) for Joe McMahon (50 mins), 24 C McCullagh for T McGuigan (64).
DERRY:1 B Gillis; 4 G O'Kane, 2 K McGuckian, 3 SM Lockhart; 5 C McKaigue, 8 B McGoldrick (0-1, free), 7 SL McGoldrick; 11 P Murphy, 9 J Diver; 10 E Brown, 6 B McGuigan, 12 E Lynn; 13 E Bradley (0-4, two frees), 14 P Bradley (0-1, free), 15 M Lynch. Subs:27 S Bradley (0-1) for Murphy (23 mins), 21 N McCusker for SL McGoldrick (54 mins), 25 C O'Boyle for Lynch (55 mins), G McShane for Lynn (60 mins).
Booked:Tyrone: Harte (25 mins), T McGuigan (39 mins), Stephen O'Neill (44 mins), Cavanagh (46 mins). Derry: Diver (24 mins), O'Kane (46 mins), McGuigan (58 mins), E Bradley (60 mins).
Sent off:Derry: McGuckin (60 mins).
Attendance:24,200
Referee:G Ó Conamha (Galway).
