Down 0-12
Tyrone 3-11
Tyrone are through to an Ulster SFC quarter-final against provincial holders Monaghan after an emphatic victory against Down in the preliminary round replay.
Mickey Harte’s side made Down pay for not killing them off in last week’s drawn game in Omagh and led from early on. Ciaran McGinley top-scored with 2-1, scoring the only goal of the first half as Tyrone led 1-6 to 0-7 at the break.
He scored again 24 seconds into the second half and a Peter Harte penalty in the 52nd minute sealed the victory for Tyrone. Down were awarded a penalty after just 28 seconds of an entertaining game when Peter Harte fouled Conor Maginn in the square.
Aidan Carr’s tame shot down the middle was saved by Niall Morgan on the line.
Conor Laverty scored the first point for Down in the fourth minute and then Ronan O’Neill, a late inclusion in the starting team, chipped over a lovely point with his left foot for Tyrone’s opening score after seven minutes.
The visitors tagged on the next three points, with McCurry (free) and a Morgan ’45′ followed by a point from Peter Harte, who picked up the midfield break and ran the whole way before tapping the ball over from close range.
Donal O’Hare briefly stopped the rot with a free before Tyrone scored the opening goal of the game after 23 minutes. Sean Cavanagh was having a quiet half but he fizzed a superb ball into the chest of Ciaran McGinley.
McGinley fumbled the ball and lost control, but it fell invitingly for him and he put his laces through the ball on the ground beyond Brendan McVeigh to put Tyrone 1-5 to 0-3 ahead.
Morgan added a monster free to put Tyrone six points up, but crucially, Down hit back before half-time with four unanswered points. Some slick inter-play between the Down forwards allowed Laverty, Maginn, O’Hare and Dan Gordon, a surprise inclusion in the starting team, to all score from play to bring Down to within two points, trailing 1-6 to 0-7, at the break.
Tyrone brought on Stephen O’Neill and Conor Gormley for the start of the second-half and 24 seconds in, Tyrone grabbed their second goal. O’Neill passed to McCurry who found Ciaran McGinley in space and he drilled the ball across the goal into the far corner.
Less than a minute later, the Errigal Ciaran man hit a point over his shoulder to put Tyrone 2-7 to 0-7 up. Sean Cavanagh could have killed the game but his shot came off the underside of the cross bar, and the Tyrone captain then missed an easy free.
Benny Coulter came off the bench and gave Down instant hope by a point with his first touch and O’Hare closed the gap to five. Peter Harte’s penalty in the 52nd minute made sure of the victory for Tyrone.
Niall McKenna skinned Dan McCartan and unselfishly passed across to Ronan McNabb who was pushed in the back by Kevin McKernan and Harte converted the kick.
Scorers for Down: D O’Hare 0-6 (4f), C Laverty 0-2, C Maginn 0-1, D Gordon 0-1, B Coulter 0-1, C Garvey 0-1.
Scorers for Tyrone: C McGinley 2-1, P Harte 1-1 (pen), N Morgan 0-3 (2 ’45′s, 1f), D McCurry 0-2 (2f), R O’Neill 0-1, M Donnelly 0-1, N McKenna 0-1, C McAliskey 0-1.
DOWN: B McVeigh; D McCartan, B McArdle, R Boyle; D Rooney, A Carr, C Garvey; D Gordon, K McKernan; C Maginn, M Poland, J Johnston; D O’Hare, N Madine, C Laverty.
Subs: B Coulter for Carr (44), R Johnston for Madine (47), A Rogers for J Johnston (60), D Turley for McCartan (64).
TYRONE: N Morgan; A McCrory, J McMahon, R McNamee; R McNabb, M Donnelly, P Harte; C Cavanagh, C Clarke; E McKenna, S Cavanagh, C McGinley; D McCurry, R O’Neill, K Coney.
Subs: C Gormley for McNamee (HT), S O’Neill for E McKenna (HT), N McKenna for Coney (51), M Penrose for McCurry (64), C McAliskey for R O’Neill (67), D McBride for Donnelly (68).
Referee: Cormac Reilly (Meath).