February 16, 2011
By Staff Reporter
By Mike Fitzpatrick
Tyrone 2-11, Donegal 0-11
The first Ulster derby game of the new millennium for these two sides thankfully wasn’t like the bad tempered affair which we witnessed in the Catskills last summer. Changes have been made, and influential players from both sides were missing, whether through injury, or returning home to Ireland.
Donegal were the favorites for last year’s championship and are many supporters’ tip for this year’s trophy too but with performances such as this, they’ll not be storming towards the title.
To be fair to the north western side though, their squad was heavily depleted, and at one stage were forced to play with fourteen men as they had no substitutes. Trainer Lawrence McGrath had to pencil himself in for the opening of the second half when half back Gerry Kelly was forced off injured.
Donegal opened the scoring in this senior football Div. I clash, with an accurate free kick floating over the bar, but minutes later this effort was surpassed by two Stephen Lawn efforts for Tyrone.
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Tyrone extended their lead further when Justin Murray banged two efforts in, one either side of the crossbar, to give Tyrone a five point lead.
Donegal’s Kelly was forced off the pitch injured, leaving his side a man short, while Cleary and Donal Breslin attempted to lessen the gap between the sides.
Trailing by three points, the ugliness which destroyed last year’s encounter between these sides briefly reared it’s ugly head, and referee Philip Sheridan was forced to expel Donegal’s Keith Murray, and Tyrone’s Enda Donnelly.
After the interval, Donegal fought back to level the tie, thanks to efforts from Gary Dowd, Connie Molloy and Cleary.
Danny Barr and Philip Sloan upped a gear for Tyrone, and Sloane produced some of the most exciting attacking football recently seen at Gaelic Park. Any time he ventured forward something beneficial for Tyrone seemed to happen.
Although finishing with just one point for himself, Sloan’s contribution to the game was enormous. Donegal stayed in the game until midway through the second half, when they managed to equalize twice, though as the game got older, Tyrone moved ahead.
Four second half points for Stephen Lawn and a late goal from Joe Firth snatched the tie for Tyrone.
On this performance, Tyrone look good to go quite a distance this year. Having lost so many vital players from last year’s campaign, their name wasn’t thrown around much when one spoke of title contenders, though with players of the likes of Barr, Sloane, Gary McConnell and Barry Tally, they’ll be ignored at risk. Donegal: Eunan Doherty, Owen Farrell, Keith Murray, Mark McClafferty, Donal Breslin (0-2), Owen Cummins, Gerry Kelly, Mick Moran, Gary Dowd (0-1), Liam Gallagher, Connie Molloy (0-1), Michael Doherty, Edmund Cleary (0-6), Kieran Keaveney, James Doherty. Subs: Lawrence McGrath, Frankie McArdle
Tyrone: Gareth McCloskey, Barry Tally, Chris Lawn, Barry Hynes, Collie Fearon (0-1), Gary McConnell, Brian Quinn, Danny Barr, Paul McGuirk, Philip Sloan (0-1), Stephen Lawn (0-7), Enda Donnelly (0-1), Justin Murray (1-1), Joe Firth (1-0), Michael Rush. Subs: Darren Flanagan, Damian Devlin
Man of the match: Philip Sloane (Tyrone)