Coulter's crucial intervention turns the tide for Down

ULSTER SFC QUARTER FINAL REPLAY: Down 1-19 Tyrone 0-21 ( AET, normal time score was 0-16 each):AFTER A television interview, Mickey Harte slipped out the side gate of Páirc Esler after 10pm and the two-time All-Ireland winning manager cut an isolated figure before a family member appeared to provide some consolation. Past glories, no matter how great, count for little against the immediate pangs of defeat.

Injury-cursed Tyrone, dethroned Ulster champions, had just played a valiant role in the footballing exhibition of the summer. They lost to a Down team clearly fed up with the bridesmaid role within the province this century. But the northern landscape is shifting. The old order is finally showing signs of wilting.

Harte spoke of this being a defining moment for Down but does the resilience of Tyrone, allied to the occasional brilliance of some regulars, and particularly the young blood Tommy McGuigan, at least constitute a positive in defeat?

"Well, I hope that is the case. . . Many of the things they said we couldn't do, they said we couldn't score, I think we got 21 scores so that's one myth debunked anyway. They said this team didn't have the hunger. If they had no hunger there tonight they would've been ripped out of that game. They would have lost by 10 points."

McGuigan's second-half contribution cannot be overstated. His elder brother Brian was a late withdrawal because of a rib problem that added to Tyrone's chronic injury list. Tyrone's engine Brian Dooher was off the pace at times.

They needed fresh inspiration and McGuigan's six points dragged them into a nerve-jangling period of extra-time. The game, however, was ultimately decided by a Brendan Coulter goal just before the end of the first period of extra-time. It sparked a roar of delight the likes of which had not been heard around The Marshes for a generation. Down football badly needed this scalp.

"Obviously it gives them a lot of heart," said manager Ross Carr. "It's more a sense of relief than celebration because there is a core group of those players that have been continually beaten by Tyrone in championship matches at all levels over the past seven or eight years. I think if we had not won that a lot of careers would have been at an end."

Seán Cavanagh's younger brother, Colm, provided the early drive in this thrilling contest with four pointed frees before departing injured. Seán, operating at full forward, put the champions a point clear at the break with a fine strike. Colm McCullagh was another to cause damage.

Down eventually found a rhythm, with Liam Doyle and Aidan Carr effectively sharing the free-taking duties before Coulter gradually began to exert some influence from play. Tyrone's luck was ebbing, Joe McMahon hitting the post, after a wonderful Seán Cavanagh overhead pass, while McCullagh missed an easy free.

Harte immediately launched McGuigan from the bench.

In the third minute of injury-time he landed his fourth free from wide on the left.

Referee Pat McEnaney deserves enormous credit for letting a tension-filled game flow. The late dismissal of Damien Rafferty was unavoidable and, anyway, Down could replace him for extra-time.

Even still, they seemed unable to conjure up the required belief to prevail as Tyrone rattled off four successive points through McGuigan, Cavanagh, Philip Jordan and McCullagh.

Then the tide dramatically changed as a rare mistake from Ryan McMenamin allowed Coulter to pounce for the goal. Two minutes earlier he had posted a brilliant point. Liam Doyle quickly added another free.

The remaining 10 minutes were played out at a frenetic pace but this was to be Down's evening.

DOWN: 1 B McVeigh; 2 L Howard, 19 D McCartan, 20 P Murphy (0-1); 5 A Carr (0-4, three frees, 45), 6 L Doyle (0-6, six frees), 7 D Rafferty; 8 D Gordon (0-1, capt), 9 J Lynch; 22 A Rodgers (0-1), 15 B Coulter (1-3), 12 D Hughes (0-1); 13 J Clarke (0-1), 11 R Murtagh, 14 R Sexton. Subs: 27 P McCumiskey for J Lynch (45 mins), 25 K McKernan (0-1)for J Clarke (52 mins), 29 S Kearney for R Murtagh (68 mins), 23 J Colgan for D McCartan (80 mins)

TYRONE: J Devine; 2 R McMenamin, 3 Justin McMahon, 4 PJ Quinn; 5 D Harte, 6 C Gourley, 7 P Jordan (0-1); 8 C Gormley, 26 Joe McMahon; 10 B Dooher (capt), 27 R Mellon (0-1), 12 C Cavanagh (0-4, four frees); 13 M Penrose (0-1), 14 S Cavanagh (0-4, one free), 15 C McCullagh (0-4, one free). Subs: 21 K Hughes for C Cavanagh (31 mins), 18 P Donnelly for K Hughes (46 mins), 25 T McGuigan (0-6, four frees)for R Mellon (58 mins), 23 M McGee for PJ Quinn (80 mins), C Holmes for C Gourley (80 mins).

Referee: P McEnaney(Monaghan).

YELLOW CARDS - Down: B Coulter (19 mins), D Rafferty (24 mins and 70 mins), D Gordon (35 mins), K McKernan (66 mins), Dl McCartan (68 mins). Tyrone: Seán Cavanagh (27 mins), Colm McCullagh (56 mins), Philip Jordan. RED CARD: D Rafferty

Attendance: 18,272.