Tyrone survive to fight another day against Down

Tyrone 2-11 Down 3-8

The football championship kicked into fairly scintillating gear in Omagh with Tyrone and Down playing out 2-11 to 3-8 draw in the teeming Healy Park rain.

It was one of those draw where both sides went home feeling they’d left it behind them, Down because of a fluffed free that would have put them three points clear going into injury time and Tyrone because they’d led by seven in the 55th minute.

Throw in a couple of penalties and a couple more black cards - one given, one not - and you’re left with a game that will certainly do for starters. If the Ulster championship is the length and breadth of what the football summer has to offer this side of July, then nobody will complain if more of this is served up.

In truth, it was the second half that really sang. The opening period was flat enough, Tyrone inching their way to a 1-5 to 0-3 half-time lead. Peter Harte banged home their 25th minute penalty after Mark Donnelly was dragged down in the act of scoring a goal.

Much to Mickey Harte’s chagrin later on, David Coldrick neither played advantage to allow Donnelly’s goal to count nor gave Down wing-forward Conor Maginn a black card for what was about as deliberate a drag-down as you’re likely to see.

The black card decision would have repercussions. First Tyrone goalkeeper Niall Morgan saw a black card three minutes into the second half for tripping Down sub Jerome Johnston when he was straight in on goal. It was a definite black card offence but no more definite than Maginn’s had been. Aidan Carr duly tucked the penalty away to make it 1-5 to 1-3.

The teams swapped goals through Darren McCurry and Donal O’Hare before the second repercussion was felt, Maginn popping up in the 56th minute to bang home a third Down goal.

James McCartan’s side had all the momentum now. Conor Laverty, who had been dangerous throughout the second half, drew the sides level. Mark Poland and Benny Coulter rode the wave to push them two ahead. Tyrone lost their shape and seemed to lose their will and as Harte admitted afterwards, they probably wouldn’t have found a way back had O’Hare knocked over a regulation free in the 69th minute.

But he missed, to gasps from the crowd and it was all the encouragement Tyrone needed. With four minutes of injury time to play, they didn’t panic. Seán Cavanagh was dragged down by Maginn - who finally got the black card he should have had in the first half - and the Tyrone captain got up to ice the free. And then, with time just about dead, he repeated the dose.

It finished with nothing between them and they go to Newry now for the replay next Saturday night.

Tyrone: N Morgan (0-1, free), A McCrory, D McBride, B Tierney, T McCann, Mattie Donnelly, P Harte (1-0, pen), C Cavanagh, C Clarke, Mark Donnelly, S Cavanagh (0-5, 0-3 frees), C McGinley, D McCurry (1-2, 0-2 frees), N McKenna, K Coney (0-3). Subs: R McKenna for McCann, 26 mins; M O'Neill for Morgan (black card), 38 mins; S O'Neill for N McKenna, 53 mins; J McMahon for McBride, 62 mins; C Gormley for Tierney, 62 mins; M Penrose for McGinley, 67 mins

Down: B McVeigh, D McCartan, B McArdle, R Boyle, D Rooney, A Carr (1-0, pen), C Garvey (0-1), P Turley, A Rogers (0-1), C Maginn (1-0), M Poland (0-1), K McKernan, D O'Hare (1-2, 0-2 frees), N Madine (0-1), C Laverty (0-1). Subs: R Johnson for Boyle, half-time; B Coulter (0-1) for Turley, half-time; J Johnson for Rogers, half-time; L Doyle for J Johnson, 51 mins; D Turley for Garvey, 58 mins; P Devlin for Maginn (black card), 70 mins

Referee: D Coldrick (Meath).