Sport

Tyrone barely break sweat

Tyrone 2-11 Westmeath 0-6 Tyrone won this game in a canter as they sent Westmeath crashing to a fourth defeat

Mon Mar 22 2004 - 00:00

Tyrone 2-11 Westmeath 0-6 Tyrone won this game in a canter as they sent Westmeath crashing to a fourth defeat. Páidí O Sé's side now look certain to go straight back down after just one season in the top flight.

Goals on either side of half-time were the scores which proved crucial in the end, and now Tyrone appear destined for the semi-finals as they hunt a third successive league title.

It took some time for them to settle, despite Mark Harte's early point from a free, and it took another 12 minutes for Stephen O'Neill to fire over a superb point, followed by an Owen Mulligan score.

Westmeath, with Dessie Dolan playing as a third midfielder, had their share of possession, but never threatened the Tyrone goal, despite the best efforts of Rory O'Connell and Gary Dolan.

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Mulligan and Harte both tagged on frees, and Gerard Cavlan launched a long-range special to open up a six-point lead as the half moved into injury-time.

Then came the score which gave the champions some breathing space. Cavlan sent over a dropping delivery from the left, Dooher rose to gather on the edge of the square before turning and sending a low shot to the net.

It was 1-6 to no score at the break, and just when Westmeath knew they should have been beginning to turn the tide, disaster struck in the form of a second Tyrone goal. Kevin Hughes slipped the ball to Enda McGinley, and the corner forward slipped the ball past Gary Conaughton for a 2-7 to 0-0 lead.

Now it was a case of damage limitation for O Sé's struggling side, and Dessie Dolan finally opened their account from a free in the 45th minute. Ciaran Gourley, Ryan McMenamin and Philip Jordan were, however, giving little space away at the back, and it was the Red Hands who stretched the advantage through Brian McGuigan and Harte, with his fourth converted free.

Both sides introduced a rash of substitutes, and it was the Westmeath replacements which gave them that much-needed cutting edge, late points coming from Michael Ennis, Joe Fallon and Denis Glennon.

TYRONE: P McConnell, R McMenamin, C Gourley, M McGee, B Donnelly, G Devlin, P Jordan, K Hughes, G Cavlan (0-2), B Dooher (1-0), B McGuigan (0-1), S O'Neill (0-1), M Harte (0-4, all frees), O Mulligan (0-3, 2 frees), E McGinley (1-0). Subs: M Coleman for Hughes; B Collins for Dooher; C Holmes for Jordan, C Lawn for McGee; S Sweeney for McMenamin.

WESTMEATH: G Connaughton, D Heavin, D Gavin, J Keane, B Morley, R Casey, D Healey, R O'Connell, G Dolan, J P Casey, S Colleary, A Mangan, F Wilson, P Martin, D Dolan (0-2, frees. Subs: D Kilmartin for R Casey; D Glennon (0-1) for Martin; M Ennis (0-1) for Wilson; J Fallon (0-2, 1 free) for Mangan.

Referee: M Curley (Galway).