Tyrone get off to a flyer

McKenna Cup/Tyrone 2-12 Down 0-11: All-Ireland champions Tyrone got the new season off to a winning start with an impressive seven-point victory over Down at Healy Park, Omagh, yesterday.

A crowd of 8,000 watched a new-look Tyrone side start slowly, before gradually reaching the pace of an entertaining game and stamping their class on the contest.

First-half goals from Brian Meenan and newcomer Aidan McCarron stunned a Down side that had troubled the McKenna Cup holders in the early stages and Paddy O'Rourke's side never recovered.

Manager Mickey Harte appears to have added depth to a richly-talented squad, with Colm Donnelly and Raymond Mulgrew showing delightful touches up front and Adrian Ball and the recalled Cormac McGinley solid at the back.

Seán Cavanagh, by his standards having a quiet game in the half-forward line, set up both first-half goals, the first drilled home by Meenan in the 20th minute, the second fisted to the net by McCarron on the half hour.

Ambrose Rodgers regained some measure of control of the central area in the closing moments of the half, setting up stoppage-time scores for Benny Coulter and Michael Walsh, but it was Tyrone who led by 2-4 to 0-7 at the interval.

And they drove home the advantage on the restart, with Donnelly and Martin Penrose firing over two points apiece to add to a sublime Mulligan effort.

TYRONE: J Devine; R McMenamin, C McGinley, E Bradley; A Ball (0-1), C Gourley, D Harte; B Meenan (1-0), C Holmes; R Mulgrew (0-1), C Donnelly (0-2), S Cavanagh (0-1, free); A McCarron (1-1), M Penrose (0-2, 1 free), O Mulligan (0-4, 1 free). Subs: D Carlin for Harte, T McGuigan for Penrose, S Sweeney for Bradley, S O'Neill for Meenan.

DOWN: M McVeigh; D Rafferty, P Murphy, A Brannigan; M Cole, B Kearney, M Doran; A Rodgers, A Scullion; R Sexton (0-2), M Walsh (0-2), D Hughes (0-4, 2 frees); L Doyle (0-1, free), B Coulter (0-1), C Gribben. Subs: S Ward for Kearney, M Poland for Gribben, C Laverty (0-1) for Sexton.

Referee: A McAlynn (Derry)