Tyrone 1-17 Derry 1-12: Tyrone avenged their defeat by Derry in last year's All-Ireland qualifiers by outplaying them in a pulsating tie at Casement Park on Saturday.
In a game that was tough and dour, with many personal battles, it was the greater hunger, commitment and forward power of Tyrone that prevailed.
It was an absorbing game that ebbed and flowed right from the start, and the abundance of yellow cards indicated the tight grip which referee Brian White kept on the game.
"It was a great game, very enjoyable," said a delighted Art McRory, Tyrone's joint manager. "We knew it was always going to be tough.
"We responded to the challenge that Derry threw down to us and in the end I was more than happy with the overall display, especially by our forwards."
Certainly the main difference between the sides lay in the respective attacks. Five of the Tyrone forwards figured on the score sheet. Only Paddy Bradley of those who started in the Derry attack managed to score.
The Derry forwards struggled to get into the game, with full forward Enda Muldoon outplayed by Tyrone full back Chris Lawn, the outstanding player on the field.
The turning point came midway through the second half. One of Derry's best moves cut the Tyrone defence wide open. Dermot Heaney put fellow substitute Geoffrey McGonigle through. With only substitute goalkeeper Peter Ward to beat the Dungiven man chipped Ward but the ball went over the bar.
Seven minutes later Ward capped his recall to the side with a superb save from Bradley at a stage when Derry were in control and just two points behind.
Anthony Tohill was back to his brilliant best at midfield. He controlled this sector throughout and was deadly accurate from placed balls. But his efforts alone were not enough to get the Derry attack going against a resolute Tyrone defence that tackled quickly, harassed and harried and gave little away.
Tyrone can thank their attack, especially the double act of captain Peter Canavan and Stephen O'Neill. They tormented the Derry defence throughout and between them accounted for 13 of Tyrone's points.
The Derry defence was uneasy throughout. Paul McFlynn, Niall McCusker and Fergal Crossan played hard. Up front, Enda Muldoon was starved of possession and roamed outfield in an effort to gain possession. Bradley only got into the game in the second half, while the early injury to Gavin Diamond upset the rhythm of the attack.
Tyrone led by 0-4 to 0-2 midway through the first half with two points each from Canavan and O'Neill. Tohill pointed two Derry frees.
The personal scoring battle between Tohill and Canavan continued in the second quarter. However Canavan and O'Neill, assisted by Brian Dooher, with a superb point, and Ger Cavlan edged Tyrone ahead, 0-8 to 0-5, at half-time.
Derry were the dominant force in the third quarter. Tohill had a point within a minute of the restart. But five minutes later they were struck with a Tyrone sucker punch when Kevin Hughes sent a brilliant pass to Colin Holmes, all alone in acres of space. He raced in to beat Michael Conlon in the Derry goal despite a brilliant effort by the goalkeeper, who was beaten by the pace of the shot, which deflected off him into the net.
This score saw Derry raise their game and in the following 10 minutes they took the game to Tyrone. Bradley's goal after 20 minutes set them alight. He followed with a point. Then came that miss by McGonigle.
When Heaney levelled midway through the half a titanic battle was set in motion.
Tyrone kept their heads. They edged ahead again with points from Canavan and O'Neill. When Bradley's effort was brilliantly saved by Ward, Tohill pointed the resultant 45.
Points were exchanged twice as the game entered the final five minutes with Tyrone still two ahead. Dooher, with another brilliant point, edged Tyrone further ahead.
O'Neill pointed two frees while Peter Canavan secured victory and put the seal on a brilliant personal performance with the final point as Tyrone deservedly reached the next round.
HOW THEY LINED OUT
TYRONE: J Devine; C Gormley, C Lawn, B Robinson; R McMenamin, C McGinley, P Jordan; J Quinn, C Holmes; B Dooher, C McAnallen, G Cavlan; B McGuigan, S O'Neill, P Canavan. Subs: P Ward for J Devine; K Hughes for J Quinn; S Kavanagh for G Cavlan; E Mulligan for B McGuigan; Pascal Canavan for K Hughes.
DERRY: M Conlon; G Doherty, N McCusker, P McFlynn; K McNally, F Crossan, G Coleman; A Tohill, F Doherty; C Gilligan, D Dougan, J McBride; P Bradley, E Muldoon, G Diamond. Subs: K Doherty for G Doherty; G McGonigle for G Diamond; D Heaney for D Dougan; J Donaghy for C Gilligan.
