Tyrone 0-23

Donegal 1-14

Declan Bogue reports from Brewster Park

TYRONE NEVER HAD a greater chance to beat Donegal than they were given in Brewster Park.

With Neil McGee coming off after five minutes injured and Michael Murphy black and red-carded before the break, they were just a point up at the second water break after Caolan McGonigle’s goal kept Donegal in contention.

This, despite a missed Donegal penalty.

When Ciaran Thompson was barrelling through, he was taken out with a high challenge by Rory Brennan. Referee Joe McQuillan adjudged it to have been a clear goal-scoring opportunity and awarded the penalty – correctly – but black carded Brennan.

Murphy drilled the penalty low, but it shaved off the outside of the left upright and Tyrone could breathe again.

Three minutes later, there looked to be an even bigger call with Michael Langan upended by Frank Burns while taking a shot, but McQuillan waved play on.

A minute before half-time, disaster struck for Donegal. A ball broke down and when Murphy went to draw on it, he hit nothing but McGeary’s legs, earning him a black card for a trip, and with it a red.

From there, Tyrone had too many men on the field, Darren McCurry in form in racking up seven scores while Conor Meyler did an incredible job in rubbing Ryan McHugh completely out of the picture.

Substitutes Tiernan McCann and Conor McKenna added to the sense that this could be a serious Tyrone team in the making.

Scorers for Donegal: P McBrearty (0-4, 2 frees), C McGonigle (1-0), J Brennan, N O’Donnell (0-2 each), M Langan (0-2, 1 free), M Murphy (0-2 frees), C Thompson, P Mogan (0-1 each)

Scorers for Tyrone: D McCurry (0-7, 3 frees), K McGeary, N Sludden, T McCann (0-3 each), M Donnelly (0-2), P Harte, C Meyler, C McKenna, F Burns (0-1 each), C McShane (0-1 free)

Donegal

1. Shaun Patton (St Eunan’s)

2. Brendan McCole (St Naul’s)

3. Neil McGee (Gaoth Dobhair)

7. Eoghan Ban Gallagher (Killybegs)

5. Ryan McHugh (Kilcar)

6. Odhran McFadden-Ferry (Gaoth Dobhair)

15. Peader Mogan (St Naul’s)

8. Hugh McFadden (Killybegs)

9. Caolan McGonigle (Buncrana)

10. Ciaran Thompson (Glenties)

11. Niall O’Donnell (St Eunan’s)

12. Michael Langan (St Michael’s)

13. Patrick McBrearty (Kilcar)

14. Michael Murphy (Glenswilly)

21. Jamie Brennan (Bundoran)

Subs: S McMenamin for McGee (5 mins), P Brennan for McFadden-Ferry (45 mins), O MacNiallais for H McFadden (46 mins), E McHugh for J Brennan (62 mins), A McClean for Mogan (70 mins)

Red card: Murphy (34 mins)

TYRONE

1. Niall Morgan (Edendork)

2. Michael McKernan (Coalisland)

26. Ronan McNamee (Aghyaran)

4. Padraig Hampsey (Coalisland)

3. Rory Brennan(Trillick)

6. Michael O’Neill (Ardboe)

7. Peter Harte (Errigal Ciaran)

8. Brian Kennedy (Derrylaughan)

9. Conn Kilpatrick (Edendork)

10. Kieran McGeary (Pomeroy)

18. Frank Burns (Pomeroy)

12. Conor Meyler (Omagh)

13. Darren McCurry (Edendork)

14. Matthew Donnelly (Trillick)

5. Niall Sludden (Dromore)

Subs: T McCann for Brennan (HT), C McKenna for Kilpatrick (46 mins), B McDonnell for Kennedy (52 mins), C McShane for M O’Neill (62 mins), N Kelly for McKernan (67 mins)

Referee: Joe McQuillan (Cavan)

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