Tyrone 0-17

Roscommon 0-13

Daragh Small reports from Dr Hyde Park

CATHAL MCSHANE LED the way with 0-8 as Tyrone made a promising start to the Super 8s.

Mickey Harte’s men were 18-point winners in this fixture 12 months ago, but Roscommon made them work for until well into the second-half in this one at Dr Hyde Park.

Roscommon battled hard in the first half but they still went in trailing by 0-8 to 0-6 at half-time after a tense opening 35 minutes.

The hits were hard and play was frantic at times, but Tyrone held their nerve and took more of their chances. Roscommon were made to work harder for their scores too.
After early misses from Frank Burns and Niall Morgan (free), Brian Kennedy scored Tyrone’s first point in the seventh minute.

Burns got forward again to double that lead, and it looked as though Roscommon were failing to reach the dizzying heights of their victories over Mayo and Galway. 

But they hung on in there, and Niall Daly sent over their first point, to a huge ovation, in the ninth minute. Cathal McShane quickly cancelled that out from a free, but at least Roscommon were on the scoreboard.

Morgan caught a high ball under pressure from Diarmuid Murtagh, and the Tyrone goalkeeper made fantastic saves to deny Cathal Cregg and Enda Smith later in the half.

Meanwhile, Roscommon captain Smith pointed before Niall Sludden’s first point. The dynamic Tyrone centre forward was all over the field in the first half and he ended it with three points to his name.

Conor Cox scored a brilliant effort to reduce the arrears to 0-4 to 0-3 at the end of the first quarter but Tyrone restricted his impact. Sludden scored a second and after Cox dropped his first free short, McShane doubled his free tally. 

Roscommon were still battling and Murtagh grabbed a deserved point (free) but Sludden scored again. Cathal Cregg and substitute Brian Stack found the range for Roscommon.

But McShane pushed his side two in front approaching break. Try as they might Roscommon couldn’t find a way through at the end of the half, and Cox’s free went short as referee David Coldrick blew the half-time whistle. 

Murtagh scored straight away afterwards, and after McShane and Darren McCurry did likewise, Cox finally scored his first free.

McShane was making his presence felt and he scored his first from play but Murtagh swung over a beautiful free from wide on the right. 

Killoran brought Roscommon within one point again, but they wouldn’t score again until the 64th minute.

Tyrone began to suffocate their opponents while points from a couple of points each from Mattie Donnelly and McShane, as well as Peter Harte’s score put the game beyond Roscommon.
Goalkeeper Darren O’Malley was the next Roscommon player to score, but his free was followed by McShane’s eighth point.  

Murtagh and Andrew Glennon scored consolatory points but Roscommon never looked like staging a late rally.

Scorers for Tyrone: Cathal McShane 0-8 (0-5f), Niall Sludden 0-3, Mattie Donnelly 0-2, Brian Kennedy 0-1, Frank Burns 0-1, Darren McCurry 0-1, Peter Harte 0-1

Scorers for Roscommon: Diarmuid Murtagh 0-4 (0-3f), Conor Cox 0-2 (0-1f), Brian Stack 0-1, Cathal Cregg 0-1, Enda Smith 0-1, Niall Daly 0-1, Shane Killoran 0-1, Darren O’Malley 0-1 (0-1f), Andrew Glennon 0-1.

TYRONE

1 Niall Morgan (Edendork)

2 Hugh Pat McGeary (Pomeroy) 
3 Ronan McNamee (Aghyaran)
4 Rory Brennan (Trillick)

5 Michael Cassidy (Ardboe)
6 Frank Burns (Pomeroy)
7 Michael McKernan (Coalisland)

8 Colm Cavanagh (Moy)
9 Brian Kennedy (Derrylaughan)

10 Matthew Donnelly (Trillick)
11 Niall Sludden (Dromore)
15 Conor Meyler (Omagh)

17 Peter Harte (Errigal Ciaran)
14 Cathal McShane (Owen Roe)
13 Darren McCurry (Edendork)

Substitutes:
24 Ben McDonnell (Errigal Ciaran) for Kennedy (29)
12 Kieran McGeary (Pomeroy) for HP McGeary (31)
18 Richard Donnelly (Trillick) for McDonnell (51)
19 Pádraig Hampsey (Coalisland) for Cassidy (51)
20 Connor McAliskey (Clonoe) for Sludden (61)
23 Aidan McCrory (Errigal Ciaran) for Meyler (72).

ROSCOMMON

1 Darren O’Malley (Michael Glaveys)

2 David Murray (Padraig Pearses)
3 Sean Mullooly (Strokestown)
4 Conor Daly (Padraig Pearses)

7 Ronan Daly (Padraig Pearses)
6 Conor Hussey (Michael Glaveys)
5 Niall Daly (Padraig Pearses)

8 Tadgh O’Rourke (Tulsk)
9 Shane Killoran (Elphin)

10 Hubert Darcy (Padraig Pearses)
11 Cathal Cregg (Western Gaels)
12 Niall Kilroy (Fuerty)

13 Diarmuid Murtagh (St Faithleachs)
14 Conor Cox (Listowel Emmett’s)
15 Enda Smith (Boyle)

Substitutes: 
18 Brian Stack (St Brigid’s) for Darcy (26)
22 Colin Compton (Strokestown) for Hussey (48)
23 Donie Smith (Boyle) for Cregg (51)
19 Fintan Cregg (Elphin) for Killoran (62)
21 Andrew Glennon (Michael Glaveys) for Cox (63).

Referee: David Coldrick (Meath).