Heartbreak for Down as Tyrone hang on grimly

3 July 2019

DOWN’S dramatic fightback fell agonisingly short at Healy Park in Omagh on Sunday afternoon.

Conor Deegan’s charges looked dead and buried at the break when they trailed by 10 points, 2-6 to 0-2.

However, they somehow dragged themselves off the floor in the second half and in added time were just a single point behind, but Tyrone held firm and grabbed an insurance point with practically the last kick of the game.

Tyrone were the more composed early on, but it still took them a full six minutes to get the first score on the board when Darragh Canavan beat ‘keeper Jack Hazard with a clinical finish.

A Tiarnan Quinn free was cancelled out by Down’s first score from Conor Clarke in the 15th minute. Tyrone rammed home their superiority at this stage with three more points from Quinn and one from Sean Og McAleer to take a 1-5 to 0-1 lead after 23 minutes.

A Seamus Loughran free kept Down ticking over, but this was to be their last score of a disappointing first half.

Tyrone had no such bother with the scoreboard and a Mark McKearney goal and yet another free from Quinn sent the home side into the break with a commanding 2-6 to 0-2 lead.

Down were a completely different proposition after the break and unanswered points from Declan McClements, Clarke, Loughran and Kerr (0-2) cut the deficit to five points with 40 minutes played.

A Quinn free halted the rot for Tyrone, but McClements pointed from play to ensure Down stayed in close touch with their hosts.

Two points from Michael Conroy and Canavan stretched Tyrone’s lead back out to seven points with 15 minutes remaining.

Down then hit another purple patch and points from Clarke, Kerr (0-2) and Ryan McEvoy to a single point from Conroy left just four points in it with time almost up.

A sensational goal from Clarke in added time had Down just a point behind, but the elusive equaliser just wouldn’t come and Ruairi Gormley killed the visitors off with the game’s final point.

Tyrone: Oran Grimes, Aidan Clarke, Conor Quinn, Peadar Mullan, Conall Grimes, Antoin Fox, Conall Devlin, Ruairi Gormley (0-1), Joe Oguz,

Peter Og McCartan, Darragh Canavan (1-1), Mark McKearney (1-0), James Garrity, Sean Og McAleer (0-1, f), Tiarnan Quinn (0-6, 4f).

Subs: L Gray for McCartan, M Conroy (0-1) for McAleer, D McGuigan for Devli, O Mallon (0-1) for Gray), E Jordan for T Quinn, Lorcan McBride for Fox.

Down: Jack Hazard, Peter Fegan, Ruauri McCrickard, Ardan McAvoy, John McGeough, Conor Clarke (1-3), Shane Annett, Ross Carr, Liam Middleton, Finn McIlroy, Declan McClements (0-2), Ruairi McCormack, Conor McCrickard, Liam Kerr (0-4, 2f), Seamus Loughran (0-2, 2f). Subs: C O’Rawe for McCormack, A Devlin for C McCrickard, D Rice for Annett, R McEvoy (0-1) for Loughran, B Gallen for Clarke, R Harrison for Middleton.

Tyrone U-20 2-11

Down U-20 1-12

U-20 ULSTER FC Q/FINAL

Tweets by @TheDownRecorder