Tyrone 0-22
Mayo 1-18
Francis Mooney reports from O’Neill’s Healy Park
GRITTY TYRONE FOUND a way to resist Mayo’s second-half barrage at O’Neill’s Healy Park, and in Edendork pair Niall Morgan and Darren McCurry they had the men with the golden boots to see them through.
McCurry came off the bench to kick six points, three off either foot, and Niall Morgan nailed a brilliant two-point free with little over a minute to play to give them the narrowest of victories and a place in the All-Ireland quarter-finals.
Mayo, feeding off the energy from Darragh Beirne’s 54th minute goal, had threatened to overwhelm the Red Hands as they powered forward in numbers, but the home side, lethal on the breakaway, stayed in touch before their goalkeeper landed the late killer blow.
For Mayo, it’s another outing next weekend as they await the outcome of Monday morning’s Round 3 draw.
A finely balanced first half saw the sides level on seven occasions, both creating goal chances at the end of the opening quarter.
In front of a crowd in excess of 12,000 in the Omagh sunshine, the Red Hands got themselves on the front foot early on as they landed points through Conn Kilpatrick and Ciaran Daly.
But the Connacht men, winning possession off Jack Livingstone’s long restarts through Jack Carney and Paddy Durcan, attacked with purpose, responding through Darragh Beirne and wing back Enda Hession.
Ryan O’Donoghue fisted over the lead score, but within a minute, they were level again, Ronan Cassidy skipping past a couple of defenders to pick off a point.
Ethan Jordan had the home side back in front from a free, as they pressed the opposition kick-out to claim possession around the middle, with Brian Kennedy getting his hands on plenty of ball.
Both sides created goal chances as the game opened up and gaps began to appear at the back. First Kobe McDonald sent Jordan Flynn clear, but he fired his shot straight at Niall Morgan for a comfortable save.
Moments later, Eoin McElholm broke away to have a go, but his man-marker Eoin McGreal, denied the Loughmacrory man with a crucial block.
They were level for the fifth time on 20 minutes as Paddy Durcan cancelled out another Cassidy score, but the Connacht men hit three in a row, the best of them a brilliant O’Donoghue effort, to open up a two points lead.
McElholm landed a gem, with Cassidy adding his third, and it was midfielder Kilpatrick who thundered in to connect with a Michael McKernan lob right on the hooter, his fisted effort flying over the bar when it could easily have hit the net.
They were level in 0-8 each at the interval, and but for a Jack Carney two-pointer, Mayo were on the receiving end of a Tyrone barrage fir the opening ten minutes of the second half.
The Red Hands enjoyed one of their most productive spells of the game, with Brian Kennedy and Kilpatrick powering them forward from the engine room.
Cassidy sent over his fourth point, and Ethan Jordan was denied a goal by Jack Livingstone’s diving save, converting the resultant ’45.
Darren McCurry came off the bench to make an immediate impact with three points as Tyrone pushed three clear by the 45th minute.
Mayo needed an injection of their famous chaos, and with Towey and Tommy Conroy entering the action to run at the Tyrone defence, they had their opponents under intense and sustained pressure.
Kobe McDonald sprinkled magic dust with a delightful sliced two-pointer, and Towey saw a shot saved off the line by Cormac Quinn after he had rounded ‘keeper Morgan.
Towey was involved with the assist as Darragh Beirne smashed home the only goal of the game on 54 minutes, and now they led by two, but the Red Hands still had plenty to say as the tension rose and the pressure intensified.
McCurry lofted over a couple of scores off his weaker right foot, but Jordan Flynn restored Mayo’s two points cushion as he blazed over the bar when a little more composure could have earned him more.
Again, McCurry danced through to split the posts, and traded points with O’Donoghue as the game entered its final five minutes.
Morgan sent a 45′ between the posts, but when Sam Callinan charged through to fist over the lead point in the 68th minute, Mayo looked like they could hold on.
But Morgan displayed nerves of steel as he nailed a two-point free from close to the sideline with just seconds remaining.
Tyrone scorers: D McCurry 0-6 (2f), R Cassidy 0-4, N Morgan 0-3 (1 ’45, 1tpf), C Daly, C Kilpatrick, P Teague, E Jordan (1 ’45, 1f) 0-2 each, E McElholm 0-1.
Mayo scorers: D Beirne 1-2, R O’Donoghue 0-5 (3f), K McDonald 0-3, (1tp), J Carney, E Hession 0-2 each, S Callinan, P Durcan, T Conroy, J Flynn 0-1 each.
Tyrone: N Morgan; C Quinn, P Teague, J Clarke; M McKernan, N Devlin, K McGeary; B Kennedy, C Kilpatrick; S O’Donnell, R Cassidy, C Daly; E McElholm, M Donnelly, E Jordan.
Subs: D McCurry for Jordan (45), F Burns for McGeary (5), L McGarity for Donnelly (59), C Bogue for Daly (59), D Canavan for Cassidy (63), M Rafferty for Burns (65)
Mayo: J Livingstone; J Coyne, D McHugh, E McGreal; S Callinan, D McBrien, E Hession; J Flynn, J Carney; H O’Loughlin, C Loftus, P Durcan; D Beirne, R O’Donoghue, K McDonald.
Subs: T Conroy for O’Loughlin (45), P Towey for Loftus (47), A O’Shea for Durcan (54)
Referee: B Cawley (Kildare).
Written by Francis Mooney and originally published on The 42 whose award-winning team produces original content that you won’t find anywhere else: on GAA, League of Ireland, women’s sport and boxing, as well as our game-changing rugby coverage, all with an Irish eye. Subscribe here.