Tyrone prevail in Ulster final dress rehearsal

TG4 Ulster Senior Championship

Tyrone 1-10 Armagh 0-8

By Kieran Lynch

TYRONE defeated Armagh by five points at O’Neill’s Healy Park to secure top spot in the TG4 Ulster Senior Championship round-robin before the same two counties meet in the final in a couple of weeks.
Armagh were first on the board, with Kelly Mallon pointing seconds after the throw-in, but the first half belonged to Tyrone.

They hit back by raising a green flag at the other end, as Maeve Maxwell drilled the ball into the back of the net after fielding Aoife Horisk’s delivery.

Niamh O’Neill and Niamh Reel traded points, before Tyrone’s Aoife Quinn paid off a slick handpassing move by fisting over.

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The Red Hand County had another goal chance when Katie Rose Muldoon got in one on one, but she was denied by Orchard goalkeeper Cailin Traynor.

Emma Conroy and Mallon (free) traded the next two scores, before a Elle McNamee point for the hosts was answered by a Sarah Quigley two-pointer for Armagh.

Tyrone responded immediately however, with O’Neill driving forward, playing a one-two with Maxwell and slotting over. A pointed free from Horisk had them 1-7 to 0-5 to the good at half-time.

It took 12 minutes until the first score of the second half, with both sides struggling with accuracy in front of the posts. Armagh hit two wides and dropped a shot short during this period, whilst Tyrone hit three wides, saw a Horisk shot pushed onto the bar by Traynor and Maxwell’s rebound blocked on the line by Maeve Ferguson.

Red Hand midfielder Meabh Mallon broke the scoreless spell with a superb point from distance. The game was in its fourth quarter before Armagh finally opened their second half tally, with Reel knocking over a close range free.

Tyrone managed their lead very well in the closing stages by patiently probing on the attack and finishing off a prolonged period of possession with a Maxwell point.

Armagh kept fighting and got late scores from Maeve Lennon and Eimear McConaghy, but it was not enough and Tyrone put the icing on the cake with one final point from Horisk.

The two sides will lock horns once more in the TG4 Ulster Senior Football Championship final in two weeks’ time.

Scorers

Tyrone: M Maxwell 1-1, N O’Neill 0-2, A Horisk 0-2 (1f), A Quinn 0-1, E Conroy 0-1, E McNamee 0-1, C McNamee 0-1, M Mallon 0-1.

Armagh: K Mallon 0-2 (1f), S Quigley 0-2 (1tp), N Reel 0-2 (1f), M Lennon 0-1, E McConaghy 0-1

TYRONE:A Coyle; C Coltan, J Barrett (capt.), G McKenna; K.R. Muldoon, C Campbell, E McCanny; M Mallon, A Quinn; E McNamee, A Horisk, E Conroy; N O’Neill, M Maxwell, C McNamee.
Subs: E McCrossan for O’Neill (HT), C McCallion for McKenna (HT), C McCoubrey for Campbell (HT), A McHugh for E McNamee (47).

ARMAGH: C Traynor; M Ferguson, L Kavanagh, C Towe (capt.); Elsie Druse,A Donnelly, E Reid; M Loughran, S Quigley; N Reel, E Lavery, L Marsden; E Cassidy, E McGeown, K Mallon.
Subs: E McConaghy for Mallon (HT), C Nugent for Cassidy (HT), M Lennon for Lavery (43), B Carragher for Loughran (50), C Henderson for McGeown (50).