15 January 2012
A five point salvo by Tyrone in the opening minutes of the second-half set the visitors up for victory over Antrim in Sunday’s McKenna Cup game at Casement Park.
After surviving a shaky start when a shot-shy Tyrone could have took a firm grip on the game Antrim settled well and played some fine football to open up a 0-4 to 0-1 lead by the twenty-second minute, two of the points coming from impressive debutant Brian Neeson.
Peter Harte and Paddy Cunningham exchanged points to put Antim 5-2 ahead but Tyrone struck late in the half to close the gap to just two at the break.
Tyrone came flying out of the blocks at the start of the second-half and hit five unanswered points to swing the game firmly in their favour. It was thirteen minutes before Antrim eventually opened their second-half account but when it came through a lovely Conal Kelly point the Saffrons began to believe in themselves again.
Substitute Tomas McCann fired over when a goal looked on and Paddy Cunningham added a point from a free soon afterwards, this time after McCann’s goalbound shot was well saved by Tyrone goalkeeper John Devine, to cut the arrears to the minimum.
Tyrone went two ahead again when Stephen O’Neill hit a beauty of a point at the other end but Paddy Cunningham sent over another free to cut it back to 0-10 to 0-9 with five minutes left for play.
When Conor Murray raced through the middle in the sixty-sixth minute the Antrim fans must have thought their team were about to draw level but Murray was harshly adjudged to have over carried the ball and from the resultant free Tyrone broke quickly upfield where Stephen O’Neill was put clear to fire in the only goal of the game to seal Tyrone’s victory.
ANTRIM: C Kerr; J Crozier; R Johnston; M Johnston; S Finch; D O’Hagan, J Loughrey; C Kelly (0-2); S McDonagh; C Murray (0-1); P Cunningham (0-4, 0-3 frees); M Armstrong; B Neeson (0-2); M Dougan; K Brady. Subs: C Duffin for Armstrong (23 mins), P Gallagher for R Johnston (44 mins), A Gallagher for McDonagh (49 mins), T McCann (0-1) for Brady (51 mins), M McAleese for Finch (66 mins).
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