LADIES FOOTBALL ULSTER MINOR FINAL
PADDY HUNTER

TYRONE 6-26            DOWN     1-4

When Tyrone minor captain Niamh Woods held aloft the Monaghan cup on Tuesday night at Tullylish it was the end of seven years of waiting for Tyrone ladies football. Remarkably it was in 2000 that a Tyrone minor captain had last took hold of the Ulster minor championship trophy, too long for a county that boasts the strongest body of clubs in the province. A stunning Ulster campaign though in 2007 was capped with another high scoring display from this super talented Tyrone side managed by Martina Dillon and Rory McCann on Tuesday night. A timid Down challenge cast aside, the tie over by half time, but the writing, in big bold letters was on the wall long before that. Tyrone running up a huge 6-26 to 1-4 in near perfect conditions.

Tyrone having already seen off Antrim, Monaghan and Donegal on route to the Ulster final started favourites, but they did trail after hero from the semi-final for Down Niamh McGovern played for and got a first minute free, duly converted by the talented forward. This was no Cavan though and when Ashling O’Kane opened Tyrone’s account with a third minute goal there was only going to be one winner. The Down attack rendered in operable and Tyrone pilled on the scores, McLaughlin, Connolly(0-2) and O Kane points left it 1-4 to 0-1 and Tyrone had squandered two goal chances before McGovern hit her second point, this time from play as McGillion got caught of guard

Tyrone upped their game again though and before the 27^th minute it was 1-11 to 0-2, with the door firmly closed on the Down challenge in the space of two minutes, Sarah Louise McLaughlin rattled the net and that was quickly followed by a Sarah Connolly goal, The Errigal forward hit a further point with Poyntz and Grimes adding to the tally to leave it 3-14 to 0-2 at the break.

Game over in reality but Tyrone never lifted their heads from the task, they kept to the game plan and so the agony continued for the home players and large support as Tyrone pressed on and on. A white and red tide that Down found hard to stem, McLaughlin, Poyntz and Conlon score early points and Connolly showed composure in front of goal to score her second three pointer after the influential Niamh Woods sent through a stunning inch perfect pass from the half way line. Clodagh Poyntz bagged a fifth goal on nine minutes and ended the final with a well earned 2-8, her sides sixth goal in injury time rounding off the scoring. Down had scrambled home a goal from Lennon midway through the half, all it did was  take the bad look of the scoreboard which at that stage read 5-18 to 0-3

A calculated display against a Down side in their first minor final but with a heck of a lot of learning to do, they could do with watching this Tyrone team again though, they were the masters once again in this Ulster series, deserved Ulster champions again.

A sound display, from goalkeeper McVeigh who saved three good efforts in the hour, right through the team, the full back line of Quinn, McGillion and Hunter and the half backs Molloy, Woods and Rafferty remained the meanest in the championship, conceding 1-4 on the night but only 1-26 in total in four outings. The midfield duo of Conlon and Quinn with their fielding and great distribution to the forwards, McCrory, O’Kane, Grimes, Poyntz, Connolly and McLaughlin who between them and substitutes Scullion and Devine brought their overall scoring tally to 20-93, of which 19-88 was from play…who’d want to defend against that in the all Ireland semi-final.

Credit to the management too, they kept the focus ahead of this Ulster final after two cracking outings against fancied sides in earlier rounds.

Speaking after the tie Martina Dillon was full of praise for her young squad,

“ They all put in the effort and even when we were out of sight they kept to  the game plan and kept on going, its been some season for us but we start again now with the all Ireland semi-final, the build up starts now, I think we have everyone through that one okay and we have players coming back from injury, we are looking good but there’s still a job to be done”

The manager was also full of praise for the Down side,

“ They were always going to be up against it, they lost a couple of key players but for them it’s a learning thing, they will come back and challenge again, they kept on battling and they tested Sinead McVeigh more than once”

At times Tyrone were unstoppable, they were cool and calculated, a handful for any team, it would be interesting to see what the visiting management teams from Connacht and Leinster wrote on their visit to County Down on a May evening, one things for sure they will be left wondering what can they do to stop this Tyrone onslaught.

TYRONE: Sinead McVeigh, Britta Quinn, Laura McGillion, Christiane Hunter, Rachel Molloy 0-1, Niamh Woods, Roisin Rafferty, Emma Conlon0-2, Shannon Quinn 0-1, Rebecca McCrory, Ashling O’Kane 1-2, Kerrie Grimes 0-2, Clodagh Poyntz 2-8, Sarah Connolly 2-4, Sarah Louise McLaughlin 1-3

Subs Claire Scullion FOR Grimes 0-2, Eadaoin DevineFOR McCrory 0-1,

Kerri Monaghan FOR Quinn, Emma Hegarty FOR Molloy,

Orla Cunningham, Marie Donnelly, Patricia Morris, Naomhi McAnulla, Laura McGreesh, Stephanie McGinn, Emma McShane, Sinead O’Neill, Kelly Osullivan,Michaela Ritchie, Stephanie Patterson, Michelle Scullion.

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