Harte craves consistency from Tyrone

REPLAYS tend to be strange affairs, often bearing little resemblance to their predecessor.

That’s the rule, as Mickey Harte accepts, but as the Tyrone manager put it this week: “there are occasionally exceptions to every rule.”

Will the replay of Armagh and Tyrone be such an exception? We remain in a state of mild confusion as to where exactly these two teams stand. Tyrone dominated the first game, Stephen O’Neill almost drawing Frank McGuigan comparisons with his power-house display, yet they still find themselves back in Croke Park for the sequel.

Armagh haven’t been playing near the pitch we expect of them all summer, yet they have yet to taste defeat and come into this game as slightly favoured in most eyes.

The reason is the 53 seconds from Oisin McConville’s precision pass into the hands of Steven McDonnell to Paul McGrane’s smashing equalising point. In those 50-odd seconds, Armagh scored 1-1, erasing the four point lead Tyrone were resting on and ensuring this afternoon was set aside for an Ulster final replay.

Other factors came into play, too. Pat McEnaney made two of the more unusual decisions of the championship, throwing the ball up when all and sundry could see Kieran McGeeney fouled Brian McGuigan, and then awarding a free out when Mark Harte shouldered Hearty over the end-line. The look of astonishment on the Armagh keeper’s face proved even he felt it was a 45.

McEnaney’s usual high standards seem to suffer a little whenever he officiates championship matches involving Armagh, but Harte wasn’t playing the blame game this week.

“Over the course of 72 or 73 minutes, it tends to pan out, you get some decisions you deserve. And you get others you don’t deserve. From our perspective, that challenge on Brian should have been a free and the challenge on the goalkeeper should have resulted in a 45, but you have to live with these things.”

Suggestions that McEnaney had been playing for a draw have flown around since the first game. However, that ignores how deep Armagh had to dig to get that result. With ten minutes left, they looked dead and buried. It has set people thinking the psychological edge lies with Armagh for the replay.

“Well, there is no getting away from the fact that there was a winner and a loser the last day. Armagh were definitely winners and we were the losers. The draw felt like a defeat to us because we had played so well and put so much effort into it. But we have to get beyond that if we want to get to the level we should be at. We have to learn to take experiences like that. Those last couple of minutes simply showed how good Armagh are.”

While there has been a low-key approach to this replay, with even the most talkative of players going to ground during the week, both managers haven’t been shy in talking the other team up.

Harte pointed to Armagh’s unbeaten record. For a team not performing at their best, it has been impressive. You have to travel back to the dog days of spring to find their last defeat, and since then it’s thirteen games and counting.

“That is what we are up against, they are a team that haven’t lost a competitive game in months. We all know the qualities of this Armagh side and they have shown that quality throughout the league and championship.

“How people can say Armagh have been performing below-par when they have beaten teams of the calibre of Derry, Donegal and Fermanagh is beyond me.”

And then there is Joe Kernan’s record in replays. He has never lost one as a manager, whether it has been with Crossmaglen Rangers or Armagh. Mickey Harte’s record is no less commendable. Whether with U21 teams or the senior side, Tyrone have never lost a replay when he was manager. One of those records has to go this afternoon.

“I suppose my record in replays hasn’t been bad,” Harte agrees. “But I will counter that by saying we have never met a team of the calibre or character of Armagh in a replay with Tyrone. Teams like Down and Cavan, no disrespect to them, but they are nowhere near the level that Armagh have been competing at for the past six or seven years.”

The last two Ulster finals to go to replays, 2003 and 1989, both involved Tyrone sides and both saw them winning handsomely in the replays. There are portents everywhere, if you want to look for them. Harte simply wants to concentrate on the game.

“Although we have lost Colm McCullagh, we have been fortunate enough with injuries from the series of club games last week. This game will tell a lot about us, and I think Armagh will be thinking the same. We are getting somewhere near the level of performance that I want from this team, but the big thing is consistency.

“We might have been unhappy with the result the last day, but we are happy with the performance. And consistency of performance is the big thing, that is ultimately what is going to decide who is around come late August or September.”

That Tyrone have been able to put two performances back to back has gladdened the manager, but there was enough aspects of that display to tax his mind. “Well, some of our forwards didn’t perform up to the standards we would expect of them.

“While it was great to see Stevie O’Neill in such form and making such a positive contribution as scoring ten points, that meant that our other forwards weren’t pulling their weight. And that is something we have looked at. There is always a negative there.”

Therein lies the crux of this game. While the work-rate of Tyrone was eye-catching the first day, only Steven O’Neill out of the forwards carried responsibility on both shoulders. More of them will have to do that this afternoon, because it is unlikely that Armagh will be as bad again. And even if they are, they still have the ability to change games in two minutes by scoring the crucial goal at the crucial juncture. That is what is likely to win this replay.