Ulster Council meet to discuss Derry appeal

THE Ulster Council is to meet later this week to discuss Derry’s appeal against the result of Sunday’s Ulster MFC Final against Tyrone.

Derry lost the decider by one point but were adamant that a point awarded to Tyrone’s Cormac Arkinson after 20 minutes was wide and TV footage seems to corroborate that assertion.

The Ulster Council’s own TV cameraman was filming the game from the steps below the press box in the main stand and confirmed that the attempt was wide of the Derry upright.

Derry’s bid to have the game replayed was been given a boost after it emerged that Tyrone officials have admitted that the ‘point’ in question was actually wide.

Tyrone manager Raymond Munroe said: “To be quite honest, I thought it didn’t go over the bar. There are officials out there, it’s not my part to play.

“Everybody makes mistakes, it’s a tough call, if it didn’t go over the bar, but there are officials out there to act on that, five officials there in that area.

“I can’t change that. If we did win it with a point like that there, that’s unfortunate. But many’s a time we have been on the end of a bad decision as well. It’s cruel, but that’s football.”

Derry chairman Seamus McCloy has confirmed that an appeal will be lodged with the Ulster Council. He believes that a replay would be the most appropriate way to settle the controversy.

“If the video evidence is as clear as everything else is, we will certainly be protesting. I think that would be Tyrone’s opinion as well. No-one wants to win a game by a wide ball, and it was a totally wide ball,” said McCloy.

Both sides will advance to the All-Ireland quarter-finals irrespective of the outcome of the final.