Dooher: we didn’t panic

MICKEY HARTE admitted to be highly relieved in the aftermath of yesterday’s gripping All-Ireland quarter-final and Tyrone captain Brian Dooher had no hesitation in singing from the same hymn sheet in the post match interviews.

Tyrone’s status as All-Ireland champions was strongly tested by a rousing Kildare display and the Ulster men were glad to escape with a two-point success.

Dooher said: “We’re relieved. Any time you win a match you’re relieved. In the first half, Kildare were full value for their four-point lead and they definitely should have been ahead far more.

“I think things settled down at half-time and we started working a bit harder in the second half and we got a few vital scores which settled us in the second half.

“We knew at half-time that we hadn’t done ourselves justice in the first half. But you have to give credit to Kildare too, they’re a fair side and it was nip and tuck there for a long time, there wasn’t much in it but we got the couple of points and just held on. Kildare have always been a good footballing side and probably Kieran McGeeney’s going to bring more organisation and more structure and a bit of belief in themselves. They’re a fine side and they kicked some great scores today.”

Tyrone negotiated their provincial obstacles in Ulster in style earlier this summer and a common theme of their wins over Armagh, Derry and Antrim was that their progression was secured entering the final phases of action. Yesterday was different, with Kildare’s resistance ensuring nothing was certain until the final whistle.

“It definitely was as tough a match as we have had,” admitted Dooher. “but we knew we were going to get a tough match from Kildare. A lot of people would have said that we just had to turn up and win but we knew we were going to have a very stiff test. As you seen yourselves there, for a long time in that match it looked like Kildare were going to win it. Thankfully we had that 10-minute spell at the start of the second half when we pulled level and traded points for a while before we kicked on again.

“We didn’t panic. In the first half we weren’t working hard enough and it was back to the basics, tackling, working and we started supporting each other more. It served us well in the past and it served us well again today but we’re going to have to do it a lot more often the next day.”

Thoughts now turn to three weeks time and a battle with a different Munster force.

Tyrone have been well-versed in gruelling assignments with Kerry in the last few years but now they must prepare to face a Cork team who excelled earlier yesterday in swatting aside Donegal.

“We know we have a lot of work to do because that’s not going to be good enough the next day,” remarked Dooher. “You couldn’t afford to start like that or you’d be wiped off the field. From what I’ve heard just in the last five or 10 minutes about what Cork have done to Donegal and following on what they’ve done to other teams this year like Kerry, they’re going to be a fairly formidable outfit to face in three weeks’ time.

“Thankfully we’re there to face them and that’s the main thing.”