Down and Tyrone must do it all again

TYRONE and Down will meet for a third time on Saturday after their Ulster U21FC quarter-final replay finished level after extra-time at Healy Park last night.

It was an epic which neither side deserved to lose, with Kyle Coney levelling for Tyrone to force extra-time, and Down’s Paul Devlin converting a free which earned his side a rematch.

Niall McKenna, Paddy McNeice and Richard Donnelly Coney were all on target as Tyrone eased into a 0-4 to 0-1 lead. Danny Savage and Ben O’Reilly steered frees between the posts and, in the 21st minute, the visitors hit the front with a goal.

Full-back Paddy Boyle drove a long ball into the danger area and when the Tyrone defence failed to clear, full-forward Connaire Harrison pounced to beat Niall Morgan.

McKenna’s second score narrowed the gap to a point but Down finished the half strongly with two more Savage frees to lead 1-5 to 0-5.

Harrison stretched that lead to four points early in the second half, but a couple of excellent efforts from Mattie Donnelly gave Tyrone fresh impetus, while Coney’s 40-metre free tied it up at 0-11 to 1-8 at the end of normal time.

The Red Hands moved into a 0-14 to 0-8 lead midway through the added period but Down refused to yield and, aided by the dismissal of Tyrone’s John McCullagh, sent off for a second booking, Devlin forced the replay.

Tyrone scorers: K Coney 0-5 (1f), M Donnelly 0-3, N McKenna, P McNeice (2f) 0-2 each, R Donnelly, P Harte 0-1 each.

Down scorers: C Harrison 1-1, B O’Reilly, D Savage (3f) 0-3 each, P McPolin, C Clarke, P Devlin (f), R O’Hare 0-1 each.

TYRONE: N Morgan, N Sludden, R McNamee, F McQuaid, P Harte, R Pickering, T McCann, N McKenna, R Keenan, P McNeice, R Donnelly, D McNulty, R O’Neill, K Coney, M Donnelly.

Subs: C Girvan for Keenan, B McGarvey for McNeice, S McKenna for McCann, R McNabb for Keenan, J McCullagh for Girvan

DOWN: J Deeney, M Higgins, P Boyle, A Brannigan, K Quinn, P Bonny, D McKibben, A McArdle, C Poland, B O’Reilly, P McPolin, C Clarke, D Savage, C Harrison, R Brady.

Subs: C Toner for Bonny, R McGarry for Harrison, P Devlin for Clarke, Harrison for Deeney, C O’Hare for Savage, G McAnulty for Boyle, N McParland for Toner.

Referee: G Walsh (Antrim).