Loss of Hughes hurts Harte
The midfield talisman was given a second yellow after tangling with Donegal’s Michael Hegarty. Harte claimed McQuillan was only going to give Hughes a warning until the linesman intervened.
“When we lost our man it was rather harsh and made life very difficult for us,” he said.
“I just saw it was something you would not normally get booked for and I think he wasn’t intending on booking him in the first instance and someone intervened. I don’t think that’s great refereeing or team work.
“I don’t think it’s consistent across the whole game.
“Joe McMahon came off concussed and he probably didn’t do it to himself.
“We can reflect on many things but ultimately there’s only one thing that counts and that’s the scoreline at the end and we’re not in the Ulster final.”
But he also believed Marty Pemrose was fouled in the build up to the two Donegal goals.
“Absolutely. Marty Pemrose over the far side. But even the first goal, Marty was hit from behind going for the goal.”
However, Harte realised his team’s performance had a large part to do with their loss. A series of less than forgivable misses hauled back a motoring Tyrone and offered a struggling Donegal side sufficient oxygen and hope after a first-quarter onslaught.
“We lost the game in the first-half,” said Harte whose side now faces a trip to Pearse Park where they will take on Longford in the second round of the All-Ireland qualifiers.
“Never mind the goal chance (by Stephen O’Neill). The statistics say we had 18 scoring chances and got six. Donegal had five scoring chances and got four. You don’t need any other statistics than that. That is the story of the game in a nutshell.”
But he couldn’t get away from the Hughes and McMahon incidents and the net effect the absence of two such key players had on his team’s efforts to salvage a draw or claim a win.
The loss of McMahon, in particular, rankled. The Omagh defender was imperious until his 50th minute departure despite the presence of talents such as Colm McFadden and Michael Murphy in and around his area of operations.
“He was very competent and he was playing with supreme confidence,” Harte said of McMahon who was playing his first game since suffering a broken jaw in a club match prior to the summer.
“It was concussion. He probably did it to himself! How you can concuss someone and still stay on the field, I don’t know? Then a little pull of a jersey or something else and people get sent off. Maybe that’s something to look at it again.”
Valid points, certainly, but Harte was nevertheless quick to add that, having allowed Donegal a path back towards contention, they had taken it and were fully worthy of their passage through to the final.
And so to the qualifiers which may not be the worst route for Tyrone when all is said and done. Ulster titles this past two years haven’t done much to steel them for the rigours of Croke Park and who doesn’t remember 2008?
“The last time we were there it didn’t do us any harm,” said Harte. “Maybe that is a good omen.”
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