Mickey Harte wants no fuss over half-time row

Mickey Harte says there should be no reprecurssions from the half-time row that involved players from both teams and his selector Gavin Devlin.

The Tyrone manager attempted to hold back his players as both teams left the field at the same time. Protocol is for one side to remain on the pitch.

Harte doesn’t believe either side have any case to answer although the Central Competitions Control Committee (CCCC) could see things differently when they review footage of the incident.

Referee Joe McQuillan took no action on the resumption of play but the body may propose retrospective penalties.

“It had been a hectic 35 minutes,” said Harte. “It’s easy for us who are observing the game to be well in control of our emotions but the people who are out there in the thick of it, they just might not be in control.

“It took some of us to try and settle them down. I don’t think it was going to develop into anything too rowdy. I suppose it is better to quell that from rising anyway.”

As for a possible CCCC action, Harte dismissed the need for one: “I wouldn’t expect that they should. I don’t think it is anything too bad to be talking about. I think it is just the rough and tumble of the intensity of a championship game.”

Harte, though, felt a few decisions went against his team, particularly a “critical” call by referee McQuillan in the build-up to Donegal’s goal prior to half-time. “I believe that Neil Gallagher got a long time to spend on the ball before that. I would have thought a turnover free at that stage but the man who mattered viewed it other ways and that’s disappointing.

“I thought he (Gallagher) was really well marshalled and turned by one or two other men, still held on to the ball and that ended up with the critical pass for the goal. It really rocked us but you have to live with those decisions.”

Harte wasn’t concerned by how much Tyrone were written off prior to yesterday. “That’s what people in the media will do. They look at some results and make assessments and tend to overlook other results. We didn’t feel like that at all.

“We were well prepared for this game and I think our players played to show that they were well prepared and they are hugely disappointed that they didn’t get anything more out of it.”

It’s the fourth time since 2011 that Donegal have dumped Tyrone into the qualifiers but Harte was buoyed by the performance. “I have been very confident in the quality of this team for a long time and particularly this year.

“I have no doubt that when these men get their head around the fact that they have to go through the qualifiers, if we get a favourable draw at all, we will be a match for many.”