Tyrone will be no April fools

Tyrone 1-17 Cavan 0-15: Mickey Harte has spent the bones of nine years trying to fashion another All-Ireland-winning team, but he felt obliged to dampen the escalating talk of a serious summer assault yesterday after a comfortable win over Cavan in the Division Two final.

It isn’t difficult to understand the reasons for the gathering chorus of approval. All-Ireland semi-finalists last year - they lost by four points to Kerry - Tyrone have traversed 13 games in this calendar year without a defeat.

This victory, their 11th in a run that also includes two draws, came courtesy of the kind of end-to-end, frisson-free game between two Ulster teams few people will expect to see repeated when the Anglo Celt Cup is at stake from next month.