GAA: Derry to face Galway in the semis

Derry proved to strong for 14-man Tyrone in a bruising All-Ireland Football

Championship quarter-final clash at Clones to set up a repeat of the 1998

All-Ireland semi-final against Galway.

This was sweet revenge for the Oak Leaf side, who had already lost to Tyrone

in the Ulster Championship, but managed to re-emerge through the new

Qualifiers series.

It was a Paddy Bradley goal 12 minutes into the second half which set Derry

on their way to victory, and although Tyrone staged a revival of sorts, they

finally crumbled under the weight of their opponents' numerical advantage.

This was never a classic, rather a tense, negative and often violent clash,

and after having star forward Peter Canavan sent off ten minutes before

half-time, Tyrone lost their way.

Derry are clearly a much better side than that which struggled to defeat

Antrim in the first round of the Ulster Championship, the extra games

provided by the Qualifiers helping them to file off rough edges and find the

correct formula.

An immense defensive performance by Sean Martin Lockhart, and a powerhouse midfield showing from Anthony Tohill were key ingredients in this Derry triumph, and they will travel to Croke Park confident they can reverse the

result of '98.

Enda Muldoon and Anthony Tohill gave Derry the edge with early points, before

Tyrone finally settled to draw level with two Stephen O'Neill scores.

But it was off the ball that all the action was happening in a tense, highly-charged contest between two neighbouring counties.

Four Derry players were booked, two from Tyrone, and in the 25th minute

Tyrone's star forward Peter Canavan was sent off for an illegal challenge on

Johnny McBride.

Gavin Diamond and Paddy Bradley had by that stage edged Derry into a 0-4 to

0-2 lead, and it was Diamond who gave them a two points interval cushion.

It could have been more, but for two fine Finbar McConnell saves, first from

Dermot Dougan, then from Muldoon.

Gerard Cavlan and Tohill swapped points early in the second half, before

Derry struck for a goal in the 57th minute.

Gavin Diamond crossed from the left, and Bradley outjumped giant goalkeeper

Finbar McConnell to punch to the net, opening up a five points lead for the

Oak Leaf men.

Tyrone responded with a lively burst, Eoin Gormley converting a free and

Stephen O'Neill flashing over two quick-fire points.

But in the end, Derry's 15 proved just too much for the 14 men of Tyrone, and

they took over in the closing stages for Tohill and Johnny McBride to score,

with Bradley firing over a majestic point from the left wing.