Tyrone march into Ulster final

Tyrone 1-17, Antrim 1-09 (full-time)

Antrim's bid to reach a first Ulster Football Championship final in 33 years came unstuck at Casement Park, where Tyrone's poise and class triumphed over honest endeavour.

The National League champions were simply in a different class, and won comfortably without ever fulfilling their immense potential.

Stand-in midfield pair Gerard Cavlan and Kevin Hughes commanded the central region, and Owen Mulligan tormented the central region all afternoon and capped a man of the match display with a superbly struck late goal.

Tyrone's tally of 19 wides to Antrim's two goes some way to explaining their failure to kill the game off until the very late stages.

Cavlan's imperious midfield display was the launch pad for a flood of Tyrone attacks throughout the first half, 23 shots on goal to Antrim's five.

Yet they led by just four points at the break, having shot 11 wides and conceded a 15th minute penalty, which Kevin Madden tucked away.

Madden represented Antrim's only genuine attacking threat, repeatedly troubling Chris Lawn with his pace, but frequently found himself with little effective support.

Tyrone, on the other hand, were sublimely creative if wantonly wasteful.

Owen Mulligan drifted deep to pick up possession and deliver telling passes, and contributed three wonderful points from play.

Peter Canavan, having failed to score from open play in two games against Derry, had also hit three by the halfway stage.

Tony Convery and Sean Kelly defended solidly, but as a unit, the Antrim rearguard failed to get to grips with the clever and willing movement of a Tyrone attacking division which was often supplemented by defenders Declan McCrossan and Ryan McMenamin.

The Red Hands led by 0-11 to 1-4 at the break, and a couple of Mark Harte frees eased them further ahead early in the second half.

Antrim showed spirit and some resistance, and when Darren O'Hare and Kevin Brady found the target, there was genuine hope that something could be salvaged by PJ O'Hare's side.

But Tyrone, with composure and measured application, regained their hold on the contest, Canavan fired over a couple of gems, and could have had two goals, but for excellent saves by Sean McGreevy, first from Declan McCrossan, then from Cavlan.

Tyrone did get the goal they threatened three minutes from the end when McCrossan floated the perfect delivery into Mulligan's path, and he collected, turned and gave McGreevy no chance with a sweet finish to the bottom corner of the net.