Ulster rivals must do it all again

Tyrone 1-17 Down 4-8

Goals, comebacks, twists, turns, cards red and yellow, courage and raw emotion … this game had it all.

An Ulster football final to savour, to remember, and perhaps best of all, to relive all over again next Sunday.

Tyrone and Down played out a thumping draw at a packed and sun-kissed St Tieranach's Park in Clones, a ground that has not seen such quality and gripping entertainment in a long time.

Tyrone found themselves nine points behind 10 minutes into the second half after conceding three goals, but somehow clawed their way back to level it, before 14-man Down hit a fourth.

Again, the Red Hands, led by inspirational captain Peter Canavan, found the reserves of strength and self-belief to come back from the dead yet again, and could have stolen it at the death.

Tyrone created two golden goal chances in the opening 15 minutes, but on both occasions Mickey McVeigh pulled off superb saves, first from Owen Mulligan, inside the opening 17 seconds, and later from Cormac McAnallen.

Martin Cole's deployment as Canavan's man-marker was proving a success, the Allstar restricted to just one first half point from play, but Tyrone were getting scores from a variety of sources.

With inspirational wing back Philip Jordan driving them forward repeatedly into attack, the Red Hands had points from Sean Cavanagh, Brian Dooher and Kevin Hughes as they opened up a 0-5 to 0-2 lead by the 18th minute.

McCartan and Doyle converted Down frees, but still they trailed by two points as the half slipped into injury-time.

Then came a drama-packed two-minute spell, during which Down took the lead with a Benny Coulter goal but then lost inspirational midfielder McCartan on a straight red card for an impetuous reaction to a foul.

Coulter collected a Brian Burns delivery in the left corner before cutting inside his man and drilling an angled shot to the net, and suddenly the Mourne men led for the first time in the game.

But moments later McCartan was shown a straight red card by Kerry referee Aidan Mangan for tossing the ball at Brian McGuigan.

Nevertheless, Doyle tagged on another free for a 1-7 to 0-8 interval lead, and made a stunning start to the second half with two goals in the space of five minutes.

Michael Walsh crossed for Doyle to sidefoot home within two minutes of the restart, and Tyrone were left reeling when John Lavery's punt into the danger area was fisted to the bottom corner of the net by teenage full forward Dan Gordon.

Coulter stretched the advantage to a massive nine points, but when Canavan slotted home a 58th minute penalty, the Red Hands were right back in it.

Playmaker McGuigan was now running the game, spraying passes left and right. Points from Brian McGuigan, Jordan, Owen Mulligan and Canavan chewed into Down's lead, and when Canavan converted a 61st minute free, the sides were level.

But there was another bombshell to come from towering target man Gordon, who rose like a bird to fist Doyle's lofted free kick to the net for his second goal.

Tyrone were not finished, not to be denied, and late scores from Mulligan, substitute Ciaran Gourley and Canavan, from a pressure free, sent a memorable decider to a replay.