Tyrone thrash Down

Tyrone 0-23 Down 1-5

Tyrone won their 10th Ulster Football Championship title in spectacular fashion when they steamrolled Down's challenge in a one-sided replay at Clones.

Strikers Peter Canavan and Owen Mulligan showed no mercy as they tortured and tormented the Mourne defence, scoring a massive 15 points between them.

Canavan top-scored with 11, but it was the brilliance of Mulligan which illuminated the contest.

There was none of drama and few of the thrills served up by a captivating drawn game a week earlier, when Tyrone had to come from nine points behind to force a rematch.

This time they made no mistake, and fully justified their favourites rating with a power-packed display of flowing, dynamic football.

For Down, it was a day which produced nothing but despair, and they now face the task of lifting themselves for a Qualifiers clash with Ulster rivals Donegal next weekend.

Mulligan and Canavan terrorised the Down defence throughout the opening 25 minutes, during which they chalked up nine points between them.

It was mesmerising stuff at times from a rampant Red Hand machine, their movement, vision and finishing power leaving Down defenders grasping at thin air.

By the 15th minute, they were 0-6 to 0-1 ahead, with Conor Gormley pressing forward for a point to complement the free-scoring exploits of the on-fire strike force.

Liam Doyle hit Down's only score, from a free, in the opening quarter, and with Sean Cavanagh ruling the midfield region, Tyrone prospered.

All three of Down's first half scores came from frees, the supply of ball to full forward Dan Gordon which had proven so productive in the drawn game now completely snuffed out.

Ciaran Gourley and Philip Jordan held the half back line together with a grip of steel, and while Doyle and Brendan Coulter did all they could to get their attack moving, they always found themselves smothered by a blanket defence.

As the half moved towards its conclusion, Tyrone crafted two goal chances, both involving Canavan, who first weaved his magical way through the Mourne defence to send Mulligan clear, but his effort was deflected by Brian Burns for a 45 which Canavan converted.

Moments later, Canavan dribbled soccer-style around Michael McVeigh, but the Down keeper recovered superbly to block the attempted finish.

Tyrone were firmly in control at the interval, ahead by 0-11 to 0-3, and they tightened their grip on the contest with another string of scores, Canavan and the outstanding Mulligan increasing their tallies, with Cavanagh and Hughes also hitting scores.

The second half was 15 minutes old by the time Doyle scored Down's first point from play of the afternoon, and while they continued to play second fiddle to a slick Tyrone outfit, they did break through for a goal chance, but substitute Glen McMahon blasted wide after being sent clear by James McCartan.

But their title challenge ended in disarray when they had two men sent off in the space of two minutes, first Martin Cole picking up a second yellow card, before Gordon was dismissed on a straight red for felling Conor Gormley.

They did grab a consolation goal through Ronan Murtagh in injury-time, but by that stage had fallen 17 points behind, and Canavan had extended his tally to a record-equalling 11.