Cork restore pride with victory over Tyrone

Cork 0-15 Tyrone 0-7

Classy Cork had their shooting boots on at Páirc Uí Rinn tonight as they overpowered Tyrone 0-15 to 0-7 to end the Ulster side’s unbeaten start to the season.

James Masters (0-6) and Kevin O’Sullivan (0-5) led the Rebels’ scoring as Tyrone, the McKenna Cup champions and Division 1A pace setters, saw their seven-match winning run ended in emphatic fashion.

The visitors never got going - two Stephen O’Neill points helped them trail by 0-6 to 0-4 at the break, but they were woeful in the second half.

Owen Mulligan’s 53rd-minute sending-off, for striking Michael Shiels, did Tyrone no favours and with centre-back Ger Spillane turning a man of the match performance, Cork simply powered clear.

Sean Cavanagh pointed Tyrone into a second-minute lead in this floodlit clash and it was evenly fought opening, until the Cork’s defensive dominance turned into points at the other end.

Masters (free) and O’Neill (‘45’) swapped points before the hosts hit a purple patch with O’Sullivan, benefiting from the breaking ball after Donnacha O’Connor had a goal chance snuffed out, Masters and Spillane all pointing for a 0-5 to 0-2 Cork lead.

Billy Morgan’s men, with Anthony Lynch foraging well across the half-back line, could have been further ahead - they shot six wides in the opening half to one from Tyrone and that tells its own story.

Points from O’Neill and Colm McCullagh sandwiched Masters’ third effort of the night as the hosts took a two-point buffer into the second half.

Cavanagh and Ger Cavlan were no match for the Cork midfield and Dermot Hurley’s superb aerial skills came to the fore in the second period.

Masters, who was nominated for an All-Star in 2005 and 2006, sent a great point over his right shoulder to kickstart Cork’s scoring glut on the resumption.

O’Neill, the only Red Hand to play anywhere near his potential, ended a series of three wides from the visitors but that proved to be Tyrone’s only points for 30 minutes - they had to wait until Raymond Mulgrew side-footed over, three minutes from time, for their next score.

Mulligan scooped two easy frees wide of the uprights and having been asked to operate at full-forward, he let his frustration get the better of him when clashing with Shiels and seeing red.

Points from Masters (0-2) and O’Sullivan had Cork leading by 0-10 to 0-5 by the hour mark.

Cork were well on top by that stage and they put on an exhibition of shooting, scoring from all angles, as Masters, Donnacha O’Connor, O’Sullivan and Kevin McMahon tagging on four points in an excellent five-minute burst.

With the result decided and Cork ending their losing run in the league (they lost to Donegal and Kerry in recent weeks), Ryan Mellon and O’Sullivan traded injury-time points as the Rebels scored a significant win.

Morgan’s charges now climb to fourth in the table ahead of their trip to Dublin on March 10.

Tyrone have two weeks to regroup before their league clash at home to Donegal, whom they beat in last weekend’s McKenna Cup final.