Tyrone march on to 10-point win over Tyrone

Tyrone 1-16 Monaghan 1-6

Monaghan crashed into Division Three following a 10-point defeat to Tyrone at Healy Park today.

It was a seventh straight win for a Red Hand side that looks in fine shape going into the Division Two final against Kildare.

Kyle Coney swept over eight points, and Cathal McCarron blasted home the clinching goal in stoppage time as a miserable league campaign ended in a fifth defeat for the Farney men.

Colm Cavanagh opened the scoring after just 20 seconds as Tyrone turned on the power right from the outset.

Monaghan struggled to cope with the fast-moving support game that has proven so effective for the Red Hands this season.

Kyle Coney tagged on a couple of points, one of them from a free, and he had a goal disallowed for a square ball infringement, finishing to the net from close range from Owen Mulligan’s cross.

Peter Harte could have had a goal when he arrived at pace to collect a delightful Coney pass, but blasted just over the bar.

Coney added another couple to his growing tally, with Mulligan also on target.

Paul Finlay kept Monaghan in touch with three converted frees, and had a searing shot pushed around a post by Pascal McConnell, but the Farney men were fighting a losing battle against a well organised home side.

Coney drilled a 45 metre free between the posts, his sixth score, and Sean Cavanagh powered over a point for a 0-10 to 0-3 interval lead.

Monaghan substitute Ciaran Hanratty grabbed a goal within 15 seconds of the restart, cutting inside to finish low to the net from close range, the first Tyrone have conceded in this year’s league.

They soon recovered for Sean Cavanagh and the brilliant Coney to fire over points.

Tyrone led by just four points, however, going into the final quarter, after Finlay and substitute Tommy Freeman had both converted frees.

But despite the creativity of Hanratty up front, Monaghan still lacked the penetration which would save th day for them, and the Red Hands countered for Coney, Mulligan and McCarron to add points.

And it was McCarron who collected Colm Cavanagh’s pass to blast home a stoppage time goal to end any lingering doubts about the outcome.

Tyrone: P McConnell, A McCrory, Justin McMahon, PJ Quinn, C McCarron (1-1), P Harte (0-1), R McMenamin, M Murphy, C Cavanagh (0-1), R McNabb, Mark Donnelly, S Cavanagh (0-2), K Coney (0-8, 5 f), S O’Neill, O Mulligan (0-3 3f).

Subs: C Gormley for McMahon, N McKenna for S Cavanagh, A Cassidy for Murphy, P McNeice for O’Neill, D Carlin for Quinn

Monaghan: M Keogh, V Corey, D Mone, K Duffy, D Malone, D Wylie, David Hughes, E Lennon, D Clerkin, P Finlay (0-4, 4f), Darren Hughes, N McAdam, C McGuinness, K Hughes, S Gollogly.

Subs: D Morgan for Duffy, T Freeman (0-2, 1f) for Malone, P Dooney for Gollogly, C Hanratty (1-0) for McGuinness, C McManus for Clerkin

Referee: M Higgins (Fermanagh)