Tyrone resilience puts Kerry in tight spot
UP FOR GRABS: Brian Kennedy of Tyrone in action against Tadhg Morley of Kerry during the Allianz Football League Division 1 match at O'Neill's Healy Park in Omagh, Tyrone. Pic: Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile
It’s been a while, 13 years to be precise, since Jack O’Connor has found himself in as tight a spot as this.
In the second year of his second coming, a final day win over Monaghan in Killarney ensured his double-winning Kerry team lived to fight another season in Division 1.
On account of this third consecutive away defeat, his current doubly victorious side’s top-flight status is in peril as it was for those three straight seasons between 2013 and ‘15 in Éamonn Fitzmaurice’s time.
If you were to believe O’Connor, a defence of the league title was never in the script, but then losing Kerry’s 20-year presence in Division 1 wasn’t either. As he did after the Donegal game, the manager queried the officiating but then there was criticism for his players too as their scoring ended 20 minutes before the full-time whistle.
“It’s not like we hadn’t chances,” he insisted. “We’d enough chances but for some reason we… you have to give them credit. They pressurised us but we didn’t get our shots off. It is disappointing. We were in a good position early on in the game and the goal was a bit of a turning point, gave them a bit of confidence and belief.”
Indiscipline, overzealous officiating or a combination of both, whatever it was cost Kerry as much as their shyness in front of the Tyrone posts when it mattered most. Three of Tyrone’s last scores came by way of frees, the other indirectly from a Niall Morgan kick-out with the evergreen Mattie Donnelly applying the clinical touch.
Six yellow cards for Kerry told a story as did Paudie Clifford’s early benching after one of the most subdued afternoons and David Clifford managing just one point from play. The elder Clifford’s usual neat, incisive play was sorely absent as Kerry were regularly confronted with banks of white and red defenders and looked out of ideas.
Tyrone now saddle up beside them on four points and the concern for Kerry is if the pair have to be separated a head-to-head differential would favour the 2021 All-Ireland champions.
“Why can’t we play Kerry every week?” was the jibe from one member of the local press corps as they embraced a third win on the trot over the Kingdom going back to the All-Ireland semi-final two years ago. For all their difficulties of late and iffy home form, the green and gold invariably brings something more out of them.
They went ahead for the first time in the 42nd minute, four minutes after David Clifford’s rocket shot was blocked by Frank Burns. It was short-lived, though, as Paul Murphy finished low for Kerry’s second goal four minutes later after being put in by substitute Donal O’Sullivan.
Tyrone responded well and twice stretched their advantage to two points, although the lively Donal O’Sullivan cut it to a solitary score in the 57th minute. However, no score came for the following 14 minutes and when it did it was a Ruairí Canavan free for an O’Sullivan foul on Cormac Quinn.
The Tyrone goal O’Connor referred to came not from a Tyrone limb but Shane Ryan as he swung the ball into his own net in the 14th minute trying to shield it from Brian Kennedy. However, he compensated with two fine saves, moving sharply to deny Conn Fitzpatrick in the seventh minute and Darragh Canavan in the 27th.
Kerry’s first score was Seán O’Shea’s second-minute goal, the forward easily weaving his way in from the left corner where he started the game to send a bursting shot to the net. Kerry led by three points on three occasions later in the half but a stirring finish by Tyrone restored parity at the break, 1-7 apiece.
Conceding seven goals in total against Roscommon and Mayo, Tyrone joint-manager Feargal Logan admitted to having jitters when O’Shea raised a green flag so early and easily.
“We pride ourselves in Tyrone on resilience. And we asked the boys for resilience. The goal was at the start, the heads could have went down again. The good old Tyrone resilience and pride in our county came out and the boys did exactly what was asked of them and more, so we are just delighted.
“Our goal and big Brian Kennedy putting the pressure on Shane Ryan was a big moment. Goals are critical, and if you leak two, you have to score seven points.”
Crumbs for Kerry? O’Connor wasn’t in the mood to pick up any.
“I thought the boys fought away and they didn’t have a whole lot of luck in the second half but at the moment it is not easy to see the positives. We were in a position early on to drive on and I thought we took the foot off the gas a small bit.”
Starting from Saturday week, it must be foot to the floor.
S. Ryan (1-0, own goal); M. Donnelly, D. McCurry (all frees) (0-3 each); D. Canavan, R. Canavan (frees) (0-2 each); C. Kilpatrick, C. Quinn, D. Mulgrew, J. Oguz, P. Harte (0-1 each).
S. O’Shea (1-2, 0-1 free); P. Murphy (1-0); D. Clifford (0-3, 2 frees); T. Brosnan (0-2, 1 mark); T. O’Sullivan, D. O’Sullivan (0-1 each).
N. Morgan; P. Harte, P. Hampsey (c), C. Munroe; F. Burns; C. Meyler, C. Quinn, M. McKernan; B. Kennedy, C. Kilpatrick; M. Donnelly, D. Canavan, D. Mulgrew; D. McCurry, J. Oguz.
N. Sludden for D. Mulgrew (42); N. Devlin for C. Munroe (52); R. Canavan for D. McCurry (69); R. Donnelly for B. Kennedy (70+3).
S. Ryan; G. O’Sullivan, J. Foley, T. O’Sullivan; P. Warren, P. Murphy, T. Morley; J. Barry, S. Okunbor; D. Moynihan, T. Brosnan, P. Clifford; D. Roche, D. Clifford (c), S. O’Shea.
D. O’Sullivan for D. Roche (h-t); R. Murphy for T. Brosnan (46); M. Burns for P. Clifford (54); G. Horan for S. Okunbor (inj 59).
M. McNally (Monaghan).
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