Tipperary manager Toomy Toomey hit out at Tyrone's tactics and the performance of referee Fergal Kelly following his side's heartbreaking All-Ireland U21FC final loss last night.

Tipp's quest for a first title in the grade fell agonisingly short in the Parnell Park mud and in an interview with RTE afterwards, Toomey was particularly sore over the decision to give Tyrone a free out instead of reversing it after Michael Cassidy was shown a second yellow card in the dying moments.

"Of course we're hurt, we've just lost an All-Ireland final," he said.

"But we'll come back out of it, I've no doubt we will. I congratulate Tyrone on their win.

"Looking at a few bits and pieces from the end of the game and maybe we could have got  a draw. But that's the referee's decision and that's how the game is played but how you measure that, I don't know.

"The referee will have to offer an explanation but they don't do they? Retaliation or whatever was done on the player after the whistle is blown, the referee usually throws up the ball but in this case he didn't."

Commenting on the controversial tactics employed by the Red Hands, Toomey added: "All along in front of us, I saw our players being hit and pushed and dragged. That to me is a different way to play football than we would.

"I shook Fergal's [Logan] hand on the field of play, just there and I waited for him when his players were coming into the dressing room late and we were leaving. We didn't want an incident and it was as simple as that, we left.

"That's the way they play but look you're not going to force me to make any sort of explanation on this. What I see is what I see on the field of play and everyone else sees it as well.

"That's all I'm saying about it. At the end of the game, in the the last 10 minutes, Tyrone are experts at winding the clock down, at goading people and that's my opinion and I'll stick to that."

Tweet

Most Read Stories