Ulster MFC: Tyrone blitz All-Ireland champions

July 19, 2010

Tyrone's Eunan Deeney finds his way blocked by Armagh's Aidan Forker during the Ulster MFC final at Clones.
Tyrone captured their third ESB Ulster MFC title in four years when they destroyed All-Ireland champions Armagh in yesterday's final at Clones.

Tyrone 1-14
Armagh 0-5

The Red Hands dominated from start to the finish and killed off the game with a Ryan Devlin goal nine minutes from the end. Raymond Munroe's charges signalled the intentions by racing into a 0-4 to 0-0 lead inside eight minutes, with two of their scores coming from Ronan O'Neill.

Ryan Rafferty eventually got Armagh off the mark, but Tyrone hit back with a flurry of scores from Devlin, John McCullagh (two), Niall Sludden and Eunan Deeney to take a 0-9 to 0-2 lead into the interval. The Red Hands could have had a goal in the 20th minute, but O'Neill was just off target.

Both sides had goal chances in the second half, but Tyrone 'keeper Mark McReynolds saved from Colin Stevenson and Ryan Devlin was denied by Matthew McNeice in the Armagh goal.

Richard Donnelly converted his second '45 to extend Tyrone's lead, while midfielder Harry Og Conlon added a fisted point before Devlin sealed the deal when he side-footed to the net from Conlon's assist.

And substitute Dara Donnelly did his chances of starting the All-Ireland quarter-final no harm by scoring a couple of late points.

Tyrone - M McReynolds; S McGarrity, C Clarke, HP McGeary; N Sludden (0-1), M Donaghy, E Deeney (0-1); C Grugan (0-1), H Og Conlon (0-1); R Donnelly (0-2, two 45s), T Canavan, R Devlin (1-2); S Tierney, J McCullagh (0-2), R O'Neill (0-2, two frees). Subs: Dara Donnelly (0-2) for R Donnelly, D Quinn for Donaghy, P McNulty for McGeary, D McCurry for McCullagh, R Loughran for Conlon.

Armagh - M McNeice; R McCaughley, C Hoey, R Finnegan; D Nugent, J King, N McConville; A Findon, C Gough; M McKenna, A Forker, B Seeley; C Stevenson, P McGeown (0-2, one free), R Rafferty (0-1). Subs: D McParland for Findon, R Conlon (0-2) for McKenna, C Trainor for Seeley, Pearce Casey for McParland.

Ref: J Galligan (Cavan)

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