By Charlie Collins
Tyrone 1-17 v 0-20 Donegal
This was both teams’ third game in their Division 2B National Hurling League campaigns.
Both came in with a record of one win and one defeat, both losing their local derby games against league leaders Derry and interestingly both conceding 2-20 to their neighbours in those matches. There had been little to chose between them in recent meeting and with a top three finish in the table a priority there was plenty at stake is this encounter at O Neill’s Healy Park in Omagh.
There was little between them in the opening half here either as they traded score for score and the lead changed hands on a couple of occasions but four points in a row put Donegal three in front, but Tyrone fought back with a couple of points and at half-time Donegal led by 0-12 to 0-11.
Gerry Gilmore for Donegal and Aidy Kelly for Tyrone topped scored for their teams, while Sean McVeigh, Liam McKinney, Brian McIntyre and corner-backs Gavin Browne and Stephen Gillespie all chipped in for Donegal.
Donegal added two quick points at the start of the second-half to go three clear again, Conor Gartland and Conor O Grady adding to their list of scorers. Scores proved hard to come by for a period after this but Donegal were able to match Tyrone and moved three ahead again 0-16 to 0-13 by the 50th minute but till all to play for in the final twenty minutes.
That was very much the case when Tyrone hit the game’s first goal , corner-back Seamus Sweeney converting to bring his side back on level terms, 1-13 to 0-16 and game very much on to grab the victory in this cracking derby clash.
Joe McToal gave Tyrone the lead but Gerry Gilmore added two restore Donegal’s lead, taking his total to eight points. But Tyrone’s main man Aidy Kelly converted another free and we level again , 1-15 to 0-18 with time running out. Both teams added another point, 1-16 to 0-19 and the question was could one of them clinch the victory in the dying minutes.
Donegal grabbed the lead again with another Stephen Gillespie point in the 69th minute and with three added minutes was there time for Tyrone to reply again.
There was and it was Aidy Kelly again stepping up to level this cracker with a point to ensure a share of the spoils which was probably the fairest result given how close this game had been from start to finish.
Without doubt that goal by Seamus Sweeney was huge in such a keenly contested game.
Tyrone: Conor McElhatton, Seamus Sweeney (1-00), Ruairi Devlin, Oran McKee (0-01), Bryan McGurk, Fionn Devlin, Tiernan Morgan, Ben Gormley (0-01), James McCann, Cormac Monroe, Aidy Kelly (0-09), Joe McToal (0-03), Rory Weir (0-01), Lorcan Devlin (0-02), Turlough Mullin. Subs used: Sean Og Grogan, Mark McClean, Dean Rafferty.
Donegal: Luke White, Gavin Browne (0-01), Stephen McBride, Stephen Gillespie (0-01), Ciaran Bradley, Bernard Lafferty, Ciaran Curran, Sean McVeigh (0-01), Gerry Gilmore (0-10), Josh Cronolly McGee, Brian McIntyre (0-01), Conor Gartland (0-01), Conor O Grady (0-01), Oisin Grant (0-03), Liam McKinney (0-01). Subs used: Cathal O Brien, Sean Ward, Ruairi Campbell.
Referee: Kevin Parke (Antrim).
