All-Ireland SFC Phase 1 Quarter-Final

TYRONE 0-17 ROSCOMMON 0-13

By Daragh Small at Dr. Hyde Park

Tyrone defeated Roscommon for the second year running in the All-Ireland Quarter-Final series but were made work much harder at Dr Hyde Park than Croke Park last year.

Mickey Harte’s men were 18-point winners 12 months ago and although they couldn’t repeat that margin, they still had too much for a gallant Roscommon side.

Tyrone got on top in the second half and with Cathal McShane outstanding - he scored a personal tally of 0-8 - they had sufficient firepower to get off to a winning start.

Roscommon did well in the first half, but they still went in trailing by 0-8 to 0-6 at half-time after a tense opening 35 minutes.

The hits were hard and play was frantic at times but Tyrone held their nerve and took more of their chances as Roscommon were made to work harder for their scores.

Brian Kennedy scored Tyrone’s first point in the seventh minute after they had squandered a few good efforts, with Frank Burns going forward to double their lead and settle them. Roscommon didn't panic and the huge home crowd were in full voice as Niall Daly sent over their first point in the ninth minute.

But McShane quickly cancelled that out from a free and at the other end Tyrone goalkeeper Niall Morgan made fantastic saves to deny Cathal Cregg and Enda Smith.

Roscommon captain Smith pointed before Niall Sludden’s first point. The dynamic Tyrone centre forward was all over the field in the first half and he ended it with three points.

Conor Cox scored a brilliant effort to reduce the arrears to 0-4 to 0-3 at the end of the first quarter but he made little headway against the tight Tyrone defence.

Sludden responded with a second point and after Cox dropped his first free short, McShane doubled his free tally. 

Roscommon were still battling and Murtagh grabbed a deserved point from a free but Sludden scored again and then Cathal Cregg and substitute Brian Stack found the range for Roscommon.

But McShane pushed his side two in front approaching break. Try as they might Roscommon couldn’t find a way through at the end of the half, and Cox’s free went short as referee David Coldrick blew the half-time whistle.

Murtagh scored straight away afterwards, and after McShane and Darren McCurry did likewise, Cox finally scored his first free.

McShane was making his presence felt and he scored his first from play but Murtagh swung over a beautiful free from wide on the right. 

Killoran brought Roscommon within one point again, but they didn't score again until the 64th minute as Tyrone took control.

Tyrone went for the kill with a couple of points each from Mattie Donnelly and McShane, as well as Peter Harte’s score put the game beyond Roscommon.

They would have wrapped it up earlier but Roscommon goalkeeper Darren O'\Malley did well to deny McShane after a defensive mistake, while Peter Harte blasted a shot off the crossbar.

Goalkeeper Malley ended an 18-minute barren spell with a point from a free for Roscommon but Tyrone were never really threaten as the All-Ireland finalists got their All-Ireland Quarter-Final series campaign off to a flying start.

Scorers for Tyrone: Cathal McShane 0-8 (0-5f), Niall Sludden 0-3, Mattie Donnelly 0-2, Brian Kennedy 0-1, Frank Burns 0-1, Darren McCurry 0-1, Peter Harte 0-1

Scorers for Roscommon: Diarmuid Murtagh 0-4 (0-3f), Conor Cox 0-2 (0-1f), Brian Stack 0-1, Cathal Cregg 0-1, Enda Smith 0-1, Niall Daly 0-1, Shane Killoran 0-1, Darren O’Malley 0-1 (0-1f), Andrew Glennon 0-1.

TYRONE: Niall Morgan; Hugh Pat McGeary, Ronan McNamee, Rory Brennan; Michael Cassidy, Frank Burns, Michael McKernan; Colm Cavanagh, Brian Kennedy; Matthew Donnelly, Niall Sludden, Conor Meyler; Peter Harte, Cathal McShane, Darren McCurry. Subs: Ben McDonnell for Kennedy (29), Kieran McGeary for HP McGeary (31), Richard Donnelly for McDonnell (51), Pádraig Hampsey for Cassidy (51), Connor McAliskey for Sludden (61).

ROSCOMMON: Darren O’Malley; David Murray, Sean Mullooly, Conor Daly; Ronan Daly, Conor Hussey, Niall Daly; Tadgh O’Rourke, Shane Killoran; Hubert Darcy, Cathal Cregg, Niall Kilroy; Diarmuid Murtagh, Conor Cox, Enda Smith. Subs: Brian Stack for Darcy (26), Colin Compton for Hussey (48), Donie Smith for Cregg (51), Fintan Cregg for Killoran (62), Andrew Glennon for Cox (63).

Ref: David Coldrick (Meath).