Sludden is the star as Tyrone ease drop fears
Donegal lose early initiative with tough tests still in store
TYRONE picked up two valuable points from last night’s big relegation clash, beating derby rivals Donegal by six points in a tense encounter that illustrated all that was at stake.
Goals from Niall Sludden and Mark Bradley either side of halftime did the trick for Mickey Harte’s side, who can breath a little more easily this weekend.
Both sides went into a crucial tie with just two points from four rounds of Allianz League games, and it’s Donegal who now face a massive fight to retain their Division 1 status, with difficult games against Monaghan and Mayo still to come.
Donegal suffered a major prematch blow with the loss of the League’s top scorer Paddy McBrearty, who had contributed 30 points in four games.
But Michael Murphy’s deployment as an out-and-out attacker meant the visitors were not lacking in finishing power.
However, the All-Ireland winning skipper failed to score from play, and still has some way to go on his way to returning to complete match fitness.
Tyrone bagged the points, but it remains to be seen whether they have turned a corner in what has been a testing campaign.
No doubt, however, they will travel to Castlebar next weekend with a pep in their step and a belief that they can secure survival in the top flight.
Odhrán MacNiallais and Mark Bradley traded early points, before a Mark McHugh gem eased the visitors ahead for a second time.
Declan Bonner’s men were playing on the front foot, with Hugh McFadden and MacNiallais always looking for ways to create openings, a significant departure from the style of play implemented by the new manager’s predecessors Jim McGuinness and Rory Gallagher.
It may have been lacking in fluency at times, but the finishing was often spectacular, with midfielder MacNiallais sending a mighty 50-metre effort sailing between the posts.
Tyrone showed no signs of departing from their defensive approach, with all 15 men often in their own half, yet they could do nothing to prevent Murphy and corner back Eoghan Bán Gallagher from adding further scores as Donegal eased into a double scores lead, 0-6 to 0-3, by the end of the opening quarter.
But the Red Hands were always dangerous on the breakaway, with the pace of Frank Burns, Cathal McShane and Niall Sludden driving their counter-attacks.
Lee Brennan steered over a couple of scores, and a Connor McAliskey free left just a point between the sides by the 26th minute.
Sludden launched another raid that led to his side being awarded a penalty in the 31st minute, the Dromore man getting on the end of the move before being hauled down by goalkeeper Shaun Patton as neared the goal.
Referee David Coldrick had no hesitation in awarding the penalty, but remarkably failed to sanction the keeper for what appeared to be a blatant black card offence. To compound matters for the Red Hands, Peter Harte sent the kick wide.
However, the home side did get a goal on 35 minutes, and it was Sludden who got on the end of another swift move from deep, finishing low past Patton to give his side the lead for the first time, 1-5 to 0-7, at the break.
And they had the ball in the net for a second time less than two minutes into the second half.
It was a stroke of Mark Bradley genius that set the game alight. He played a one-two with Cathal McShane, before wrong-footing Leo McLoone with a delightful side-step, before his shot was planted accurately past the Donegal netminder.
Two Connor McAliskey frees pushed them into a six points lead, and suddenly they were a team transformed, playing with a greater attacking thrust and committing extra bodies to attack.
The influence of MacNiallais had now waned significantly, while Murphy was struggling to escape the
tight marking of Pádraig Hampsey, as Donegal were made to live off scraps. But suddenly they found the spark again, and crafted a 53rdminute goal with Gallagher crossing for MacNiallais to palm home after Jamie Brennan had mace an incisive run through the heart of the Tyrone defence.
Stephen McBrearty came off the bench to shoot a fine point, and the Donegal men had their tails up, having rediscovered that spirit of adventure that had seen them promise so much early on, with Ryan McHugh probing and prompting.
Eamon Doherty and Hugh McFadden both found the target from long range, and going into the final ten minute strait, they trailed by just two.
But Tyrone had another gear, and they put the issue to bed with an impressive late flourish which yielded scores from Brennan, McShane and Harte, and a huge collective sigh of relief around Healy Park where relegation worries have been somewhat eased.
Tyrone: N Morgan; HP McGeary (M McKernan 48), P Hampsey, C McCarron; C Meyler (R Brennan 73), F Burns, M Donnelly; C Cavanagh, P McNulty (K McGeary 56); P Harte, N Sludden, C McShane (C McCann 70); L Brennan, C McAliskey (D Mulgrew 62) M Bradley (D McCurry 66).
Scorers: L Brennan (4f) 0-5, N Sludden, M Bradley 1-1, C McAliskey (3f) 0-3 N Morgan (f), C McShane, P Harte 0-1.
Donegal: S Patton; C Morrison, S McMenamin, E Ban Gallagher; T McClenaghan (M McElhinney 41), C Ward (F McGlynn 56), E Doherty; H McFadden, O MacNiallais (M Langan 76); L McLoone, R McHugh, M McHugh (S McBrearty 48); C Thompson (D Ó Baoill 41), M Murphy, J Brennan (N O’Donnell 63).
Scorers: O Mac Niallais 1-2, M Murphy (3f) 0-3, M McHugh, E Ban Gallagher, E Doherty, H McFadden, S McBrearty 0-1
referee: D Coldrick (Meath).