Tyrone 3-9 Cork 0-16:TYRONE'S BATTLE for Division One survival kicked into action at Healy Park, Omagh, where three crucial goals ended Cork's unbeaten run on Saturday night.
Tyrone appeared doomed to a fourth straight loss when Cork raced into a five-point lead late in the first half, but two goals gave the home side an unlikely interval advantage. And when substitute Ryan Mellon slotted home a third, the Ulster men seized their opportunity. The return of Seán Cavanagh for his first appearance in seven months was another plus for Mickey Harte’s side.
“It was a strange game I suppose,” said Harte. “I think we opened very brightly, and went to a four-one lead. But to lose seven points in a row after that, or maybe eight, it just seemed unreal.
“And you wondered where were we going to get the energy to fix this again. But goals are very important in games. Colm Cavanagh tucked his away lovely and that gave us a real lift.
“And then getting another goal before half-time. We probably didn’t believe the position we were at half-time, given how we were five or six minutes before it.
“But that’s what persistence is about, and there’s a great belief in these men. I said that last week, and people maybe laughed at me. I said we were good enough to get out of here (relegation zone).
“And this was a tall order, you’re playing the table-toppers, and they have had a good record against us in recent times. But that was an important win in many ways, more than the two points.”
But Harte said it’s vital his players build on Saturday’s display in next weekend’s crucial clash with Galway. “So it’s a case of a job well done, a lot more to be done, and we need to build on that performance, we can’t rest on it.”
Cork manager Conor Counihan couldn’t quite believe his side had lost, after dominating lengthy spells of the game. “We’re disappointed obviously. We had our opportunities, but Tyrone took theirs,” he said.
Two Owen Mulligan points helped Tyrone open a 0-4 to 0-2 lead at the end of the first quarter.
But Cork, with Pearse O’Neill dominant in midfield, cut loose, and landed six points in as many minutes, through Colm O’Neill, Donncha O’Connor, Paul Kerrigan and Daniel Goulding.
They led by 0-9 to 0-4, but a sublime lobbed goal by Colm Cavanagh and a close-range Tommy McGuigan finish sent the home side in with a 2-5 to 0-9 lead.
Another Cork flourish saw them hit the first five points of the half, Pearse O’Neill claiming his second and Kerrigan and Goulding bringing their tallies to three. But the introduction of Cavanagh on 41 minutes signalled the beginning of another Tyrone revival, and points from Seán O’Neill, Davy Harte and Mulligan brought them level on the three-quarter mark.
Again Cork eased ahead through John Hayes, but in the 61st minute, substitute Mellon grabbed his side’s third goal, after Ken O’Halloran had saved from the excellent Aidan Cassidy.
TYRONE:J Curran; M Swift, J McMahon, C McCarron; D Harte (0-1), C Gormley (0-1), R McMenamin; A Cassidy, C Cavanagh (1-0); M Donnelly, E McCusker, R Mulgrew; T McGuigan (1-1), M Penrose (0-2, two frees), O Mulligan (0-3). Subs: S O'Neill (0-1) for Gormley 38 mins, S Cavanagh for Donnelly 41 mins, C McCullagh for Mulgrew 50 mins, R Mellon (1-0) for McCusker 50 mins.
CORK:K O'Halloran; R Carey, M Shields, E Cotter; P Kissane (0-1), B O'Regan, N O'Leary; A O'Connor, P O'Neill (0-2); P Kerrigan (0-3), D O'Connor (0-1), P Kelly; D Goulding (0-3), P O'Flynn, C O'Neill (0-5, three frees). Subs: J Hayes (0-1) for C O'Neill 55 mins, C O'Droscoll for O'Regan 65 mins, F Goold for O'Flynn 67 mins.
Referee:D Coldrick (Meath).