Harte hails mountainous comeback

So much to talk about, but Mickey Harte cuts straight to the chase. "I'm not happy at all at conceding 4-8," says the Tyrone manager. "No one could be happy with that. And it was crushing to concede the fourth goal."

Certainly, if the goals are taken from Down's total then Tyrone would have produced the sort of winning performance that would have them taking about All-Irelands. But taking out the goals would also have deprived the Ulster final of one of finest and certainly most exciting contests in several years.

"Well I suppose my boys did it without goals," adds Harte. "They got the one penalty but all the rest came from points. So I would have to be happy as well that my team scored 1-17, and come back to draw when they were staring defeat in the face.

"But still, that fourth goal was a real blow. Where do you go from there? It was like climbing the top of a mountain and when you get to the top you fall off, and have to climb it again."

In climbing up again, however, Harte was impressed by the character shown by all his team.

"The way they showed that was, to me, more important than the victory. People always question the character of Tyrone teams, and if this team has grown up yet. I'm not saying we've suddenly come of age but we're getting to grow old, very slowly. It's hard work at times but I'm enjoying it.

"And it was a total team game, and on certain days people will always excel. But we'd been waiting on a big game from the likes of Brian McGuigan and when it was needed it, that second half, he came out and showed his colours.

"I thought there was leadership all over the field. Philip Jordan came into the game very much and Cormac McAnallen was always there to steady us. Everybody played their part and I don't think you could fault any of the Tyrone players out there today."

Down manager Paddy O'Rourke is in no way surprised by the nature of Tyrone's response, but he just didn't think they would get all the way back.

"I knew they would come back at us," he says, "but I felt we had got far enough in front to stay in front of them.

"Still we've grown up a lot today and learnt a few hard lessons. And I can remember at least three scores that we handed to Tyrone with silly mistakes. But if we can learn from them I think the next game will be very different again."

The loss of Gregory McCartan to a red card was the one big disappointment for O'Rourke. "I thought it was a very harsh decision. Obviously, he shouldn't have thrown the ball back at the man, but he didn't mean to hit him in the face. It was a stupid thing to do but I felt it was jumped ball situation. So I think it was a very, very harsh decision."

Scoring four goals in an Ulster final would normally be enough to win, yet O'Rourke is looking forward to the replay even if goals might not be as easy to come by.

"Of course that will be difficult. But we're looking forward to another chance. We'll take a little more confidence from this game and we'll come back and give it another crack.

"But when the fourth goal went in, I thought that was it. It should have been it. We should have been able hold it out. But there's a lot of talent in that Tyrone team and they kept coming at us and at us. I don't think they had too many wides in the end. And they have a fierce scoring threat in their forward line."

For Down captain Sean Ward the loss of such a large advantage was explained somewhat by the difficult playing conditions. "To come that close, and let it slip, is hard. But in the heat out there it was hard, and with 14 men we knew Tyrone would come back. We still have great self belief. But we're not dreaming either and we know that it's going to be a big challenge the next day."