Despite an 11-point winning margin, Tyrone went away from Croke Park yesterday concerned about their 20 wides against a disappointing Leitrim in the first All-Ireland minor football champion ship semi-final.
Joint manager Father Gerard McAleer had no difficulty forgiving the prodigious waste. "It was difficult for them in the wake of the bombing," he said. "Many of them go to school in Omagh and they were a little nervous. I am certain that we will be better prepared come the All-Ireland final."
Tyrone's finishing enabled a naive Leitrim team to stay in the match with something of a shout for longer than they deserved - Tyrone's application and control gave them a pronounced territorial advantage.
Tyrone also produced one of the best goals at Croke Park in years. That score, from late call-up Martin Hughes, after 16 minutes killed off the challenge of a Leitrim team fraught with uncertainty and retarded by a lack of initiative.
Hughes's brilliant score, set up by Ryan Mellon, took Tyrone to a score, 1-5 to 0-1, that reflected their dominance.
The Tyrone reshuffling that was forced by the injury to midfielder Kevin Hughes worked particularly well.
Martin Hughes (no relation) was drafted in to lead the attack, with Eoin Mulligan moving back to partner Cormac McAnallen in midfield.
"Its one thing we are blessed with - strength in depth on the bench," said Father McAleer.
The first indication of Leitrim's inability to unhinge the Tyrone defence came after five minutes, when Terry Kelleher should have scored a goal rather than a point.
Demoralisingly, this was followed by Shane Canning's wide from a close free.
Canning redeemed himself in the 19th minute by knocking the sweetest of penalty kicks into Pascal McConnell's net.
This morale boosting score was followed up by a point from wing back Barry McKiernan five minutes from half-time. Remarkably, Leitrim were still in the game and Tyrone had reason to rue their inaccuracy.
Late points by McAnallen, Aidan Lynch and Steve O'Neill enabled Tyrone to lead by 1-8 to 1-2 at halftime - but the six-point advantage could have been 15.
Leitrim manager Pat Prior was right when he said his team never gave up the hunt.
The reality, however, was that Leitrim continued to depend on breakaways and they could salvage only one further point, from corner forward Morgan Shanley.
TYRONE: P McConnell; G Devlin, M McGee, F Loughran; C Meenagh, D O'Hanlon, P O'Neill (0-1); C McAnallen (0-2), E Mulligan (0-2, one free); G Wylie, M Hughes (1- 2), S O'Neill (0-1); A Lynch (02), E McGinley (0-1), R Mellon (0-3).
LEITRIM: E Lyons; S Maguire, J McKeon, M McGuinness; P McGarry, P Casserley, B McKier nan (0-1); G McCloskey, D O'Callaghan; D Crowe, S Canning (1-0 pen), M Duignan; M Shanley (0-1), T Kelleher (0-1), J McGuinness. Subs: J McGuinness (Bornacoola) for B McKiernan, 49 mins, S Rehill for John McGuinness (Mohill) 56, M Foley for M Shanley 55.
Referee: S McCormack (Meath).
