FL1: Dubs reel in Red Hands

February 11, 2017

Dublin's Eoghan O'Gara with Ronan McNamee of Tyrone.
©INPHO/Tommy Dickson.

Dublin hit five unanswered points in the last ten minutes to snatch a 0-10 to 1-7 draw with Tyrone at chilly Croke Park.

With an hour played, Aidan McCrory's goal had the Ulster champions in the boss seat in the wind and rain but they'd had Mark Bradley dismissed for his involvement in an off-the-ball incident with Jonny Cooper ten minutes earlier and that proved to be the turning point as the holders wriggled off the hook to extend their unbeaten sequence in league and championship to a staggering 31 games.

With 28,305 looking on, points from Dean Rock (three frees), Ciaran Kilkenny and Brian Fenton tied the scores up, with Rock's last strike arriving in the fourth of six additional minutes. The All-Ireland champions were themselves down to 14 men for the finale as James McCarthy departed injured in the 66th minute with no further substitutes available to Jim Gavin to replace him.

Mickey Harte's men - winners of the Division Two title last year - led by 0-5 to 0-3 at the end of a gruelling first half. Tyrone are also Ulster SFC and McKenna Cup holders while Dublin currently hold the league, Leinster, All-Ireland and O'Byrne Cup titles!

The Dubs were playing into a strong wind before the break and also came up against a wall of Tyrone defenders which made scores hard to come by. It was no major surprise, therefore, that no starting forward registered from play for the holders before the break - defenders Philly McMahon and Jonny Cooper grabbed points and Rock fired over a free from the ground.

Cooper and Colm Basquel were late additions to the Dublin starting XV while McCrory, Justin McMahon and Bradley all started for the Red Hands.

Peter Harte's fifth-minute free opened the scoring but McMahon got forward to equalise before Harte stroked over his second free for the wind-assisted visitors on eleven minutes and Conor Meyler added another a minute later.

The Ulster champions had Tiernan McCann black-carded midway through the first half and Rock popped over a Dublin free but Man of the Match Niall Sludden bagged a brace after returning to the fray following treatment for a blood injury. Cooper closed the first-half scoring with a fine strike on the stroke of the short whistle.

Declan McClure made it double scores three minutes after the restart and Dublin had a great chance to draw level only for Niall Morgan to deal with Rock's 39th-minute penalty and keep the Red Hands' three-point lead intact.

Rock made amends somewhat by converting his second free but the visitors moved five points clear on 47 minutes when McCrory fired a low shot to the Hill 16 net at the end of a terrific team move which went the full length of the pitch - 1-6 to 0-4!

The Red Hands were reduced to 14 men when Bradley was dismissed on 50 minutes and Rock converted his third free eight minutes later only for Sludden to quickly hit back with his third from play - 1-7 to 0-5 with eleven minutes remaining!

Points from Rock (free) and Ciaran Kilkenny left just the goal between the sides with five minutes left. And somehow you just knew that Dublin weren't going to lose.

Dublin - S Cluxton; J Cooper (0-1), P McMahon (0-1), M Fitzsimons; J McCarthy, J Small, J McCaffrey; B Fenton (0-1), M D Macauley; C Basquel, C Kilkenny (0-1), N Scully; D Rock (0-6f), E O'Gara, P Mannion. Subs: E Lowndes for C Basquel, K McManamon for M D Macauley, C Reddin for P Mannion, D Byrne for J McCaffrey, J Whelan for J Small, D Daly for J Cooper.

Tyrone - N Morgan; P Hampsey, R McNamee, C McCarron; T McCann, A McCrory (1-0), Justin McMahon; C Cavanagh, D McClure (0-1); C Meyler (0-1), N Sludden (0-3), P Harte (0-2f); M Bradley, C McShane, D McCurry. Subs: R Brennan for T McCann (BC), S Cavanagh for C McShane, J Monroe for Justin McMahon, D Mulgrew for C Meyler, C McCann for D McCurry, P McNulty for D McClure.

Referee - J McQuillan.


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