David Clifford’s ridiculous red card was a major talking point at wet and windy Edendork, where Tyrone enjoyed a 0-14 to 0-13 win over Kerry.

The hosts had already lost Peter Harte to a second yellow when Tyrone defender Ben McDonnell wrestled Fossa clubman Clifford, who was already on a yellow, to the ground and pinned him there. Clifford held his arms up to show that he wasn’t retaliating but the outcome was the usual as Longford referee Fergal Kelly opted to give both men a yellow card following a consultation with his umpires.

Kerry’s main threat was gone with four minutes remaining plus a substantial amount of stoppage time and – inspired by the outrageous accuracy of Darren McCurry (0-6) – the O’Neill County prevailed by the odd point from 27.  

Playing with the advantage of a strong wind, the visitors bossed the first half and Tyrone failed to register from play during that period but frees from Edendork clubmen Niall Morgan (3) and McCurry ensured Mickey Harte’s men were only four adrift at the short whistle, 0-8 to 0-4.

The game was switched to Pairc Arthur Mallon after Healy Park failed a pitch inspection this morning in the wake of Storm Ciara and it has to be said conditions at the alternative venue remained nevertheless far from ideal for football.

Wind behind him, Sean O’Shea opened the scoring with a close-range free from his hands in the second minute but the Red Hands hit back with a trademark pointed long-range Morgan free seven minutes later. Visiting captain Clifford restored the Kingdom’s advantage and the 21-year-old clipped over a free to make it 0-3 to 0-1 after twelve minutes, O’Shea quickly tacking on another free as the gap went out to three.

Micheal Burns’s excellent effort was cancelled out by McCurry (free) and Morgan executed a superb save with his feet to deny Paul Geaney a Kerry goal, Clifford’s quickfire brace edging the Munster champions five clear with eleven minutes left before the break.

Kerry's David Clifford fumes at the umpire. ©INPHO/Bryan Keane.

Playing with composure on his home patch, Morgan speared over two more sublime frees either side of an O’Shea one to keep the Red Hands in touch as the sides switched ends.

Rory Brennan and Conor Meyler (advanced mark) quickly halved the gap upon the restart and Tyrone sprung Cathal McShane from the bench with half an hour to play, McCurry and Tiarnan McCann slotting the points that made it eight apiece after 44 minutes.

Having conceded five in a row, the Kingdom replied through a whipped Clifford effort off his left but McShane won and converted the softest of frees in the 50th minute to make it 0-9 each. Morgan’s fourth converted free fired the border county ahead for the first team at the three-quarters stage, Clifford replying from a textbook advanced mark.

McCurry’s 40-metre free restored Tyrone’s lead but the pendulum appeared to swing against them when Peter Harte was sent off for a second yellow-card offence eleven minutes from the end. However, another McCurry free doubled the difference and, as tempers flared, Ronan McNamee and Jack Barry were black-carded, Kerry talisman Clifford controversially sent off for a second yellow card after tangling with McDonnell (yellow). As he left the field, the incensed Kerry captain gave the referee and the umpires a piece of his mind.

Sean O’Shea’s free halved the deficit but in the early seconds of seven minutes of injury time McCurry thumped an inspirational sideline kick from the right wing onto the roof of the net from all of 50 metres.

O’Shea (2) and McCurry (advanced mark) traded late, late frees and the home team held on for victory in another Tyrone – Kerry game full of talking points.

Tyrone - N Morgan (0-4f); N Kelly, R McNamee, L Rafferty; T McCann (0-1), R Brennan (0-1), P Harte; C Cavanagh, C Kilpatrick; K McGeary, N Sludden, D McCurry (0-6, 3f, 1sl, 1m); D Kerr, F Burns, C Meyler (0-1m). Subs: C McShane (0-1f) for D Kerr, K Coney for N Kelly, B McDonnell for C Kilpatrick, HP McGeary for F Burns, M Cassidy for T McCann.

Kerry - S Ryan; J Foley, T Morley, G O’Sullivan; P Murphy, G Crowley, G White; L Kearney, J Barry; M Burns (0-1), S O’Shea (0-6, 5f), S O’Brien; K Spillane, D Clifford (0-6, 2f, 1m), P Geaney. Subs: D Moynihan for S O’Brien, T O’Sullivan for K Spillane, D O’Connor for M Burns, T Walsh for L Kearney, T Brosnan for G White.

Referee: F Kelly.

See the latest standings from the Allianz Football League here.

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