Only so many times Tyrone could be kicked before they bit back

Allianz Football League Division One round five: Tyrone 1-15 Kerry 2-9

PRIDE is a powerful tool. Tyrone’s has been more than dented lately. It’s been kicked, battered and bruised around the place for 18 months.

Their pride has been questioned plenty and even on days they said they would deliver, they haven’t. But through the week they did the questioning on the inside. They asked each other to go to the well.

To the well they went.

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The concession of goals has been the first stumbling block all year. Sean O’Shea bounces like a rubber ball through the tackles, blazes past Niall Morgan from eight yards, and the game’s first goal is exactly what Tyrone didn’t want it to be.

Yet the Red Hands kick the first half’s last three scores to go in level. They really should be ahead. Shane Ryan gifted them their goal, spilling the ball into his own net under pressure from Brian Kennedy, but the Kerry ‘keeper also made two outstanding saves to deny Conn Kilpatrick and Darragh Canavan.

Tyrone’s response was driven by Mattie Donnelly. He’s had an horrendous couple of years with injury and found himself out of the team in recent weeks, but he proved every bit of his worth with a display of pure leadership.

He kicked two first half points, the second their leveller with the last kick of the half, making it 1-7 apiece. The moment he kicked it he punched the air to himself.

You could feel Tyrone growing in confidence with each passing minute. Once they got their teeth into it, they remembered how much they like the taste of beating Kerry. They’ve only ever lost twice to them at home in the league.

Joe Oguz and Cormac Quinn both had really good days, promoting their own claims for inclusion when summer rolls around. Brian Kennedy was really good again at midfield, Conn Kilpatrick had his moments and Padraig Hampsey kept David Clifford to a single ridiculously good point.

Crucial too was the positioning of Frank Burns as the sweeper they’ve been badly missing. Kerry did bypass him on the two goals but they still looked so much more solid than in the early weeks of the league. His goal-saving block from David Clifford's rocket was a pivotal moment.

Darragh Canavan was a big factor in the second half. When he won the last free off a 70-yard hoof from Frank Burns, the Errigal Ciaran man hopped up, the jersey half ripped off him, punching the air some more.

All over the field in the dying moments, little wrestling matches breaking out. Tyrone had found their inner resolve, remembered that nobody pushes them around. Kerry have never been particularly fond of Tyrone when they’re like this.

Paul Murphy’s perfectly timed run off the shoulder of Donal O’Sullivan pierced the hosts just when they’d gotten ahead. Murphy’s finish was low and hard. Kerry led by 2-7 to 1-8.

But there would be no capitulation as in Castlebar last week. Tyrone kicked five of the next six points. Darragh Canavan’s dummy on Jason Foley wouldn’t have looked out of place in the Maracana. He had the pace and drive and directness and anger to get close enough to fist over.

Mattie Donnelly summons the same of himself, clasping Morgan’s kickout over top, muscling past Foley and settling to kick his side two up.

Kerry had qualms over the free count in the second half – “something like 14-3” said Jack O’Connor afterwards – but while David Clifford did seem hard done by on one occasion, and at a fairly vital time when a score would have levelled it, there wasn’t much else to give out about.

The confidence that had been so lacking in Tyrone had come surging up through them with the way they finished the first half. Even though Darren McCurry was kept scoreless from play in his latest battle with Tom O’Sullivan, the Edendork man still did well.

Darragh Canavan moved closer to goal as time went on. He made two big plays to win frees towards the end. The younger sibling was on and demanded the ball to kick them two clear with his first touch from one of those frees.

He missed another but Kerry were no longer threatening. Sean O’Shea had long been shut down by Peter Harte, Paudie Clifford was taken off, David Clifford was quiet. It was the sub Donal O’Sullivan who made their best fist of it in the second half.

Tyrone have given themselves a real fighting chance to stay up, having looked in real trouble just this morning. It's Monaghan in Clones and then Armagh at home to get out of it.

Their challenge now is to back it up. One big performance in March will count for little in June, but what it shows is that it’s still in them. They’ll be happy to know that at least.

MATCH STATS

Tyrone: N Morgan; M McKernan, P Hampsey, C Munroe; F Burns; C Quinn (0-1), P Harte (0-1), C Meyler; B Kennedy, C Kilpatrick (0-1), J Oguz (0-1); D Mulgrew (0-1), D Canavan (0-2); M Donnelly (0-3), D McCurry (0-3 frees)

Subs: N Sludden for Mulgrew (41), N Devlin for Munroe (52), R Canavan (0-2 frees) for McCurry (68)

Yellow cards: M McKernan (39), C Quinn (39), D Canavan (54), N Morgan (55)

Own goal: S Ryan

Kerry: S Ryan; J Foley, T O’Sullivan (0-1); T Morley; P Warren, G O’Sullivan, P Murphy (1-0); S Okunbor, J Barry; D Moynihan, S O’Shea (1-2, 0-1 free), P Clifford; T Brosnan (0-2, 0-1 mark), D Clifford (0-2, 0-1 free), D Roche

Subs: D O’Sullivan (0-1) for Roche (HT), R Murphy for Brosnan (46), M Burns for P Clifford (53), G Horan for Okunbor (58)

Yellow cards: S Okunbor (35), D Clifford (35), S O’Shea (39), P Clifford (40), T O’Sullivan (69), P Warren (75)

Referee: M McNally (Monaghan)