Dominant Derry on the cusp of Christy Ring final
Derry are just one result away from another final appearance as they face Wicklow this Saturday
Tyrone 0-11 | Derry 1-30
For Derry, it is now straightforward as they head to Owenbeg this week knowing they are just one result away from another appearance in the Christy Ring Cup Final.
A commanding win over Tyrone at Eoghan Ruadh in Dungannon set Johnny McGarvey's side up perfectly in what was the perfect response to their setback against Meath last time out.
Derry followed up their win over Donegal in the first game of the competition by beating London in Ruislip 2-19, 1-18 to make it maximum points from two games, but they then fell to an unexpected defeat at home to Meath, placing even greater importance on the weekend trip to Dungannon.
It was all about focus and accuracy for the Oakleafers, who were dominant throughout, and with Cormac O'Doherty leading the way with eight points, four from frees and four from open play, Derry were always one step ahead of a Tyrone side who knew this one was in the dust long before the final whistle sounded.
The victory means that Derry’s final home clash with Wicklow on Saturday will essentially be a straight shoot-out for a place in the Christy Ring Cup final. It leaves them in second place on six points, one behind Wicklow, who caused a surprise by beating Meath 3-17 to 0-16 in Aughrim.
A draw in Owenbeg will be enough for both sides to progress, irrespective of what third-placed London, on five points, do in their final game with pointless Tyrone, but London can still overhaul the Garden county on scoring difference if, as expected, they beat Tyrone in Ruislip and the Garden county lose to Derry.
There is no advantage on the head-to-head between London and Wicklow as they drew their round-three game, while Derry have the advantage over London courtesy of their four-point win in round two.
Dominant throughout, this was exactly the response that McGarvey wanted from his team, as they cruised to a 22-point victory over a Red Hand side still without a point in the current series.
It didn't take long for the visitors to take a grip on the game and they found the net after just four minutes. A promising and swift attack ended with Ryan McGill smashing his angled shot past Conall Molloy after Ruairi O Mianain, Eamon Conway and Meehaul McGrath had combined. It was a sign of things to come with the goal a great boost to Derry's confidence.
Tyrone picked off a couple of points through Lorcan Devlin and Sean Duffin, but the Oak Leafers had built a platform at midfield, and scores from Shea Cassidy, McGill and Oisin O’Doherty had them 1-6 to 0-3 ahead by the end of opening quarter. Try as the hosts did, their was a slickness about Derry, as if they always knew this game was theirs for the taking, and they continued to pull away for the remainder of the half.
The Red Hands on the other hand struggled, and they went 20 minutes without a score, with hit 11 first-half wides not helping their cause at all, and while the visitors were also wasteful, they kept the scoreboard ticking, with Cassidy and O’Doherty helping them build up a 1-12 to 0-5 interval lead.
Callum O’Kane flashed over a couple of scores, and the excellent Ruairi O Mianain also got his name on the score-sheet as Derry continued to press in the second half, with John Mullan and McGrath dominant around the middle.
Eamon Cassidy and Darragh Cartin came off the bench to stretch the lead, with the former the 11th Derry player on the scoresheet, and Tyrone were reliant on sporadic scores from Duffin, Aidan Woods, Tiarnan Morgan and Fionn Corry to interrupt the sequence.
A frustrating day all told for the Red Hands finished poorly when they were reduced to 14 men after defender Cormac Munroe received a straight red card late on.
Elsewhere, Tyrone were relegated after their fourth successive defeat. In the unlikely event of the Red Hands winning in Ruislip at the weekend and Donegal losing to Meath, the Tír Chonaill would still stay up on the strength of their round-three win over Tyrone.
Scorers - Tyrone: S Duffin 0-4 (0-3f); L Devlin 0-3; A Woods 0-2; T Morgan & F Corry 0-1 each. Derry: C O’Doherty 0-8 (0-4f); S Cassidy 0-5; R McGill 1-1 ;C O’Kane 0-4; J Mullan 0-3; J Friel, M McGrath & D Cartin 0-2 each; R O Mianain, R Mullan & E Cassidy 0-1 each