DONEGAL Under-20s suffered defeat in the Ulster Under-20 final as a Darragh Canavan goal powered Tyrone to a five-point win.
Donegal 0-9 Tyrone 1-11
By Charlie Collins at St Tiernach’s Park
Twelve minutes from the end, Canavan blasted past Ronan McGeehin to open up a seven-point lead for the Red Hands.
The son of former Tyrone star Peter, Canavan rattled the net with real authority ad the red and white ribbons could’ve been knotted then.
Canavan’s goal ensured that Paul Devlin’s Tyrone wouldn’t be reeled back in front of a disappointingly-low crowd at St Tiernach’s Park.
Canavan finished after Ethan Jordan was thwarted by a fine save from Ronan McGeehin, but the always-alert Canavan was quickest to react.
A black card for Oisin Walsh and a save by Lorcan Quinn, the Tyrone goalkeeper, to deny Aaron Doherty, proved big moments in the tide flowing for Tyrone as the game ran away from Donegal
Shaun Paul Barrett’s men finished with 13 men as Conor McHugh was black-carded and captain Luke Gavigan was sent off deep into added-on time at the end.
The teams were tit-for-tat in the opening stages and were deadlocked at 0-2 apiece after 15 minutes.
Doherty and Padraig McGettigan hit the Donegal points in between scores by Kevin Barker and Joe Oguz.
Donegal had a big let off on 18 minutes. After the Tir Chonaill men were turned over, Canavan turned on the after-burners to surge forward for Tyrone.
Canavan fed Matthew Murnaghan, whose shot was saved by McGeehin when he might have returned to the better-placed Canavan, whose brother Ruairi tormented the Donegal Under-17s earlier today in Letterkenny.
Points by Tiarnán Quinn and Ethan Jordan gave Tyrone a slender 0-4 to 0-3 interval lead.
Donegal showed two changes from the team that defeated Monaghan in The Loup last Saturday.
Kealan McGroddy and Matthew Duffy came in to take the places of Lanty Molloy and Conor McHugh as Donegal went in search of a first ever Ulster Under-20 crown.
Doherty drew Donegal level in the first minute of the second half and Keelan McGroddy briefly put them ahead.
Donegal defender Walsh was sin-binned for dragging down Canavan with a brace each from Quinn and Jordan giving Tyrone a real edge.
Nine minutes into the second half, Tyrone goalkeeper Lorcan Quinn denied Doherty with a superb full-length save. Doherty’s rasping shot was turned onto the crossbar by Quinn. It proved, along with the black card for Walsh, a huge turning point in the tale as Tyrone turned the knife when Donegal were vulnerable.
Donegal: Ronan McGeehin; Oisin Walsh, Conor O’Donnell, Paul O’Hare (0-1); Cormac Finn, Luke Gavigan (0-1), Peter McEniff; Rory O’Donnell, Richard O’Rourke; Ronan Frain, Aaron Doherty (0-3, 1f), Keelan McGroddy (0-1); Matthew Duffy, Padraig McGettigan (0-2, 1f), Ethan Harkin. Subs: Conor McHugh for O’Hare (37), Johnny McGroddy (0-1f) for Harkin (41), Eric Carr for Frain (45), Lanty Molloy for O’Rourke (53), Ryan Broagn for Walsh (55).
Tyrone: Lorcan Quinn; Cormac Quinn, Cormac Munroe, Matthew McCusker; Neil Kilpatrick, Antoin Fox, James McCann; Kevin Barker (0-1), Joe Oguz (0-2); Tomás Donaghy, Darragh Canavan (1-0), Michael Gallagher; Ethan Jordan (0-5), Matthew Murnaghan, Tiarnán Quinn (0-2, 1f). Subs: Ryan Jones for Donaghy (half-time), Simon Garrity for Gallagher (51), Liam Gray (0-1) for Oguz (55), Caolan Slevin for Jordan (60+2), Eunan Devlin for Kilpatrick (60+2)
Referee: Darren O’Hare (Down).
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