Derry and Tyrone leave it late to earn spot in Ulster Under-20 showpiece

Shea O'Hare hit a decisive late point for Tyrone

John Campbell

Derry and Tyrone will do battle for the Ulster Under-20 Football Championship title in next Wednesday’s decider after both came through nerve-tingling Semi-Finals on Wednesday night.

The Oak Leaf side just managed to edge their way to a 1-12 to 0-14 victory over Donegal after Ryan McNicholl swooped for a last-gasp point, while Tyrone just got the better of a gallant Monaghan side on a final score of 2-9 to 0-14 after a Shea O’Hare point in the closing moments proved decisive.

When Derry trailed by 0-7 to 0-4 at the interval, it looked as if Donegal were about to impose their authority on the game but with Patrick McGurk, Cahir Spiers, Ruairi Forbes and Oisin Doherty showing the way in terms of poaching scores, the team held their nerve in a pulsating second half.

When Doherty pounced for the only goal of the game, it proved a turning point. Yet Donegal never wilted with Luke McGlynn, Patrick McIlwee, Senan Carr and Shaun Ward helping to post scores that kept their side in contention.

Indeed, two late points from Karl McGee and Kyle McNulty looked as if they might have got Donegal over the line but Conal Herron and Ciaran Chambers whipped over points before McNicholl took centre stage in flighting over what proved to be the winning score.

And it was touch and go all the way, too, between Tyrone and Monaghan. A Cormac Devlin goal in the fourth minute proved an early tonic for the Red Hands who led by 1-5 to 0-7 at half-time with Odhran Brolly, Gavin Potter and Ronan Cassidy having snapped up points while Stephen Mooney, who converted nine frees in all, almost single-handedly kept Monaghan in touch.

Yet even when Ronan Fox fired in Tyrone’s second goal at the start of the second half, Monaghan refused to bow the knee and with Fionan Carolan, Kevin Lynch and Bobby McCaul joining Mooney on the score-sheet, the border county battled until the end when O’Hare’s late, late point stamped Tyrone’s passport into the Final.

Their clash with Derry in the decider promises to be a titanic battle between two teams who between them boast some of the best young talent in Ulster. The venue for the Final, which will create huge interest, will be confirmed shortly.