Penalty heartbreak for Derry U20s as Tyrone crowned Ulster champions

Derry 2-13, Tyrone 3-10

(Tyrone win 3-1 on penalties)

Derry suffered penalty shoot-out heartbreak as Tyrone were crowned Ulster U20 Football champions in a dramatic finale at the Box-It Armagh Athletic Grounds on Wednesday night.

A game Derry looked to have won on more than one occasion was finally decided by the heroics of Tyrone keeper Conor McAneny who saved spot-kicks from Niall O'Donnell, Johnny McGuckian and Patrick McGurk in a nail-biting finale. Only Ryan McNicholl found the target for Hugh McGrath's men and with Conor Owens, Cormac Devlin and Noah Grimes scoring, Tyrone had their fourth U20 title in six years.

Derry will look back on two of Tyrone's three goals which had a more than a hint of controversy about them, especially Ruairi McHugh's crucial third which arrived in the second half of extra-time and breathed new life into the Tyrone challenge just when Derry seemed to have finally wrestled control.

But this was Tyrone's day. Derry possibly able to take solace from the fact that the majority of McGrath's squad will be eligible at this grade again nest season.

The loss of James Murray to a torn hamstring at the weekend meant Derry went into the game without arguably their player of the championship thus far but Ronan Walls, who stepped in to start for Magherafelt player, proved an excellent deputy. And just as they had been the case in their Celtic Park group game, there was nothing between the teams in an evenly contested and entertaining game littered with turnovers on both sides.

Despite Tyrone going into the game as favourites, it was Derry who bossed the possession stats, the Red Hands set up to sit deep and rely on their breathtaking transition game. But it was Derry who hit the front first, O'Donnell taking a pass from McGurk to tap over a fifth minute point that was soon cancelled out by a Ronan Cassidy free.

Shea McCann was impressing for the Oak Leafers and scored a lovely solo point only to see Tyrone again respond, this time midfielder Conor O'Neill and so the dye was cast for a tit-for-tat 60 odds minutes.

Johnny McGuckian's goal in the Celtic Park game looked to have salvaged a draw in the group fixture but the Glen man didn't hang around as long this time for a major, seizing on good work by Ruairi Forbes and Danny McDermott to slot a his fourth goal of the championship with a lovely low finish.

Derry were three to the good at 1-02 to 0-02 but the lead lasted barley 60 seconds as Tyrone secured their kick-out, surged upfield where Shea O'Hare set up Joey Clarke whose shot was brilliantly saved by Callum Armstrong only for O'Hare to smash the rebound home through a crowded area.

If Derry were rattled, they didn't show it, reeling off three of the next four points after McGuckian had been denied a second goal by a fantastic low Clarke block.

O'Donnell, Oisin Doherty (f) and McCann all grabbed points either side of a Cassidy effort to give Derry a 1-05 to 1-03 lead on 21 minutes but again, any potential daylight was wiped out by a second Tyrone goal on 22 minutes.

Conor O'Neill was the architect this time, charging through to tee up McCullagh whose shot crashed down off the underside of the bar, prompting the umpire to reach for a green flag that looked anything but clear cut.

The goal edged the Red Hands back in front and it should have got even better when the move of the match, started by a great high catch by Gavin Potter, ended with Ronan Cassidy clean through on goal. However, with the goal at his mercy the full forward pulled his shot high and wide and Derry were off the hook as the sides turned around level at 1-06 to 2-03.

Danny McDermott shot Derry ahead within 30 seconds of the restart and not even a second 30 odd minutes could separate the teams. Two points was as much of a lead that either side could manufacture in that second period, Eoin McElhom grabbing a couple of lovely points for Tyrone while Oisin Doherty scored a couple of high pressure frees for Derry.

For the most part the Oak Leafers were chasing but they did get their noses in front with nine minutes left through one of those Doherty frees. McCullagh's first point of the day levelled mattered with five minutes remaining and it would be the last score of normal time, despite both sides having chances to win it during four added minutes of drama filled injury time.

And Derry got off to the perfect start in extra-time when McGill's excellent run ended with his shot just clearing the Tyrone bar, a lead that was doubled by Doherty's huge effort six minutes later A McCullagh free halved the deficit but when the ball rolled perfectly for McNicholl to slam home his second crucial score in less seven days after his injury time winning point in the Ballybofey last week, Derry looked in control.

The goal meant Derry led 2-13 to 2-09 at the break in extra-time but with one the Danny Murphy Cup, a second controversial call boosted Tyrone. Ruairi McHugh was the beneficiary this time, getting on the end of Cormac Devlin's centre to fist home but there was more than a shade of 'square ball' about the goal that breathed new life into Tyrone's championship challenge.

But if there was any doubt over Tyrone's second goal, the point that eventually forced spot-kicks had no such issues, Conor Owens stepping forward to split the posts with a beautiful outside of the boot effort worthy of a championship final. To penalties we went and Oak Leaf heartbreak.

Derry scorers: Johnny McGuckian (1-0), Ryan McNicholl (1-0), Niall O'Donnell (0-2), Shea McCann (0-2), Oisin Doherty (0-4, 3f), Ronan Walls (0-1), Danny McDermott (0-1), Rory McGill (0-2),

Tyrone scorers: Shea O'Hare (1-0), Ruairi McCullagh (1-2, 1f), Ruairi McHugh (1-0), Ronan Cassidy (0-3, 1f), Conor O'Neill (0-1), Odhran Brolly (0-1), Eoin McElhom (0-2),

Derry: Callum Armstrong, Fionn McEldowney, Shea McCann, Rory Small, Conleth McGrogan, Patrick McGurk, Danny McDermott, Ruairi Forbes, Conall Heron, Cahir Spiers, Ronan Walls, Johnny McGuckian, Niall O'Donnell, Ciaran Chambers, Oisin Doherty. (Subs) Ryan McNicholl for S McCann, HT; Rory McGill for Ciaran Chambers, 44mins; Dara McPeake for R Walls, 55mins; Tommy Rogers for C Heron, 14mins (ET); Sean Young for E Higgins 17mins (ET).

Tyrone: Conor McAneny, Joey Clarke, Ben Hughes, Conor Devlin, Shea O'Hare, Michael Rafferty, Odhran Brolly, Ronan Fox, Conor O'Neill, Cormac Devlin, Eoin McElholm, Gavin Potter, Ruairi McCullagh, Ronan Cassidy, Callum Daly. (Subs) Fiachra Nelis for C Devlin, 21mins; Ruairi McHugh for O Brolly, 42mins; Paddy McCann for R Fox, 50mins; Noah Grimes for R Cassidy, 55mins; Conor Owens for C O'Neill, HT(et); Fiachra Donnelly for M Rafferty, 14mins (ET).

Referee: Diarmuid Boylan (Monaghan)