Fermanagh 0-12 Tyrone 1-09
Fermanagh avoided relegation in a 0-12 to 1-9 Allianz Football League Division 2 draw with Tyrone at Brewster Park.
Barry Tierney fired in a 10th-minute Tyrone goal, and both teams lost key attackers to black cards, as Tomas Corrigan and Sean Cavanagh were dismissed.
Sean Quigley hit two late points to narrow the gap, and the Red Hands led by 1-4 to 0-6 at the interval.
Ryan Lyons sent Fermanagh three clear, before Tiernan McCann levelled, and the game ended with the Erne men playing the possession game to hold on for a vital point.
Tomas Corrigan had the ball over the bar inside 25 seconds, but Tyrone centre back Rory Brennan levelled with a superb effort.
Sean Cavanagh missed a goal chance, but the Red Hands did hit the net in the tenth minute.
Richie Donnelly held the ball up until Barry Tierney arrived at pace, timing his pass perfectly for the wing back to bury his shot low to the net.
And the visitors pushed ahead with scores from Darren McCurry and Ronan O’Neill, leading by 1-2 to 0-3 at the end of the opening quarter.
Tomas Corrigan, the only Erne forward to have scored by this stage, was black-carded in the 24th minute, but Tyrone also lost a key player to a black card, Sean Cavanagh sanctioned four minutes later.
And the Erne men hit three of the last four points of the first half, with Sean Quigley, who had been playing extremely deep, hitting two, and Paul McCusker also on target.
Tyrone led by 1-4 to 0-6 at the interval, but Fermanagh went back in front for the first time since the second minute when Ryan Lyons landed a superb point, before Quigley converted another free.
Both sides had goal chances but Tyrone sub Mark Bradley and Fermanagh midfielder Barry Mulrone both shot wide.
But with Eoin Donnelly and Ryan Jones on top in the battle for possession around midfield, and Damian Kelly and Marty O’Brien pushing forward at every opportunity, the Erne men forged ahead with scores from Lyons, Daniel Teague and Donnelly.
Three points clear going into the final 15 minutes, they now had their fate very much in their own hands, but the Red Hands fought back to go level through Tiernan McCann.
Substitute Pat Cadden edged Pete McGrath’s side back in front, and despite being hauled back by Ronan O’Neill, they were happy to play a possession game and take the point.
Fermanagh: C Snow, M Jones, C Cullen, M O’Brien, D McCusker, J McMahon, D Kelly (0-01), E Donnelly (0-01), B Mulrone, P McCusker (0-01), R Jones, R Lyons (0-02), D Teague (0-01), S Quigley (0-03, 2f), T Corrigan (0-02, 1f).
Subs: R Corrigan for Corrigan (BC, 24), C Flaherty for Lyons (52), A Breen for McCusker (55), P Cadden (0-01)for Teague (58)
Tyrone: M O’Neill, A McCrory, R McNamee, C McCarron, B Tierney (1-00), R Brennan (0-01), HP McGeary, C Cavanagh, M Donnelly, P McNulty, R O’Neill (0-02, 1f), R Donnelly (0-02), D McCurry (0-01, f), S Cavanagh, C McAliskey.
Subs: M Bradley (0-01, f) for S Cavanagh (BC 28), T McCann (0-01) for McGeary (40), N Sludden (0-01) for McCurry (44), C Clarke for McNulty (54)
Referee: A Nolan (Wicklow)
