Tyrone defeated Kerry by five points in a Healy Park tie largely irrelevant to the Allianz League standings, with both sides already safe going into the game.
The home side didn’t take the lead until first half stoppage time, but a solid second half display saw them score a morale-boosting pre-championship success over their fierce rivals.
Declan McClure’s late goal sealed a closely fought encounter, but defeat will not cause too many sleepless nights in the Kingdom, who kept a number of their key players in reserve.
But it was an encouraging result for the Red Hands, who have managed to put a couple of positive results together at Healy Park, the venue for their Ulster SFC opener against Monaghan on 20 May.
In front of a crowd of 6,115, Kerry wing back Cormac Coffey landed a long range effort early on, and they went back in front through Killian Spillane, after Division One’s top scorer Lee Brennan had got the Red Hands off the mark.
Mattie Donnelly, scorer of four fine points from play against Mayo a week earlier, spent most of the opening half inside his own half as the hone side set up defensively, often channelling 14 players back to within their own 45 metre line.
Kerrey moved the ball with fluency, using their traditional foot-passing game to effect, and their finishing was clinical as they moved into a 0-5 to 0-2 lead b the 15th minute, with Daithi Casey and Spillane, from a free, thumping over long range efforts.
As Tyrone built from deep, Jason Foley and Mark Griffin defended solidly, holding the Red Hands scoreless for 12 minutes, before Brennan slotted over a free.
Kerry’s movement caused significant problems to a back-tracking Tyrone rearguard, and they crafted a delightful score, with Kevin McCarthy’s purposeful run sending Stephen O’Brien in for a tidy finish.
Johnny Buckley followed up with another long range effort, and a Michael Burns score on the half-hour had them 0-9 to 0-6 ahead.
But in the closing stages of the half, Tyrone committed more men to the attack, with Donnelly, Peter Harte, Rory Brennan and Ronan McNabb making support runs.
They kicked five of the last six points, with Donnelly curling over a gem, and Cathal McShane stepping round Griffin to blaze over the bar when he could well have netted.
Goalkeeper Morgan converted a 45 metre free, and Lee Brennan’s stoppage time free gave them the lead for the first time and a 0-10 to 0-9 interval lead.
Kerry came out for the second half with intent, with Spillane and Buckley adding to their tallies, but with McShane and Brennan also continuing to find the target, the Munster men were unable to get their noses back in front.
They went level three times in the opening ten minutes of the second half, but Brennan’s accuracy from placed balls favoured Tyrone’s cause, with Frank Burns further enhancing his growing reputation with an eye-catching display at the back.
Peter Harte emerged as a major figure following a quiet opening half, setting up the scores that kept his side in front, and in the 56th minute, Tadhg Morley dragged down substitute Conor Meyler for a penalty, which Ronan O’Neill kicked wide.
But the Ulster champions did hit the net in the 58th minute when Harte and McShane combined for midfielder McClure to palm home.
Tyrone: N Morgan (0-01, f); C McCarron, R McNamee, A McCrory; R McNabb, F Burns, R Brennan; D McClure (1-01), C McShane (0-03); M Donnelly (0-01, P Harte, C McCann (0-01), K McGeary (0-01), L Brennan (0-05, 4f), R O’Neill (0-03, 3f).
Subs: D Mulgrew for McGeary (52), C Meyler for McCann (55), P Hampsey for McCrory (59), C McAliskey for Meyler (61), M McKernan for Hampsey (63), B Burns for F Burns (70)
Kerry: B Kelly; B O Beaglaoich, J Foley, T O’Sullivan; C Coffey (0-01), M Griffin, M Geaney (0-01); J Barry, D Moran; M Burns (0-01), D Casey (0-01), K McCarthy; K Spillane (0-05, 5f), J Buckley (0-02), S O’Brien (0-02).
Subs: E O Conchuir for Burns (h-t), T Morley for Geaney (h-t), B O’Sullivan for Casey (60), M Flaherty (0-01) for Buckley (68), G Horan for Moran (68)
Referee: M Deegan (Laois)
