Harte 'very happy' with Tyrone's progress

The entrance fee alone was worth watching Stephen O'Neill score from either foot and from either sideline as Mickey Harte's Tyrone beat Kildare 2-15 to 2-11 to reach the Allianz League Division 1 final.

Harte 'very happy' with Tyrone's progress

The entrance fee alone was worth watching Stephen O'Neill score from either foot and from either sideline as Mickey Harte's Tyrone beat Kildare 2-15 to 2-11 to reach the Allianz League Division 1 final.

But the result was by no means a forgone conclusion after Kildare led by a point at the break having put scoring chances wide.

"It was strange," said Tyrone boss Harte of the first half in which Mattie Donnelly's seventh-minute goal saw them move four points clear before Kildare fought back to lead 1-6 to 1-5 at the break.

"It was a strange performance. I suppose the fact that we were only a point down at half-time, we were happy enough with that because at one stage they made the swing from maybe being two or three down to two up."

But shooting 1-1 at the start of the second half gave Tyrone the lead and when Kildare came close, O'Neill was on hand to produce the quality needed to give the Red Hands victory.

It was that quality that Kildare supremo Kieran McGeeney said there is no defence against, while he also conceded that his side were guilty of some poor misses.

"It's disappointing," he said afterwards. "We probably had more scoring chances than they had (and) even the chances they didn't have they took.

"When we were in front of the posts, we dropped it short. Things like that, they're killers. Even for two points when goals were on, maybe we need to be a bit more ruthless at finishing it off."

Tyrone will face Dublin in the league decider and may have to do so without Peter Harte who suffered an injury that sees him as a doubt for the Championship.

But for Harte a first league title in ten years is his focus before preparing for Donegal in the Ulster Championship.

"I'm very happy to be there (in the league final), it's the first time in 10 years. I'll take that," he added.

"We want to be winning games and playing competitive matches at this time of year. If that affords someone else the opportunity to look at you well so be it. I think it's a better environment to be in."

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