Tyrone keep Mayo at the bottom of the table
Darren McCurry dazzled at Healy Park with a 2-4 tally as Tyrone recorded their first NFL win of the season and left Mayo floundering at the bottom of the Division One table.
Mattie Donnelly weighed in with a five points haul for the Reed Hands, and Adam Gallagher’s nine points tally was not enough to save the westerners from a second straight defeat.
And in another bonus for the Red Hands, Sean Cavanagh made his first appearance of the season, coming in as a second half substitute.
McCurry set the game alight with two superb goals, picking his spot on each occasion to down James Horan’s side in front of a crowd of 6,351.
Mayo made a bright start, and created three goal chances in the opening ten minutes, but failed to take any of them.
Shane McHale sent Cathal Carolan through, but he blazed over, and Keith Higgins did likewise after being released by Kevin McLoughlin. Both players should have done better.
They had another opportunity when Carolan got in on goal, thanks to the industry of David Drake, but his effort was dealt with by ‘keeper Niall Morgan.
The sides were level at the 15-minute mark, Mattie Donnelly and Darren McCurry having slotted over Tyrone points.
And the Red Hands took control, hitting 1-4 to ease themselves into a comfortable lead.
Peter Harte and Donnelly both drilled over points, and in the 21st minute, the home side ht the games’ opening goal.
Donnelly broke the ball into the path of Peter Harte, who fed McCurry, and he picked his spot beyond the despairing reach of Rob Hennelly.
Mayo responded with a handful of scores, the pick of them from wing back Lee Keegan, with Adam Gallagher and McLoughlin also on target, but they could find no way to stop the rampant Donnelly.
All three members of the full back line had by now attempted to shackle the Trillick man, to no avail, as he brought his tally to five, all from play
Tyrone led by 1-9 to 0-6 at the interval
Tyrone led by 1-9 to 0-6 at the interval, and the quality of their finishing was maintained in the early stages of the second half, with McCurry and substitute Connor McAliskey both finding the target.
But Adam Gallagher notched five points to keep the westerners very much in touch, a seven points deficit trimmed back to two in the space of eight minutes.
Tyrone introduced Sean Cavanagh for his first appearance of the season on 50 minutes, and having gone 12 minutes without a score, they registered again through wing back Ciaran McGinley.
Goalkeeper Niall Morgan slotted over a 35 metre free, but Mayo, with the wind in their backs, responded with Gallagher’s eighth score of the afternoon.
The Ulster men struck another major blow on the 63rd minute, McCurry again the hero with another magical finish, after Ronan O’Neill and McAliskey had combined in the build-up.
N Morgan (00-01,f), A McCrory, C Clarke, B Tierney, C McGinley (00-02), P Harte (00-01), T McCann, C Cavanagh, C Grugan, E McKenna, S McGuigan, P Hughes, D McCurry (02-04, 0-1f), M Donnelly (00-05), R O'Neill (00-01,f).
C McAliskey (00-01) for Hughes (h-t), S Cavanagh for McKenna (50), Mark Donnelly for McGuigan (50), D Carlin for Tierney for Tierney (58), P McNeice for McCurry (71)
R Hennelly, K Keane, G Cafferkey, C Boyle, L Keegan (00-01), S McHale, D Drake, A O'Shea, J Gibbons, C Carolan (00-01), K Higgins (00-01), A Gallagher (00-09, 6f), K McLoughlin (00-02), A Moran (00-01), D O’Connor.
B Harrison for Boyle (h-t), B Gallagher (00-01)for O’Connor (h-t), M Conroy for Carolan (h-t), J Doherty for Cafferkey (58), A Freeman for Keegan (65)
P Hughes (Armagh)
