All-Ireland SFC Round 2A: Tyrone 0-22 Mayo 1-18In the mad boiling scramble for the last VIP ticket straight into the All-Ireland quarter-finals, Tyrone goalkeeper Niall Morgan stood in the shade just under the main stand at Healy Park, coolly eyeing-up the two-point free that would provide one more twist in the tale.Despite the razor-tight angle, 10 metres in from the sideline, Morgan found the sweet spot, providing his familiar cameo in game-clinching moments for Tyrone. It gave them a precious one-point lead, with just over 60 seconds left to play.Rarely if ever is there a dull moment with Mayo in the football championship, and so they raged again in the chase for an equaliser – only for Aidan O’Shea to drop his shot short. There was time for one more kickout and that was it, the Tyrone supporters among the 11,921 at Healy Park erupting in equal celebration and relief.It gives Tyrone some breathing room, while Mayo go into the last melting pot of Round 3 next weekend – set to face one of Dublin, Kerry or Meath.“We always thought it would come down to the last 10 minutes or so, and that’s the way it worked out,” said Tyrone manager Malachy O’Rourke. “But I think we showed great leadership, and I suppose great courage, particularly towards the end, to get those couple of scores, and just hold on.”O’Rourke never doubted Morgan either. “He nailed the 45 first of all, and I just thought the way he came up, he was very composed, it was just a lovely strike.”Manager Andy Moran wasn’t overtly downbeat afterwards, even if at times his team were sniffing victory, and just couldn’t quite taste it.“I thought we did really well,” said Moran. “For the second game in a row the boys put absolutely everything on to the field, and sometimes you just get unlucky, and come out the wrong side of it.”Mayo's Ryan O'Donoghue and Tyrone's Michael McKernan. Photograph: Tom O’Hanlon/Inpho For long periods of this game, they looked the team more likely to get their hands on that VIP ticket. Although the sides were level 10 times in all – including seven times in the first half – Mayo got a little more of their mojo working in the last 15 minutes.A brace of excellent two-pointers from Jack Carney and then Kobe McDonald had given them a slight edge, before a particularly hectic run at the Tyrone goal just before the 55th minute mark eventually resulted in Darragh Beirne finding the net, moments after Paul Towey had his shot cleared off the line by the always alert Michael McKernan.Beirne’s goal put Mayo up 1-14 to 0-15, and they kept their noses in front until the 63rd minute, when Darren McCurry once again levelled it for Tyrone.McCurry’s introduction in the 46th minute, for Ethan Jordan, proved pivotal. He finished with 0-6, including two from play - although his second point, in the 48th minute, was disputed by a small section of the Mayo supporters as having gone wide. Moran didn’t make any issue of it afterwards.“It is what is,” said Moran. “Lads would say we got the rub of the green at other times. You are now beginning to see the new game in its full flourish. This weekend has been the tell of it. If you are a millimetre off here, and not doing the right things, you are going to get beaten. It’s as simple as that.”Moran wasn’t so sure about the free awarded to Tyrone that provided Morgan’s winner, when McKernan and O’Shea appeared to be wrestling for the ball outside the arc: “That wasn’t a free, in my opinion, in the whole game,” said Moran. “Once you carried it into traffic there you weren’t getting a free. And he didn’t seem to call the free for the initial free. He seemed to call it for the next one, which was a bit strange.”Mayo's Jordan Flynn tries to get his shot away as Conn Kilpatrick of Tyrone closes in. Photograph: Tom O’Hanlon/Inpho The sides were level seven times in the first-half, including 0-8 apiece at the break – the most clear-cut goal chances in the first half falling to Ethan Jordan, who drew a fine save from the young Jack Livingston, and Jordan Flynn, who was denied by Morgan from close-range.Both teams were in all-out attacking mood, Tyrone leading the way at first, thanks to Conn Kilpatrick, Ciarán Daly and the excellent Ronan Cassidy, with Enda Hession, Beirne and Ryan O’Donoghue showing up early for Mayo.McDonald’s energy was also driving Mayo throughout, the teenager winning a free on 65 minutes, converted by O’Donoghue, after Peter Teague shunted him off the ball.Tyrone were mostly lording midfield, however, winning 12 of Mayo’s 26 kickouts. Still, the sides went toe-to-toe until the death, Sam Callinan bursting forward to give Mayo their last advantage on 66 minutes, choosing to fist a point when the goal seemed to be beckoning.“Is the goal on?” asked Moran afterwards. “But listen, these games ebb and flow. Those are the momentum swingers and, unfortunately, we only took one [chance]. But it’s a really young dressing-room, they will learn from that, and move on.”Tyrone: N Morgan (0-1-1, one free, one 45); C Quinn, P Teague (0-0-2), J Clarke; M McKernan, N Devlin, K McGeary; B Kennedy, C Kilkpatrick (0-0-2); S O’Donnell, R Cassidy (0-0-4), C Daly (0-0-2); E McElholm (0-0-1) M Donnelly, E Jordan (0-0-2, one free, one 45). Subs: D McCurry (0-0-6 (2f) for Jordan (46 mins); F Burns for McGeary (55 mins, inj); C Bogue for Daly and L McGarrity for Donnelly (both 60 mins); D Canavan for Cassidy (67 mins).Mayo: J Livingstone; C Durcan, D McHugh, E Hession (0-0-2); S Callinan (0-0-1), D McBrien, P Durcan (0-0-1); E McGreal, J Carney (0-1-0); H O’Loughlin, C Loftus, J Flynn (0-0-1); D Beirne (1-0-2), R O’Donoghue (0-0-5, three frees), K McDonald (0-1-1). Subs: T Conroy (0-0-1) for O’Loughlin (45 mins); P Towey for Loftus (48 mins), A O’Shea for Durcan (53 mins).Referee: Brendan Cawley (Kildare).