Brian Dooher happy with victory over Clare for nervy Tyrone

Tyrone joint-manager Brian Dooher was happy to see Tyrone pick up a first win since the Ulster quarter-final as they finished strongly to see off Clare at Omagh.

Two first-half goals from Niall Devlin had the Red Hand on top although the Banner stayed in the contest, keeping the gap to four points at the break.

That was still the difference with 20 minutes to play but from there Tyrone outscored their visitors by 1-09 to 0-02 to win at a canter, with Clare's cause not helped by a straight red for midfielder Darragh Bohannon.

"It was edgy enough all through the first half," Dooher said on RTÉ's Sunday Sport.

"A very nervous performance. We started the second half similarly but then got a few scores and got that bit of breathing space.

"They got playing more football and expressed themselves a bit more. The sending off in the last 10 minutes made a big difference as well.

"We'd like to have had more of a cushion going in at half time but it wasn't to be. To be fair to the lads they dug deep in the second half. Their backs were to the wall and they came out well."

Dooher was particularly happy with Devlin's goal-scoring exploits adding: "In the first half Niall was exceptional. He carried that through to the second half; he was exceptional.

"He was knitting things together. [He was] putting out fires at the back and getting forward and scoring. You couldn't ask any more of a corner back than that."

The defeat for Clare leaves them on the brink of exiting the championship, with a victory against Donegal later in the month the only way that they can make it to the knockout stages.

Banner manager Mark Fitzgerald reflected on a harsh lesson feeling that the game slipped away from his side in the latter stages.

"At one stage we hit the