So, the status quo pertains then.

The joint Tyrone-Armagh dominance of the Ulster senior football championship title since the dawn of the new millennium has been extended for another year at least after the Red Hands despatched gallant Antrim into the fourth round of the All Ireland qualifiers with an undramatic air in front of 32,632 fans at Clones yesterday.

But given that nothing matures young players quicker than molten combat, Liam Bradley’s side will take abundant positives from their endeavours against the All Ireland champions.

If Tyrone ultimately went rolling on through the front door, it was because they tended to occupy a rather different plateau in terms of cohesion, creativity and craft in what was a better final than the doomsayers had predicted.

Sure, Mickey Harte’s boys all but claimed ownership of the ball in the first-half, relenting only sporadically to allow Antrim to enjoy the odd morsel of possession.

Yet the All Ireland champions never became totally authoritative. Indeed, Antrim’s refusal to fold up their tent and depart at half-time when seemingly marooned at 1-8 to 0-5 not only ensured that they garnered considerable credibility from their second-half defiance but forced Tyrone to dig rather more deeply into their reservoir of skills to protect their image.

Antrim, having distinguished themselves against both Donegal and Cavan, knew of course they were entering uncharted territory yesterday but the sense of pride, self-belief and camaraderie they have acquired were to serve them well in the heat of battle.

That they survived with their faculties and newly-found reputation intact speaks volumes for their application and courage.

Tyrone? They were their usual clinically efficient selves, never in danger of becoming victims of a seismic shock and more than capable of countering the best that their technically inferior opponents could throw at them.

And that certainly did not involve the adoption of a cagey, synthetic game plan.

This time round Antrim deployed Terry O’Neill in attack in the first-half rather than as sweeper but when Sean Cavanagh and Kevin Hughes began to pillage effortlessly, manager Bradley amended his formation with some success after the break, withdrawing Michael McCann into the middle, sending Niall McKeever up front and introducing Ciaran Close and Kevin Niblock from the bench to good effect.

But just two Antrim points from play testified to their fraught first-half test of endurance, skipper Paddy Cunningham recording four of their five points (two-frees) prior to the break en route to an impressive eleven-point haul overall.

With their midfield largely impotent and their attack virtually imprisoned, Antrim reluctantly allowed the Red Hands to slip into their stride, their almost telepathic understanding lending a commanding demeanour to their every movement.

Sean Cavanagh’s 12th minute goal was a product straight off the training ground – a quick Brian Dooher free, a slick off-load from Stephen O’Neill and then Cavanagh receiving the ball at full tilt. With the Antrim defence shredded, the Moy man had all the time in the world to plant the ball past the helpless Peter Graham.

And at 1-4 to 0-2, Tyrone were already engaging cruise control, swatting aside Antrim’s occasional counter-attacks almost contemptuously. If Cavanagh’s goal planted an initial kernel of worry in the Saffrons’ minds, this threatened to morph into a real fear for survival when Tyrone galloped clear at 1-8 to 0-3, Cavanagh, Mulligan, Hughes and McGuigan all subsequently on target.

Stark statistics underlined Antrim’s growing predicament – just two points from frees via skipper Paddy Cunningham by the 19th minute, not one decent chance to score from play and Kevin Niblock already despatched from the bench for the ineffective Kevin Brady.

There was a crumb of comfort for Liam Bradley’s boys immediately prior to the break, though, when Aodhan Gallagher swept through for a point before skipper Cunningham landed a quickfire brace (one free) to trim Tyrone’s interval advantage to 1-8 to 0-5.

Antrim’s worrying vulnerability surfaced again immediately at the start of the second-half when Mulligan, McGuigan and Cavanagh all hit the target before three Cunningham points and another from the increasingly influential Michael McCann served to defer the inevitable.

The Saffrons, in fact, having encountered far too many road-blocks up until then in finding a route to the Tyrone posts, played with greater vigour, drive and invention in the last quarter. Michael McCann provided the dynamic for a more sustained burst of pressure but although the Cargin man joined Cunningham in keeping Antrim in touch on the scoreboard, Tyrone were not prepared to blow the deal.

Antrim’s provincial title dream may lie in ruins today — but their stunning renaissance has already hinted at a totally new life for the GAA as a whole within the county.

TYRONE: J Devine; P J Quinn, Justin McMahon, R McMenamin (0-1); D Harte (0-1), C Gormley, P Jordan; K Hughes (0-2), S Cavanagh (1-4); B Dooher (capt), T McGuigan (0-2) , Joe McMahon (0-2), M Penrose, S O’Neill, O Mulligan (0-3). Substitutes: E McGinley for McGuigan (50 mins), C Cavanagh for Dooher (54), C Gourley for McMenamin (65), B McGuigan for Penrose (67), C McCullagh for O’Neill (67). Yellow cards: McMenamin (12 mins), Cavanagh (41 mins0, McGinley (61).

ANTRIM: P Graham; C Brady, A McClean, K O’Boyle; T Scullion, J Crozier, J Loughrey; M McCann (0-2), A Gallagher (0-1); T O’Neill, K Brady, N McKeever; P Cunningham (capt) (0-11, 0-6 frees), S Burke, T McCann. Substitutes: K Niblock for Brady (26 mins), C Murray for Burke (44), C Close (0-1)for McKeever (50), D O’Hagan for O’Neill (64), S McGreevey for Graham (66). Yellow cards:Scullion (3 mins), McKeever (100, Murray (55)

Referee: P Hughes (Armagh)