Tyrone SF final/ Errigal Ciaran 0-12 Carrickmore 1-9: Kevin McNally showed a steely nerve to smash home a stoppage-time penalty and send a gripping final to a replay.
Carrickmore were on the brink of surrendering their crown to a Peter Canavan-inspired Errigal when the sure-footed McNally came to the rescue. So, the champions' three-in-a-row bid is still alive, only just, and these great rivals will have to do it all again at Healy Park on Sunday week.
Canavan scored a handsome tally of nine points, and it would have been a travesty had he finished on the losing side.
Eight of the All Star attacker's scores came from frees, but each one was as precious as the next as his side battled for a sixth title.
Errigal failed to make their early superiority count. Damien McDermott and Peter Canavan contributed points inside the opening five minutes, but they failed to score in the next quarter of an hour as Carrickmore warmed to the task.
Mark Donnelly started to run with menace at a nervous Errigal defence, hitting two points on the run, and Michael Gallagher also hit the target twice as the champions eased into a 0-5 to 0-3 lead.
Errigal lost All-Ireland-winning goalkeeper John Devine to injury, but they succeeded in turning things around in the final 10 minutes of the half, despite a solid defensive effort from Carrickmore, who had veteran skipper Ronan McGarrity in inspired form at centre back.
Adrian O'Donnell and Canavan were on target to bring Errigal level on 0-5 each, but it was the title-holders who forced the issue after the break, and as the game entered its final quarter, they were 0-9 to 0-7 ahead.
Suddenly, Errigal came alive, and Canavan thumped over four points in eight minutes, including a delightful effort from play to ease his side back in front.
And when centre back Paul Quinn squeezed over a late score to open up a three-point gap in the final minute, his team had one eye on the O'Neill Cup. But never-say-die Carrickmore produced one desperate last effort and Ciarán McAleer won the penalty that McNally drilled past sub goalkeeper Brian McAnenly.
CARRICKMORE: P McCallan; P Daly, C Fox, K Gormley; C McAleer, R McGarrity (0-1), P Hughes; G McCallan (0-1), C McGurk; R McNally, B Gormley, M Gallagher (0-3); K McNally (1-1), 1-0 pen), M Donnelly (0-2), B Daly (0-1, free). Subs: F Magill for Daly, S McCallan for McGurk.
ERRIGAL CIARÁN: J Devine; Emmet McGinley, Cormac McGinley, D Neill; D Harte, P Quinn (0-1), Ciaran McGinley; Pascal Canavan, P Loughran; A O'Donnell (0-1), T Hackett, E Gormley; D McDermott (0-1), Enda McGinley, Peter Canavan (0-9, 0-8 frees). Subs: B McAnenly for Devine, J Kelly for Loughran, M Loughran for Gormley.
Referee: M Hughes (Donaghmore).
