DERRY have reached the semi finals of the Ulster Senior Football Championship with a one point win over Down at Celtic Park this afternoon.
The Oak Leafers will now either play Donegal or Armagh on Saturday, June 27.
Derry had gone into the interval with a 10 point to 6 lead over the Mournemen.
But it was Down who struck first in the second half when Conor Laverty scored from open play.
Just after the interval Down were reduced to 14 men when on 37 minutes Conal McGovern was given a straight red card.
Down’s corner half-back got the red card for pushing a hand into the face of opponent Enda Lynch.
Referee Eddie Kinsella acted on the advice of umpires – but action replays showed McGovern was unlucky to get his marching orders has been unlucky.
The Burren man may have been a bit silly in the way he fended off Lynn, but it was hardly worthy of an instant dismissal.
A Mark Lynch’s free and a point from play by Eoin Brdley increased Derry’s lead to four points at 0-10 to 0-6.
But within minutes Paul Devlin delivered two accurate frees to reduce Down’s deficit to two points.
And on 53 minutes it was Paul Devlin with a free – his fifth score of the afternoon. A one-point game.
Within minutes the game was level at 0-10 each when Mourne skipper Conor Laverty scored a crucial point.
Then on 63 minutes Derry got their first point for 21 minutes as Cailean O’Boyle stretched to touch the ball over.
But that man Paul Devlin popped up again and scored a vital free for Down and the sides were level again at 11 points each as the final whistle approached.
And with the match into injury time, Eoin Bradley tapped over a simple free on 71 minutes to put Derry ahead after a foul from Down’s Daryl O’Hagan who also received a black card.
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