Derry edged through to the Dr McKenna Cup final by beating Down 3-2 in a penalty shootout after a gripping semi-final at Pairc Esler in Newry.
Both teams had a man sent off in the second half of a match that finished Down 3-9 Derry 1-15.
Conor Doherty scored the winning penalty for the Oak Leafers after keeper Odhran Lynch had saved Down’s first two spot-kicks.
Derry will play Tyrone in the final at the Athletic Grounds next Saturday.
They were on the verge of losing to Down until the prolific Shane McGuigan, who was excellent throughout, equalised from a free with the last touch of the game in the fifth minute of injury time.
That came just a minute after Down looked to have edged the match with a Barry O’Hagan free after Derry’s Chrissy McKaigue was shown a red card midway through the second half for raising his hands to Ceilum Doherty and Down’s Ryan McEvoy leaving the pitch early for two yellow cards.
The Oak Leafers took a 1-8 to 1-6 lead into the interval of a feisty encounter that saw players from both sides clashing just before the throw-in.
Derry scored the opening goal of the game on 16 minutes when Padraig Cassidy took advantage of the Down defence standing off, allowing him the space to fire past goalkeeper John O’Hare to put his side 1-2 to 0-3 ahead.
Down responded with their first goal just before the hour mark when Niall Donnelly profited from Derry giving away possession before finding the net with a well-taken strike.
Conor Laverty’s side made a bright start to the second half, scoring two goals in the opening eight minutes, the first from Donnelly who grabbed his second immediately after the restart.
When Ceilum Doherty then scored on 43 minutes, overlapping down the left before slotting home, it put Down 3-6 to 1-8 in front but Derry replied with four quickfire points.
McKaigue and McEvoy then saw red before the dramatic ending to the match led to penalties, with Derry now looking forward to the final against the Reds Hands, who secured a 0-15 to 0-10 win over Cavan at Breffni Park in the first semi-final on Saturday night.
