Brilliant Derry retained their Ulster Football Championship title after beating Armagh 3-1 in a penalty shootout in a titanic battle in Clones.
It was goalkeeper Odhran Lynch who emerged as the spot kick hero, producing three brilliant saves to deny Rian O’Neill, Aidan Nugent and opposite number Ethan Rafferty.
With Ciaran Meenagh on the sideline as manager due to Rory Gallagher’s decision to step back from the role, the Oak Leaf County remained focused on the task in front of a sell-out 29,000 crowd at St Tiernach’s Park.
The ailing provincial system badly needed a game like this to keep alive its hopes of survival following three painfully one-sided deciders in Munster, Connacht and Leinster, and once again Ulster delivered with all its might in a memorable clash of Oak and Orchard.
Armagh, appearing in their first provincial final since 2008, came so close, but this was to be Derry’s day once again as they celebrated back to back wins, only the second time the county has successfully defended the Ulster title.
With Armagh committing all 15 players to the defensive effort, there seemed no way through for the holders, but a seemingly aimless high ball from Paul Cassidy in the ninth minute produced the opening.
As it dropped from the Clones skies, Brendan Rogers connected with the fist and the ball flew into the net past a ruck of defenders.
The Orchard men made the most of their raids from deep in the opening quarter, with Greg McCabe and Jarly Og Burns converting marks, along with a 55 metre free from Rian O’Neill.
Rogers was in electrifying form at midfield, skipping past a couple of defenders to land a superb score, adding another from distance as Shane McPartlan allowed him all the room he needed to get his shot away.
Switching play to bring in support runners, the holders had to work hard to find space, but a searching Conor Glass delivery sent Benny Heron away to send Shane McGuigan in for his second and a three points lead.
After half an hour of standing off Odhran Lynch’s kick-outs, Armagh began to press, with instant reward, as O’Neill hit their first point from play and Grugan added another free.
And a long range O’Neill effort in stoppage time left just a point between the sides at the interval, Derry ahead by 1-5 to 0-7.
Defenders Ciaran Mackin and Conor O’Neill fired over inspirational scores as Armagh remained stubbornly in the hunt, but never managed to hit the front.
Niall Toner, Conor Glass and McGuigan were all on target to keep Oak Leaf noses ahead by a whisker, but in the final quarter, Armagh pressed with all 15 players, goalkeeper Ethan Rafferty getting in on the act with a fine score from open play.
McGuigan steered over his fourth of the afternoon, but they couldn’t shake Kieran McGeeney’s men as an O’Neill ’45 kept them within a point in the 69th minute.
Then in stoppage time, Jarly Og Burns disposed Padraig Cassidy, winning a foul off a rash Rogers challenge, which O’Neill converted to send the tie to extra-time, 1-10 to 0-13.
And without black-carded Rogers for most of the first period of extra-time, Derry were pressed onto the back foot, going behind for the first time to a Ross McQuillan effort.
The holders trailed by 0-15 to 1-11 at the turnaround as Burns cancelled out McGuigan’s converted free, but there was to be no separating the sides in a highly charged final segment.
Goalkeeper Rafferty drilled over his second from play to put two between the sides, but the Oak Leafs stood tall, hitting the next three, including McGuigan’s seventh, to go ahead through Lachlann Murray.
But there was still time for Stefan Campbell to win a free deep into stoppage time for O’Neill to hit the equaliser and send the sides to penalties, tied up at 1-15 to 0-18.
Lynch was the man for these testing moments, his saves from Nugent and Rafferty particularly spectacular as the defending champions won it by three to one.
Their kicks were successfully despatched by McGuigan, Glass and the returning Ciaran McFaul, with the winner, while Callum Cumiskey was the only Armagh player to find a way past the inspired Magherafelt net-minder.
Derry: O Lynch; C McKaigue, E McEvoy, C McCluskey; C Doherty, G McKinless (0-01), P McGrogan; C Glass (0-01), B Rogers (1-02); B Heron, P Cassidy, E Doherty; N Toner (0-02, 2f), S McGuigan (0-07 (3f), N Loughlin (0-01).
Subs: C McFaul for Heron (46), L Murray (0-01) for Loughlin (60), Padraig Cassidy for Doherty (63), Heron for Murray (71), Murray for Heron (83)
Armagh: E Rafferty (0-02); C O’Neill (0-01), A McKay, A Forker; C Mackin (0-01), G McCabe (0-01, m), J Morgan (0-02, 1m); J Og Burns, S McPartlan; J Duffy, B McCambridge, R Grugan (0-02, 2f); A Murnin, R O’Neill (0-06, 3f, 1 ’45), C Turbitt.
Subs: S Campbell (0-02) for Grugan (44), A Nugent for McPartlan (44), R McQuillan (0-01) for McCambridge (58), O Conaty for Murnin (63), Grugan for Duffy (69), C Cumiskey for Forker (71), Connaire Mackin for Ciaran Mackin (77)
Referee: D Gough (Meath).
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