Eoin Bradley's facile injury-time free handed Derry a hard-fought 0-12 to 0-11 victory over Down at Celtic Park.

The losers were forced to play almost the entire second half with 14 men following the harsh dismissal of wing back Conal McGovern in the 37th minute. Despite numerical inferiority, Jim McCorry's men overturned a four-point deficit to draw level and the match remained in the melting pot until the very end when Bradley slotted his fifth point of the game to seal a semi-final date with either holders Donegal or Armagh.

Four Mark Lynch points assured the winners of a 0-8 to 0-5 half-time lead, with Bradley also on target three times before the short whistle. Kevin McKerman (2) was the only Down man to register from play in the opening 35 minutes.

Donal O'Hare opened the scoring from a third-minute Down free from the hands following a push on Mark Poland; the Oak Leafers levelled with a Bradley free after their captain Lynch had missed the target with a couple of range-finders. When the confident Bradley skilfully dropped over the game's first score from play in the eighth minute, Derry led for the first time, but the Mournemen equalised quickly with an equally-sublime McKernan finish.

Frees were squandered at either end and Enda Lynn restored the hosts' advantage on twelve minutes followed a soaring Fergal Doherty catch. It was double scores when Bradley speared over a free from a central position but Down replied in the 19th minute as Paul Devlin curled a harshly-awarded free between the posts from off the deck.

Lynch and Devlin traded frees and the former made it 0-6 to 0-4 on the half-hour with a nice left-footed score from play after selling the Down defence an outrageous dummy. McKernan flashed over a super point to halve the deficit but the visitors then missed two very presentable opportunities through Peter Fitzpatrick and Damien Curley before Lynch smashed over a beautiful brace - one from 40 metres, the other from an acute angle on the right - to give his side a three-point interval cushion.

Down were first out for the second half and they went straight into the attack: Laverty fisted a point within 20 seconds of the restart. Before play resumed, referee Eddie Kinsella took advice from his umpires before showing a straight red card to Mourne County wing back McGovern for a rather innocuous off-the-ball coming together with Lynn, who was barely touched but went to ground anyway.

Suddenly - and very harshly - reduced to 14 men, Down's purposeful start to the second half had been hamstrung, temporarily at least. Derry took full advantage and points from Lynch (free) and Bradley stretched the gap to four, 0-10 to 0-6.

Devlin's free clawed back a Down point on 47 minutes and the No.9 chipped over another free four minutes later to leave two in it. When the Kilcoo clubman drilled over his third successive free - and fifth score of the day - at the three-quarters stage, just a point separated these keen rivals. Amazingly, the 14 men were now completely on top.

Poland dropped a great scoring opportunity short but Laverty speared over the leveller with 15 minutes remaining. Caolan O'Boyle fisted Derry's first score in 21 minutes to restore the Oak Leaf's lead eight minutes from the end but Devlin - making his first championship start - stroked over another free to tie the scores up again in the 67th minute.

The game could have gone either way but it was Bradley who carried the fight to Down again and had the last say as he tapped over a 71st-minute free from 13 metres to win the day.

Derry - T Mallon; O Duffy, B Rogers, D McBride; K Johnston, C McKaigue, C McFaul; N Holly, F Doherty; S L McGoldrick, M Lynch (0-5, 2f), E Lynn (0-1); B Heron, E Bradley (0-5, 3f), D Heavron. Subs: C O'Boyle (0-1) for B Heron, T O'Brien for E Lynn.

Down - S Kane; D O'Hagan, L Howard, R Boyle; D Turley, B McArdle, C McGovern; P Fitzpatrick, P Devlin (0-6f); C Mooney, C Maginn, K McKernan (0-2); M Poland, C Laverty (0-2), D O'Hare (0-1f). Subs: P Downey for C Maginn, J Johnston for P Fitzpatrick, A McConville for C Mooney, N Madine for P Devlin, D O'Hanlon for D O'Hagan (BC).

Referee - E Kinsella.

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