Errigal Ciaran (Tyrone) 0-11
Ballinderry (Derry) 0-10

A late Tommy Canavan free saw Tyrone champions Errigal Ciaran edge past the challenge of Ballinderry and into the semi-finals of the Ulster club senior football championship.

Played at Healy Park in Omagh, it was the hosts that made a sizzling start in the cold conditions as Bryan Horrisk and the deadly Canavan ushered them into a three-point lead by the second quarter.

Caolan Tierney added another for the leaders, before county star Conleith Gilligan had Ballinderry off the mark and from there the Derry side would burst into life as they struck three points in as many minutes via two gems from Colin Devlin and another from Gilligan to level.

Canavan and Devlin would trade scores at the end of the half to keep it even at half-time (0-5 each), but Errigal surged back in front with five points in as many minutes, with two each from Canavan and Horrisk, early on in the restart which would cripple their opponents.

Both teams would lose a man in the ensuing minutes, with Ballinderry's Conor Wilkinson picking up a second yellow card and Errigal's Damien McDermott seeing a straight red, and it seemed to suit the Derry winners as they upped their game in the closing quarter with Kevin McGuckin, Enda Muldoon (45) and Dermot McGuckin all raising the umpire's flag before Devlin levelled in the 59th minute.

However, in injury-time Errigal got a priceless 35-metre free which Canavan coolly slotted to deny the once Ulster champions.

Errigal Ciaran - J Devine; A McCrory, M McCrory, C Quinn; S Tierney, P Harte, D Harte (0-1); Cormac McGinley, E McGinley; Ciaran McGinley (0-1), T Canavan (0-5), C Tierney (0-1); D McDermott, B Horisk (0-3), R McCrory. Subs: D Canavan for C Tierney, B Mullin for M McCrory.

Ballinderry - M Conlan; C Wilkinson, K McGuckin (0-1), D Bell; R Wilson, C Nevin, G McKinless; E Muldoon (0-1), J Conway; A Devlin, R Wilkinson, C Gilligan (0-2); C Devlin (0-4), R Bell, M Harney. Subs: K McGuckin for Harney, D McGuckin (0-2) for Conway, M McIver for D Bell, D Conway for A Devlin.

Referee - C Branagan. Tweet

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