Derry 0-12 Longford 2-4
A stirring second-half comeback from Derry kept the Ulster champions on course for a first All-Ireland since 2002.
They found themselves four points down at the interval and were lucky the gap wasn’t wider, with Longford’s Conor Berry’s a real handful on the edge of the square. Heset up both goals for Darragh Doherty and Peter Hanley.
Conor Glass tried to rouse Derry with a fine score from the right wing but the favourites trailed by 2-2 to 0-4 at the break. But Derry dominated the whole of the second half and slowly clawed the arrears back, with the superb Jack Doherty at the heart of the fightback.
Shane McGuigan, man-of-the-match in the Ulster final, also stepped up in attack, while Niall Keenan was again magnificent in the Derry defence.
DERRY: B McKinless; N Keenan, C McGrogan, C Maunsell; O Duffin, M McEvoy, E Concannon; P Kearney, J Doherty (0-2); P Coney, S Downey, C Glass (0-2); B Cassidy (0-1), B Grant, S McGuigan (0-7, two frees). Subs: S Higgins for Grant (35 mins), F Higgins for Cassidy (38 mins), N McAtamney for P Kearney (41 mins), G McLaughlin for Duffin (50 mins), F Kearney for Maunsell (53 mins).
LONGFORD: M Hughes; M Cahill, R Sheahan, R Harkins (0-1); C Brady, R Moffatt, K Sorohan; C Berry (0-3, two frees), E Farrell; C McCabe, P Hanley (1-0), J Matthews; R Brady, P Lynn, D Doherty (1-0). Subs: R Hawkins for Moffatt (29 mins), C Finnan for Doherty (53 mins), L Barry for Sheahan (58 mins), J Kelly for Hanley (59 mins).
Referee: L Devenney (Mayo)
