Northern Switchgear Antrim Senior Football Championship, quarter-final (AET)
Lámh Dhearg 0-15 Kickham's, Creggan 0-13
AN absorbing Antrim Senior Football Championship quarter-final at Glenavy took extra-time to sort it out, but Lámh Dhearg found the extra reserves to get past Creggan.
This was a game that was too close to call before throw-in and the hunch that it might be a long afternoon proved true at the Red Hands produced a strong last quarter in normal time to get back on terms when trailing by four and just had enough energy to get the job done int he second period of extra-time.
Creggan will rue not making the most of their spells of dominance, especially early in the second half, as they failed to score in that final quarter.
They owned the ball from the throw-in, working it this way and that before a foul on Ethan Carey-Small three minutes in won free that was converted by Jamie McCann.
The subsequent kick-out went over the line and again, Creggan took possession and Martin Johnston let fly with a fine score.
It took Lámh Dhearg eight minutes to their first meaningful possession and their first attack saw Ryan Murray send a dangerous ball across the face of goal, but it was transferred back up and Joe McAteer looked to float a ball in that took a hop and went over.
The Red Hands were finally off the mark from a Conor Murray free 14 minutes in as things began to heat up a little and then Ryan Murray marked his championship debut for the year with a super effort.
Martin Johnston looks for a pass
Jamie McCann and Paddy Cunningham (free) would swap points, but back-to-back scores from Sean Duffin and Tiernan McAteer gave Creggan a three-point lead and it really ought to have been doubled two minutes before the break at Ethan Carey-Small found himself through, but Gerard Smyth made the save for a 45 that was drilled wide.
That gap would be whittled down to one at the interval as Cunningham converted a beauty of a free with the outside of his boot and then teed-up Connor Murray for a score as Creggan led 0-6 to 0-5 at the end of the opening half.
Creggan also made the better start to the second half as their first attack led to a free that was tapped over by Ruairi McCann and Ethan Carey-Small added from play soon after, but they failed to fully make the most of their superiority with their next four shots going wide.
Paddy Cunningham, off target with a couple of frees himself, got his angles right to see Lámh Dhearg on the board for the second period, but further scores from Kealan and Ruairi McCann put for between them heading into the final quarter.
Creggan failed to build upon this and indeed, didn't score again as Declan Smyth and Cunningham (free) halved the deficit and then the Red Hands managed to engineer late points to level though another Cunningham free and Declan Lynch.
Both sides had chances to win it there and then, but couldn't dissect the posts as we moved into extra-time.
It was the Lámhs who made the better start this time as Mark Lowe kicked a 45 and then a free from an identical position, but Creggan hit back to level at 0-12 apiece through a Ruairi McCann free and Tiernan McLarnon score.
Paddy Cunningham gets a shot away 
The teams continued to slug it out with Owen McKeown - a driving force for the Red Hands all day - kicked a beauty and Jamie McCann hit back with one of his own, but a Cunningham free edged the Hannahstown men back ahead with six to play.
Creggan just couldn't engineer another leveller, however, as stout defending saw Lámh Dhearg win back possession and they managed to drain the clock but could have sealed it late with Callum Fegan-Lappin thumping a shot off the crossbar that went wide.
It wasn't costly as again the turned Creggan over and won a free with Ricky Johnston red-carded for a high challenge that Cunningham punished further to seal his side's place in the last four.
LÁMH DHEARG: C Smyth; B Rice, M McGarry, Ross Murray; O McKeown (0-1), D Lynch (0-1), D Smyth (0-1); P Fitzsimmons, M Jordan; D Murray, T McCrudden, Ryan Murray (0-1); P Cunningham (0-7f), M Herron, C Murray (0-2, 1f).
Subs: M Lowe (0-2, 1 45, 1f) for T McCrudden (38), F Mervyn for Ross Murray (ET start); T McCrudden for D Murray (ET 10), C Fegan-Lappin for Ryan Murray (ET 12), Ryan Murray for B Rice (ET 20).
CREGGAN: O Kerr; S Maguire, R Johnston, A Maguire; E Carey-Small (0-1), M Johnston (0-1), J McCann (0-3, 1f); K McCann (0-1), P McAuley; S Duffin (0-1), R McCann (0-3f), T McAteer (0-1); J McAteer (0-1), C McCann, C Small.
Subs: D McAteer for E Carey-Small (52), T McLarnon (0-1) for J McAteer (ET start); J McAteer for T McAteer (ET 13), O Hampsey for S Duffin (ET 15), C Johnston for P McAuley (ET 16)
REFEREE: Mark O'Neill (Armoy).
