fonaCAB Ulster Minor Football Tournament, quarter-final (AET)
Fr Rocks, Cookstown 0-19 Mayobridge 1-11
A SEE-SAW quarter-final at St Paul's on Sunday saw Fr Rocks, Cookstown emerge in extra-time to complete the semi-final line-up for the Ulster Minor Club Football Tournament.
The Tyrone champions had been waiting in the wings to make their bow as they faced the preliminary winners and after an iffy first half in front of the posts, they got it together.
It took plenty of grit as twice, Mayobridge looked to have nicked it late, but the Cookstown club forced the additional time and there was no looking back from there as they built a wind-assisted lead they managed in the final 10 minutes.
Mayobriddge were playing into a strong wind in the opening half but they would make the perfect start as after their defence held up to an initial Fr Rock's attack, they went direct with their first attack as a long ball from Patrick Woods saw Gary Clerkin spin and get free, squaring for Daire O'Keefe to finish to the net.
The Cookstown lads would get off the mark from an Eoin Long free, but their shooting would let them down in the opening half with 10 wides.
Clerkin again used his pace to get clear to add a score for Mayobridge and finally, a barren 10-minute spell for the Tyrone side ended with Conall Sheehy landing back-to-back scores.
Two Clerkin frees was the Mayobridge reply with Long responding with one of his own and Sheehy steering his third of the half over the bar to leave one in it again.
Mayobridge could have had a second goal when Ben Kelly got free but his pass into Jude McGlade was too high, yet a converted mark from Darragh Poland gave them a 1-4 to 0-5 advantage at the interval.
Despite playing into a substantial wind for the second period, it was Cookstown who asserted themselves early on, yet a couple of early attacks came to nothing.
Mayobridge seemed content to sit and hit on the break, this tactic almost paying off when a turnover saw Daniel Carr take a snapshot that curled just wide.
Mayobridge's Ben kelly breaks out from the back 
However, the Tyrone champions were playing all the football and were denied a goal of their own when Conor Colhoun made a vital block on Darragh McHugh.
Eventually, it would turn for Fr Rocks as two long frees tied it before they hit the lead for the first time through substitute Sean Devlin.
They would kick on as Long, Lorcan McMurray and Michael Lennon split the posts to open a four-point gap with 10 to play.
Mayobridge needed to get something going and it was Patrick Woods who led the way, kicking a free and adding three more between the placed ball and play with Carr also registering as they found a gallop late on to edge ahead.
Long tied it up with a free, seconds into added time but the restart saw the Down men conjure what looked the winner as Colhoun floated over.
There was more time and the last attack from Fr Rocks saw them earn a free and off his left foot into the wind, McMurray sent the game into extra-time with the score 0-13 to 1-10.
This time, with the wind behind them, the Tyrone champions would avail of the advantage with five points on the spin in the first period - two apiece from Karol Wawrynkiewicz and Long (one free) that sandwiched a McMurray score.
A Clerkin point reduced it to 0-18 to 1-11 at the turnaround, but despite the wind advantage for the final 10 minutes, Mayobridge couldn't turn it around.
Instead, the superb Sheehy's fourth of the day extended the gap as the Down team attacked but missed opportunities as they began to chase goals.
Cookstown goalkeeper Sean Og Quinn was steady with a couple of high balls thrown in on top as the minutes ticked by and when Mayobridge lost Daniel Carr to a late red card, that was that as the Tyrone side earned the right to face defending champions, Four Maters on St Stephen's Day (1pm at St Paul's).
The first of the semi-finals will take place this Sunday (December 21 at St Paul's, 1pm) when Armagh's Clann Éireann take on O'Donovan Rossa from Magherafelt, Derry.
The final will be contested on New Year's Day.
COOKSTOWN: S Og Quinn; S Corrigan, D McHugh, C McElkearney; C Mulligan, K Wawrynkiewicz (0-2), M Lennon (0-1); L Neeson, Y Baba; J McElhone, L McMurray (0-3 1f), C Sheehy (0-4); D Ward, E Long (0-8, 6f), C Ward.
Subs: S Devlin (0-1) for C Ward (HT) C Hawker for D Ward (HT), M McCrellis for J McElhone (46), D Ward for C Hawker (51).
ET subs: C Ward for D McHugh (started), J McElhone for C McElkearney (20), D McHugh for E Long (20)
MAYOBRIDGE: M Gallagher, R Magone, B Kelly, J McGlade; O De Rose, D McMahon, C Colhoun (0-1); D O'Keefe (1-0), C Keenan; D Carr (0-1), C Clerkin (0-4, 3f), P Woods (0-4, 2f); R Coulter, D Poland (0-1m), C McPolin.
Subs: G Barry for R Magone (48).
ET subs: J McConville for R Coulter (15), J Keenan for B Kelly (19).
REFEREE: Colm McDonald (Antrim)
