Ballinderry survived in a frenetic finish to their Ulster Intermediate Club Football Championship Semi-Final tie against Derrylaughan in just managing to squeeze over the line for a 0-09 to 1-05 victory.
It was nip-and-tuck from the outset, with both teams anxious to take a grip on the game in the early stages, but with the respective defences offering robust defiance, scores did not come freely.
With Thomas Carney and James Donnelly in particular looking sharp up front and Brian Kennedy deploying his experience to good effect at midfield, Derrylaughan looked as if they might gain a decided edge.
But it was not to be. Instead, with Ryan Bell, Ruairi Forbes and Sean McCann looking particularly sharp, it was Ballinderry who posed the greater threat going forward.
An early brace of points from Bell was complemented by scores from Forbes and McCann to help ease Ballinderry into a 0-06 to 0-03 interval lead, with Thomas Carney having whipped over a brace of points for Derrylaughan while James Donnelly was also on target.
When Niall O’Donnell and Charlie Crozier along with the ever-dangerous Bell pilfered further points for Ballinderry, it looked as if they might assume command, but Derrylaughan were thrown a lifeline when Ciaran Gervin managed to flick a long delivery from Brian Kennedy into the Ballinderry net.
This set the scene for a nail-biting finish when a late point from Crozier helped to take Ballinderry into the provincial decider.
In the other Intermediate Championship Semi-Final, Cavan champions Arva got the better of their Monaghan neighbours Magheracloone by 2-07 to 0-11.
Yet it was Magheracloone who held the upper hand in the first-half, with skipper Allan Kieran emphasising his marksmanship by landing four points from frees and another from play as his side engaged top gear.
Yet when Peter Morris, Conal Sheridan, Kevin Bouchier and Ciaran Brady responded for Arva, Magheracloone led by 0-08 to 0-04.
But the real turning point in the game came in the closing stages when first Tristan Noack Hofmann and then Barry Donnelly fired in spectacular goals that sealed victory for an Arva side whose staying power and determination brought their own rewards in the closing minutes.
In winning the Ulster Junior Championship title in 2023, Arva showed considerable verve and skill, and now they find themselves facing the prospect of landing what would be a second provincial trophy on the trot.
But there is no doubt that Ballinderry will have taken considerable heart from their victory over Derrylaughan. The Tyrone champions had been expected to make a big impact in the decider, but Ballinderry held firm in the closing stages to strike another blow to Red Hand County morale.
In 2023, the All-Ireland Club Senior, Intermediate and Junior titles came to rest in Ulster, and now the challenge will be for teams from the province to repeat this feat when 2025 dawns.