On a topsy-turvy night in the Dr McKenna Cup, holders Tyrone came from the brink of elimination to win their group, while previously unbeaten Down and Cavan were sent crashing out.
Down’s defeat to Armagh allowed Derry to slip in and win Section A, and set up a semi-final clash with Monaghan at the Athletic Grounds in Armagh on Sunday.
In the other semi, Tyrone will face best runners-up Fermanagh at Clones after defeating Donegal.
Tyrone knew they needed a big win over Donegal, who fielded an U21 side at Healy Park, to give them a chance of qualifying as best runner-up, but an unexpected bonus in the form of Cavan’s defeat to Ulster University saw the Red Hands win Section C with a runaway 2-23 to 0-6 win.
Ronan McHugh banged in the opening goal for a 1-12 to 0-3 interval lead, and Cahir McCullagh punched a second close to the end to seal a massive winning margin.
Fermanagh secured their last four place by beating Antrim by 0-19 to 0-5 at Brewster Park.
Sean Quigley, Tomas Quigley and Barry Mulrone were on target as they built up an 11-point lead in a first half that saw their opponents fail to score.
Corrigan and Aidan Breen continued to hit the target after the break and a 14-point margin was enough to see the Erne men through to the knock-out stages.
In the same group, Monaghan’s 1-13 to 0-10 over St Mary’s at Inniskeen win left them as the only unbeaten team in the competition.
St Mary's led by 0-5 to 0-4 at the break but Dermot Malone’s goal gave the Farney men the impetus to push on, with Conor McManus, Dessie Mone, Shane Carey and Ryan Wylie tagging on points.
Semi-final opponents Derry had to be patient due to a lengthy break caused by a power failure at Owenbeg, before emerging with a 2-20 to 0-6 rout of Queen’s University which saw them win Section A.
Both goals came in the first half, from Enda Lynn and Neil Forrester, as they went in with a 2-7 to 0-3 advantage at the break.
It was comfortable in the second half, with Lynn sending a penalty over the bar.
Armagh and Down both exited the competition after the Orchard men scored a 1-15 to 2-8 win over their neighbours at the Athletic Grounds.
Aaron Findon scored the Armagh goal, while Down’s three-pointers came from Darren O’Hagan and Alan Davidson.
