Offaly hung on for a replay against Westmeath in the Leinster Football Championship quarter-final clash in O'Connor Park in Tullamore.
The home side finished with 13 men but will feel they should have won the game, yet were left hanging on in the closing moments after two red cards.
The replay will be in Mullingar next Saturday after finishing 0-10 apiece.
Offaly manager Pat Flanagan was particularly forlorn after the game and admitted that his players let it slip with the winning line in sight.
They looked very well poised at 0-06 each at half time, with a fiercely strong breeze set to favour them after the interval.
However they failed to push on and convert scores with the aplomb that they showed in the opening period and though they took the lead four times, on each occasion they were reeled in by the visitors.
The sending off of Michael Brazil, who had been a dominant influence on the game up to that point, rocked them back even further after 57 minutes and they were hanging on by a thread in the closing minutes when Ruáirí Allen also received a second yellow card for a high tackle on Denis Glennon, and John Heslin pointed the resultant free to draw the sides level.
In truth however neither side could really argue that they deserved the championship victory, as neither made full use of the elements when they had it.
Westmeath picked off some fine scores through Egan, Shane Dempsey and championship debutant Noel Mulligan in the opening period, but Offaly’s play was far more considered and incisive, and they put together a few excellent team moves to go from two points down to two up in the space of ten minutes coming up to half time.
Michael Brazil was also in fine form for Offaly in this half as he converted two of his own scores and then completed a fine interception of a Paul Sharry crossfield ball to set in train a move that ended with a Graham Guilfoyle score, while Nigel Dunne also looked sharp with two excellent scores from play and another from a free.
John Heslin stepped up to the mark for Westmeath with two excellent points before the break, but even at 0-6 apiece, Offaly looked by far the more likely winners.
Four times Offaly hit the front after half time, only to be reeled in on each occasion. Niall Darby, John Moloney and Niall McNamee all pointed to edge them ahead but Ger Egan played a truly outstanding game and showed real leadership as captain, firing over four points in total from play, including two excellent scores into the wind after the break.
A late point from Graham Guilfoyle gave Offaly hope of the victory but Westmeath sub Denis Glennon made a crucial intervention to drive at the Offaly defence in the third minute of added time and while Allen was making the long walk off the field for his high tackle, John Heslin stepped up and split the post with the resultant free to ensure that both sides will be back in action just down the N52 in Mullingar next weekend.
Offaly: A Mulhall; B Darby, E Rigney, S Pender; N Darby (0-01), P Cunningham, C Donoghue; E Carroll, D Hanlon; M Brazil (0-02), G Guilfoyle (0-02), N Dunne (0-03, 0-01 free); R Allen, J Moloney (0-01), N McNamee (0-01).
Subs: J Lalor for B Darby (2), J O’Connor for Brazil (22 – blood), O’Connor for Carroll (53), A Sullivan for Hanlon (59), B Allen for Sullivan (61 – b/c), R McNamee for Dunne (66)
Westmeath: D Quinn; J Gonoud, K Maguire, K Daly; J Dolan, P Holloway, M McCallon; A Stone, G Egan (0-04); K Reilly, P Sharry, N Mulligan (0-01); K Martin, J Heslin (0-04, 0-03 frees), S Dempsey (0-01).
Subs: D Lynch for Dempsey (HT), J Connellan for Stone (48), J Egan for Reilly (52), T McDaniel for Martin (58), D Glennon for Mulligan (64), C McCormack for Glennon (70+3)
Referee: Padraig O’Sullivan (Kerry)
