Ulster U20 Football round-up: Armagh make it three wins out of three to seal semi spot

Armagh defeated All-Ireland champions Tyrone to book their place in the semi-finals.

Armagh made it three wins from three to top their group, seeing off All-Ireland champions Tyrone to book their place in the Ulster U20 Football Championship semi-finals. Pic: Shauna Clinton/Sportsfile.

Armagh made it three wins from three to top their group, seeing off All-Ireland champions Tyrone to book their place in the Ulster U20 Football Championship semi-finals.

They opened out a five-point lead in the first half with two-pointers from Eoin Duffy and Aaron Haughey, before Leo Hughes narrowed the gap with a 29th minute goal.

The Orchard led by 0-11 to 1-6 at the break, and scores from Diarmuid O’Rourke, Duffy and Fergal Boylan saw them stretch the advantage to ten.

Shea McDermott sparked a Red Hand revival with a goal, and they got to within four points, but the influential O’Rourke brought his tally to five to see his side home by 1-24 to 2-15.

Tyrone’s quarter-final opponents will be Derry, who routed Antrim by 6-23 to 0-12 at Dunsilly.

Ger Dillon and Chris McCullagh netted the goals that helped the Oak Leafers to a 2-9 to 0-6 interval lead, and they piled on the agony after the break, with McCullagh, John Boyle and Luke Grant adding goals, a second placed finish earning them a home tie in the quarters.

Cavan go through to a home quarter-final against Monaghan despite dropping a point to Down.

Darragh Noonan swung over a couple of early scores, with Dylan Edwards and Luke Mulvaney also on the scoresheet.

Nathan Quigley put them seven ahead with a 22nd minute goal, but Down struck back with an Eoghan Travers goal and points from Conor Ward and Daire O’Keefe.

Ben Tully’s late point edged the Breffni side into a 1-9 to 1-7 interval lead, and they went seven clear after Noonan grabbed a 39th minute goal.

But Down refused to surrender, and fought back in the closing stages to tie it up at 1-20 to 2-17 with two late two-pointers from Corey Clerkin Monaghan kept their title hopes alive with a 3-12 to 1-16 win over Fermanagh at Tempo.

Shane O’Connor got in for an early Monaghan goal, and they stretched the lead with a Luke McKenna two-pointer and a couple of Matthew Finn scores.

At the end of the opening quarter, Conor Mulligan grabbed a Fermanagh goal, and a Mattie McDermott two-pointer saw them narrow the gap further.

But the Farney lads finished the half strongly with scores from Finn, Canice Murphy and Matthew Carolan to lead by 1-13 to 1-7 at the break.

A Murphy goal was followed by a string of Max McGinnity points, with Tom Doherty also on target, before Matthew Finn sealed it with a third goal.