Connacht SFC Semi-final/Leitrim 1-10 Roscommon 0-13: A controversial penalty award by Tyrone referee Michael Hughes, dispatched to the Roscommon net by debutant Michael Foley nine minutes into the second half, provided the home side with an opportunity to launch a comeback that just failed at Carrick-on-Shannon yesterday.

The replay goes to Dr Hyde Park in Roscommon next Saturday.

Foley's penalty that sent Shane Curran the wrong way left an otherwise wasteful Leitrim trailing by a single point, 1-5 to 0-9.

The incident that persuaded referee Hughes to award the spot kick was quite bizarre, and Roscommon manager Tommy Carr reckoned most referees would have given a free out.

It happened something like this: Roscommon corner back John Whyte appeared in control of the ball inside the small square but got into a tangle with his captain and goalkeeper Curran, who seemed to be challenged illegally on his goalline and was apparently adjudged to foul the ball.

It was not the first time in a tense match for referee Hughes to infuriate Roscommon's support, who watched incensed as five of their players were yellow-carded in the opening 20 minutes.

The penalty had a major bearing on what followed. Roscommon, who had power to burn in midfield, where Séamus O'Neill and Stephen Lohan were dominant, kicked five consecutive wides in the wake of Foley's vital spot kick.

Leitrim, by contrast, were inspired and were further spurred by a supreme display from their full back trio of Dermot Reynolds, Séamus Quinn and Michael McGuinness.

Quinn, the only member of the champion side of 10 years ago still playing, produced a flawless performance in curbing the threat poised by Karol Mannion.

Declan Rowley's team were sitting on a two-point lead 30 minutes into the second half. It was not the first time for the underdogs to lead, for full back John McKeon earlier shot his side ahead after an adventurous move forward.

Adventure indeed became the trademark of this Leitrim team in the second half.

At that stage Roscommon supporters didn't care that Frankie Dolan was their only forward to score from play. The St Brigid's star stepped up and popped over one from a free for a 60th-minute equaliser.

Roscommon can thank both Dolan and midfielder Séamus O'Neill for huge points. In the first half, during which Leitrim's forwards were positionally better but wayward in their attacking, Dolan landed a mammoth point from a sideline ball on the right to push Roscommon's half-time lead to two points, 0-7 to 0-5.

With four minutes remaining O'Neill scored a beautiful point for the lead, but Leitrim wing back Barry Prior hit the equaliser well into injury time.

Tommy Carr was generally disappointed with his team's performance. "It looked like we were gone in the last five minutes," he said. "Our fellas were up for this match but became lacklustre. We did not underestimate Leitrim or take them for granted. We just have to get the basics right."

His opposite number, Rowley, was in more upbeat form, saying: "We will be prepared for next Saturday's replay. A gutsy performance alone would not have sufficed in that match today. We had to have flair besides."

Man of the match McGuinness added: "Now that we have a match under our belts our lack of match practice should not show next Saturday."

Frankie Grehan might have had the final say in terms of deciding the issue but his tentative lob from the left fell safely into the hands of a grateful Leitrim goalkeeper Gareth Phelan. Indeed, Phelan had got among Leitrim's wayward shooters with a badly taken 45 in the second half.

LEITRIM: G Phelan; D Reynolds, J McKeon (0-1), M McGuinness; N Gilbane, S Quinn, B Prior (0-1); D Maxwell (0-1), C Carroll; J Goldrick (0-1), J Guckian, C Regan (0-2); D Brennan, F McBrien (0-1), M Foley (1-1, pen and free). Subs: S Canning (0-1) for Guckian (42 mins); P Farrell (0-1) for Goldrick (55 mins); N Doonan for McBrien (63 mins).

ROSCOMMON: S Curran; J Whyte, M Ryan, J Nolan; D Casey, F Grehan (0-2), A McPadden; S O'Neill (0-3), S Lohan (0-1); B Higgins, F Dolan (0-6, 4 frees, sideline kick), G Cox (0-1 free); N Dineen, K Mannion, G Heneghan. Subs: J Rogers for McPadden (half-time); J Hanley for Dineen (47 mins); J Tiernan for Higgins (63 mins); E Towey for Heneghan (64 mins).

Referee: M Hughes (Tyrone).