Ulster SFC Quarter-final/Derry . 1-13 Antrim 0-10:Derry were never going to lose yesterday's Ulster quarter-final at sunny Casement Park, yet the visitors struggled to put Antrim away.
It wasn't until Mark Lynch snapped up Derry's goal in the 51st minute that they took command of the scoreboard.
The winners dominated the opening quarter of the match but waywardness in attack prevented them pulling away. They shot 10 wides, some from handy positions, in that period.
For their part, Antrim showed naivety in their play. They were slow to get the ball to their forwards. They played as if they didn't believe they could win, dropping deep and inviting Derry to come forward.
It took Derry only 15 seconds to get their first score, a point by the towering Enda Muldoon, who emerged as man of the match.
Paddy Cunningham levelled after three minutes, but Derry then began to build a lead.
Three great points from the right wing sailed over and after 22 minutes it was 0-6 to 0-1.
Antrim had gone 20 minutes without a serious shot at the Derry posts. Then they rattled off five unanswered points before half-time and, unbelievably, the game was tied at six apiece.
It was a message Derry obviously took on board during the break. They stormed out for Conleth Gilligan to regain the lead, again just 15 seconds after the throw-in.
He added two more from frees and Muldoon cancelled out one from the teenager CJ McGourty, Antrim's best forward.
It was 0-10 to 0-7 on 49 minutes and Antrim still in the hunt but the killer blow was nigh. A sweeping move by Derry finished with Ray Wilkinson crossing the ball into the path of Lynch, who, from close range, had no trouble punching it home to open a six-point gap - 1-10 to 0-7.
Derry will meet Monaghan in the semi-finals. For Antrim it's the Tommy Murphy Cup.
"During the opening half we took some bad shooting decisions and I was probably to blame more than anybody else," reflected Gilligan. "We prepared for a tough game from Antrim and I am just glad we are now into the semi-final, where we will get an even tougher game from Monaghan.
"That's what the Ulster Championship is all about."
DERRY: B Gillis; M McGoldrick, K McCloy, G O'Kane; P Carlin, SM Lockhart, C McKeever; F Doherty, J Conway (0-1); B McGoldrick (0-1), C Gilligan (0-5, 0-3 frees), J Diver (0-1); R Wilkinson, E Muldoon (0-4), M Lynch (1-1). Subs: Patsy Bradley for Carlin (30 mins), C Devlin for B McGoldrick (44 mins), Paddy Bradley for Diver (60 mins), L Hinphey for O'Kane (67 mins).
ANTRIM: S McGreevey; T Scullion, P Doherty, K O'Boyle; S McVeigh, G Bell, J Crozier; M McCann (0-1, free), J Quinn; A Gallagher, K Niblock (0-1), J Loughrey; P Cunningham (0-4, all frees), K Brady, CJ McGourty (0-4). Subs: E O'Neill for Niblock (49 mins), C Close for Brady (53 mins), P Close for O'Boyle (63 mins).
Referee: C Reilly (Meath).
