U20 football championship: Tyrone edge it at the death against Derry

Derry 1-09 Tyrone 0-13

Gavin Potter broke Derry hearts with a winning point only seconds after Johnny McGuckian appeared to have rescued a draw for the Oak Leafers in Group A of the Eirgrid U-20 Ulster Football Championship at Celtic Park.

There was nothing between two counties who will be expected to be competing at the business end of this championship until Tyrone forged ahead with three scores in the final 10 minutes of normal time.

That lead forced Derry to throw caution to the wind and it looked like they had pulled themselves out of the fire when McGuckian cut in from the left and fired a brilliant high finish to tie the game when 63 minutes on the clock.

No one could have argued with a draw, but Tyrone weren't about to be denied and promptly went straight down the field, Potter getting on the end of the move to fist over a point that leaves the Red Hands in the box seat to top the group and take the direct route to the semi-final.

Derry had been forced to wait 10 days to return to action after their opening round victory over Down in Newry while Tyrone, boosted by the return of their Omagh CBS Hogan Cup contingent, arrived in Celtic Park having score a facile victory over Antrim and then drawn with Down, a game in which they shot 17 wides.

And there were indications that wayward shooting may dog them again early on when the Red Hands passed up a number of decent openings, a charge that could be levelled at both teams as the half progressed with nothing between them.

For the most part Derry were content to concede the Tyrone kick-out and meet the visitors inside their defensive half with Tommy Rogers the base of operations for Hugh McGrath's men. Out of possession he was a sweeper on the edge of the defensive 'D' and