YESTERDAY’S breathless Allianz Football League action concluded with the hard-to-swallow reality that no Ulster sides will do battle for league honours next weekend.
To make matters worse, four Ulster sides have also tumbled down a division.
But on a dramatic Sunday afternoon, it all could have been very different, with the fates of most Ulster counties unsettled right to the end of normal time, and, in some cases, into nerve-jangling stoppage time.
The drama was perhaps at its keenest in the third tier. There, Armagh and Tipperary went head-to-head at the Athletic Grounds for the other promotion place alongside Louth.
A draw would have been enough for Kieran McGeeney’s side and, leading by two well into added on time, they looked home and hosed.
But, incredibly, Michael Quinlivan netted his third goal of the contest for Tipp with almost the last kick of the game, and so inflicted a morale shattering 0-16 to 3-8 defeat on the Orchard men.
At the other end of the table, Antrim appeared to have won the battle for their Division Three lives as they led Longford by a single point deep into stoppage time.
The final twist arrived from the boot of Sean McCormack as he converted a free to send the Saffrons straight back to Division Four, with the game ending 1-13 to 0-16.
In Division Two, Down saved their skins with a 1-10 to 0-13 draw in Cork, whilst Derry and Fermanagh have fallen into Division Three.
Two from this Ulster trio looked very likely to be relegated before play began, and Derry’s 0-13 to 2-8 win in Brewster Park looked to have saved them whilst condemning Fermanagh and Down.
But another injury time equaliser, this time from Down’s Jerome Johnston, was enough to see Down survive on scoring difference, in a three way calculation with Derry and Clare.
Before the start of battle yesterday, both Donegal and Monaghan were well placed to reach the Division One final next Sunday.
Monaghan had the hardest task on paper but appeared to be heading for Croke Park as their enthralling tussle with the Dubs was reaching its end.
A draw would have been enough for Malachy O’Rourke’s men, and past the 70-minute mark the score stood at 1-15 apiece.
But Jack McCaffrey blasted to the net for Dublin in the 72nd minute to send Dublin into a fifth consecutive league final.
Victory for Donegal against Mayo would also have saw them reach the final, but they were edged out by the Westerners on a 1-12 to 0-13 finishing score.
Tyrone, who had an outside chance of making the final, never looked like making that happen as they fell to a 1-21 to 2-11 defeat to Kerry.
In fact, with Monaghan and Donegal both losing, a win in Killarney would have secured a final berth. As it was, the winning margin for Kerry, who started the day in sixth place, allowed them to oust Donegal in the race for the final.
Cavan knew that they had to beat Roscommon to have any chance of staying up, but could not do so as the Rossies, with a 1-13 to 1-10 win, took their first points of the campaign.
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