Errigal Ciaran 0-13 Pomeroy 2-4
LAST year’s beaten finalists Errigal Ciaran cleared a tricky opening hurdle at Loughmacrory, where two Pomeroy goals threatened to spark the first shock of this year’s championship.
Brendan Burns fired home the first just before half-time to reel in the Dunmoyle men, who regained control, only to be forced to endure a nervous finish after Ryan Loughran grabbed a second Plunketts major.
In the end, Ruairi Canavan’s seven-point haul secured a quarter-final clash with the winners of Monday’s meeting of Coalisland and Clonoe.
Playing into the wind, Errigal moved the ball smartly and efficiently as they built up a 0-8 to 0-1 lead in the first half.
Padraig McGirr, Ruairi Canavan and Darragh Canavan were all on target as they took control of the tie, but the outlook changed when Hugh McNamee provided the assist for Brendan Burns to smash home a stoppage-time goal.
The Dunmoyle men led by 0-8 to 1-1 at the break, but a superb Kieran McGeary score narrowed the gap.
And when Ryan Loughran grabbed a second goal for the Plunketts, only three points separated the sides going into the final five minutes.
Errigal had to defend in numbers during that closing spell, but held out for a last-eight spot.
Scorers
Errigal Ciaran R Canavan 0-7 (0-6f); J Oguz & P McGirr 0-2 each; D Canavan & P McCartan 0-1 each
Pomeroy B Burns & R Loughran 1-0 each; K McGeary 0-3 (0-2f); H McNamee 0-1
Trillick 1-17 Eglish 1-9
CHAMPIONS Trillick had to work hard to earn a quarter-final clash with Ardboe.
An Eglish side reeling from relegation erected a defensive cordon to frustrate the holders in their first defence of the title.
With Mattie Donnelly and Rory Brennan playing starring roles, the Reds patiently wore down their opponents at Galbally to pick off the scores.
Ciaran Daly, Mattie Donnelly and Lee Brennan shot the holders into a five-point lead early on, but Eglish got within a point after Ethan Jordan netted a 15th-minute penalty.
They stuck doggedly with the champions, trailing by just two points at the break after Ryan McKenna had landed a superb score in response to a couple of Brennan efforts, 0-8 to 1-3 at the turnaround.
Eglish had to commit more men forward as the margin grew, but it was still close at the end of the third quarter, before Trillick struck a run of five points on the spin, two of them from Mattie Donnelly, and substitute Simon Garrity also on target.
And the champions wrapped game up with a stoppage-time goal from Brennan, who netted from the rebound after his penalty was saved by Jack Gibney.
Scorers
Trillick L Brennan 1-5 (0-4f); M Donnelly & C Daly 0-3 each; J Garrity 0-2; R Donnelly, S O’Donnell, D Gallagher & S Garrity 0-1 each
Eglish E Jordan 1-5 (1-0 pen, 0-4f); R McKenna; M McGleenan & S Muldoon (f) 0-1 each