Rarely do such heavyweight mismatches bring such entertainment. Derry's first trip out of Ulster in 92 years was supposed to yield no more than a possible commendation and then an unintended massacre. Instead, they sent Offaly running out of Croke Park flying a flag of relief after a completely addictive and unpredictable climax.

True, Offaly won by six points in the end, but it was Derry who stole the hearts with their desire to win and did so with a quality of hurling that must have surpassed even their own expectations.

Midway through the second half, they trailed Offaly by just a point after a dramatic exchange of points, which actually confused the manual score-keeper in front of the old Hogan Stand. A few minutes later they were level and, suddenly, Derry began to believe in the impossible. Offaly had to dig a lot deeper into the reserves than anybody could have expected.

It wasn't just that Derry had Offaly on the run, it was the way they did it. Geoffrey McGonigle returned from suspension with a thud and picked off the two goals that set the game thoroughly alight. Oliver Collins and Ronan McCloskey linked up majestically at midfield and where Kieran McKeever is finding his energy from these days only God knows.

The full-forward line of Gary Biggs, Michael Collins and John O'Dwyer picked off 0-10 between them. Compare that to Offaly's sole full-forward contribution of 0-3 from Conor Gath. More remarkable, John Troy and Gary Hanniffy were both held scoreless despite holding key scoring positions and, well before the end, both Joe Dooley and Joe Errity were called back in an effort to keep them afloat.

And it is hard to imagine a game where Johnny Dooley will be more productive or more crucial. His 12-point contribution was, to a large extent, the difference between winning and losing, because when Offaly were forced to match Derry's scoring rate, the options were glaringly limited.

Johnny Pilkington did have a reasonably productive afternoon when he managed to break loose from the Derry defence which, like Antrim learned a few weeks back, can be as stubborn as they come. Michael Conway had moved back from midfield to the right wing and proved himself a fistful for the opposing half forwards. In the full back line, Conor Murray and Niall Mullan were certainly not fazed by their first trip to Croke Park.

Most of the first half went according to plan and the lack of atmosphere reflected that. After 18 minutes of play, Brendan Murphy burst 20 yards unchallenged and ended his run by kicking the ball into the net. Offaly were then six points clear and looked to have knocked a leg off their opponents. All they had to do was lean a little harder and we expected Derry to collapse.

Five minutes later, that lead was stretched to eight points and one felt it was time to starting writing the obituaries. Derry reduced the gap to five on the call to change ends, but it still didn't look very interesting. Any minute now Offaly could create an avalanche.

Johnny Dooley started the second half with two more fine scores and it was make or break time for Derry. McGonigle had pushed into the full-forward line and, when McKeever played a searching ball into the goalmouth on 45 minutes, McGonigle got the golden sweep and the ball rolled past Stephen Byrne.

Five minutes later, John O'Dwyer drove a shot across Byrne's line and, despite making a stretching save, McGonigle was first in again and finished the rebound. Suddenly Byrne was seeing all the action and, when McCloskey produced one of the game's finest points, the Offaly back door was fast becoming a sliding door.

Unfortunately for Derry, Oliver Collins was then lost through injury and his absence was immediately apparent. Still, Johnny Dooley was the only man to raise his game by any visible mark. After another clinical free, he searched out men with greater intent. Murphy picked off one of his passes on the hour and then smashed the net with his first shot. That restored their lead to five, but Derry weren't lying down just yet.

Michael Collins maintained their response, although McGonigle sent the first of two successive 65s wide and that seemed to allow Offaly to settle. The Dooley brothers added two more between them and, by the time McGonigle missed another chance from a free, the clock had run down.

Six points in the end, but it felt a lot closer. Derry had come down with talk about making a statement for Ulster hurling and no one argued that they hadn't succeeded. Croke Park has rarely heard such genuine applause at a full-time whistle. And rarely has it been more deserved.

Substitutes: Offaly - Joe Dooley for Gath (55 mins), J Errity for Troy (57 mins), J Ryan for Duignan (61 mins), B Whelahan for Oakley (65 mins). Derry - Greogory Biggs for McCloy (42 mins), D McGrellis for Oliver Collins (58 mins), P McElooney for McCloskey (62 mins).