Slaughtneil (Derry) 1-23 Portaferry (Down) 1-18
Setanta (Donegal) 0-12 Naomh Eoin St John’s (Antrim) 3-20
Holders Slaughtneil will face championship returnees St John’s in the Ulster Club SHC final.
Slaughtneill held off Portaferry in a repeat of last year’s final, the Derry side winning 1-23 to 1-18 at the Athletic Grounds in Armagh.
RM Block
Slaughtneill came from behind in the first half to book a place in their 10th provincial final in 12 campaigns.
Portaferry led when Daithi Sands netted in the 21st minute after Niall Milligan stole possession from Cormac Doherty.
The teams had been level six times before then and Slaughtneil rallied back into it.
Shane McGuigan, Shea Cassidy, Ruairi O Mianain and Cormac O’Doherty were all on target to turn the tide and helped five-time Ulster champions Slaughtneil to lead 0-12 to 1-8 at the short whistle.
Anytime Slaughtneil broke into the lead, Portaferry would claw back their coat tails with Cahal Coleman keeping them in check.
However, with six minutes remaining, and there but the width of a cigarette paper between them, substitute Gerald Bradley blasted home the killer goal after an O’Doherty free hit an upright.
Cassidy, who ended with 10 points to his name, tacked on three late scores and Jerome McGuigan quashed any hopes of a comeback.
St John’s are back in the Ulster Championship for the first time in 52 years and the Antrim outfit defeated Donegal’s Setanta 3-20 to 0-12 at Owenbeg on Saturday night to punch their final tickets.
Conor Johnston scored two goals with his first coming after only four minutes.
Oisin MacManus kept the board ticking for a 1-10 to 0-8 lead at half-time.
Setanta rallied through Gerard Gilmore, but the Johnnies struck gold just seven minutes into the new half as MacManus teed up Johnston for the finish.
MacManus drilled over 12 points and Donal Carson plundered a third goal to seal the deal for St John’s.
