Fermanagh v Armagh LIVE score updates as Ernemen make two late changes

Ulster SFC preliminary round: Armagh 1-17 Tyrone 1-16 AET

For the second successive year, Armagh have pipped Tyrone at the post in another Ulster SFC thriller.

This one was more of a slow burner than the semi-final joust in Clones last year, but the finale was every bit as dramatic.

The Red Hands probably hung on to Armagh’s coattails in last season’s contest. This time, they had chances to put Armagh to the sword after playing extra-time with an extra man after Darragh McMullen picked up a second booking at the end of normal time.

Eoin McElholm spurned a goal chance in extra-time when a point would have brought his side level while Niall Morgan kicked a last-gasp ’45 wide.

Every team loves to complain about being written off. In Tyrone’s case it was true as few gave them any hope of causing an upset at a sold-out Box-It Athletic Grounds with the majority of the 16,0-91 in attendance cheering for the home side.

Malachy O’Rourke’s men needed much to go in their favour if they were to ambush the Orchard men in their own backyard.

With just 27 minutes played, they’d lost their two most influential players with Darragh Canavan and Brian Kennedy picking up injuries. At that stage, Armagh were 0-7 to 0-4 ahead with neither team playing particularly well after a deluge of rain prior to throw-in meant conditions were difficult for both sets of players.

Ethan Jordan, Tyrone’s top scorer in 2026, kicked four first half wides, including two long-range two-point attempts.

A fine score from Darragh McMullen had Armagh 0-8 to 0-4 ahead at the end of a rather forgettable first half of football

All that was to change in the second half as Tyrone fought their way back into contention, led by the brilliance of Mattie Donnelly and Conn Kilpatrick.

Donnelly opened the scoring and, to his credit, Jordan put his nightmare first half behind him to kick back-to-back scores.

Conor Turbitt pointed on his introduction, but all the momentum was now with the Red Hands and they levelled proceedings via Kilpatrick and Peter Teague.

A cracking point from Michael McKernan then put Tyrone into the lead for the first time in the game after 56 minutes.

In a game devoid of two-pointers, the first one was worth waiting for as Oisin O’Neill raised an orange flag and raised the spirits of the home support as he restored Armagh’s lead.

The Crossmaglen ace would score another two points to put Armagh 0-13 to 0-10 ahead and seemingly into a quarter-final meeting with Fermanagh.

Tyrone ensured there’d be at least one more twist in this tail as Niall Devlin set up Ben McDonnell for a stunning late goal to force extra-time.

Within 90 seconds of the restart, Armagh had established a four-point advantage as Ross McQuillan fired over the bar before Tomás McCormack palmed the ball under it after a great one-two with Oisin O’Neill.

Displaying a courageousness that has been absent from their play thus far in 2026, Tyrone battled back thanks to back-to-back two-pointers from McKernan and the outstanding Kilpatrick.

When Donnelly kicked Tyrone back into the lead, the Red Hands were on the cusp of a famous victory. O’Neill converted another free before Turbitt fisted over what proved to be the winner.

And yet it was Tyrone who were left to wonder what might have been. McElholm opted to shoot for goal when a point would have levelled the game with Gareth Murphy perhaps doing enough to put the Loughmacrory ace off at the last second.

Still, Armagh’s supporters were bracing themselves to be put through the wringer of another penalty shootout when Morgan addressed the ball for a ’45 after Lorcan McGarrity’s late shot was blocked down.

The Tyrone goalkeeper couldn’t find the target to force a shootout as Armagh progressed to the quarter-finals by the skin of their teeth. Tyrone’s best performance of 2026 wasn’t quite enough.

ARMAGH: B Hughes 0-1 (0-1 45); P McGrane, A McKay, G Murphy ; R McQuillan 0-1, T Kelly, J Óg Burns; C O’Neill 0-3 (0-2fs), B Crealey; G McCabe, D McMullen 0-1, T McCormack 1-1; C McConville 0-1, J Duffy, O Conaty.

Subs: C Turbitt 0-2 for McCormack (43); O O’Neill 0-6 (0-3fs, 1tpf) for McConville (50); J McElroy for McQuillan (56; R Grugan for C O’Neill (65); R McQuillan for McElroy (ET); T McCormack for Murphy (ET); P Burns for McGrane (ET); C McConville for Crealey (ET); J Duffy for McCabe (87)

TYRONE: N Morgan, C Quinn, P Teague 0-1, N Devlin; C Daly, J Clarke, M McKernan 0-3 (1tp); B Kennedy, C Kilpatrick 0-4 (1tp); S O’Donnell 0-1, R Cassidy, B McDonnell 1-0; D McCurry, E Jordan 0-2 (0-1f), D Canavan.

Subs: M Donnelly 0-3 for D Canavan (19), K McGeary for Kennedy (26), E McElholm 0-1 for McCurry (48), L McGarrity for Jordan (55), B Cullen for McGeary (77).