1

Champions Armagh felled by Monaghan

Armagh claimed their first ever All-Ireland title in 2002, but Monaghan were waiting in the long grass and pulled off a stunning upset in the Ulster Championship preliminary round the following summer. The rank outsiders threw the kitchen sink at it from the opening whistle, spearheaded by an imperious Paul Finlay, and ended up winning by four points. Armagh licked their wounds and made it back to the All-Ireland final, where they were beaten by Tyrone.

2

Derry ambush the Red Hands

To this day, it’s hard to believe that Tyrone didn’t manage a single point in the first-half of their Ulster Championship quarter-final defeat to Derry in 2006. The All-Ireland champions were down a few key players, but this was still a shockingly tepid performance from Mickey Harte’s side. Derry, who were inspired by a dressing room speech from legend Eamonn Coleman, played their hearts out and effectively secured the victory with a goal from Enda Muldoon.

3

The Saffrons reach the final

2009 was some year for Liam Bradley’s Antrim, and they still remember their shock quarter-final victory over a wasteful Donegal at Ballybofey. This was the pre-Jimmy McGuinnes era, but Donegal’s starting team had a host of future All-Ireland winners, including Michael Murphy who was in his debut season. Antrim bossed the midfield sector and a late point from Kevin O’Boyle secured victory, while the McCann brothers Michael and Tomas were fantastic throughout.

4

Personal vindication for Eamonn Burns

Eamonn Burns, God rest him, was appointed Down manager in 2015 and they seemed to be on the road to nowhere as they lost 14 games in-a-row. The wheel started to turn in their favour in the early part of 2017, but nobody gave them a chance in the Ulster Championship semi-final against Monaghan. The 4-1 outsiders upset all the odds, however, with a thrilling 1-14 to 0-17 victory to book their place in the Ulster final.

5

Donnelly sends Fermanagh into dreamland

Monaghan were a model of consistency during the Malachy O’Rourke years, but they were left wondering what on earth had just happened when they lost to Fermanagh in the Ulster Championship semi-final two years ago. A late fisted goal from Eoin Donnelly caught them at the death, but Fermanagh probably deserved it as they put in a serious shift from start-to-finish. It sent the Erne County into the Ulster final for the first time since 2008, but they fell well short against Donegal, but that doesn’t diminish a thrilling semi-final victory.

6

Fermanagh fight back against Derry

The Erne County love an upset and they hit Derry with a late sucker-punch in the 2008 Ulster Championship semi-final to book their spot in the final for the first time since 1982. The hero of the hour was Barry Owens, who recovered from heart surgery to come on as a sub and score the late goal which proved the difference on the day. It was an upset, but Fermanagh had a fine team and probably should’ve completed the job against Armagh in the final only for some really poor shooting.

7

A sea of blue and white at Clones

Monaghan’s Ulster Championship final victory over Donegal in 2013 led to massive celebrations from the Farney County, and little wonder. Donegal were reigning All-Ireland champions and had been playing reasonably well, but they were a distinct second-best on the day against a fired-up Monaghan. Conor McManus was brilliant, and it was fitting that veteran Tommy Freeman came off the bench to strike a late insurance score.

8

A changing of the guard

When Donegal pipped Tyrone at the posts in the 2011 quarter-final, it was a pretty big deal to say the least. Tyrone had been going for their third Ulster Championship title in-a-row and raced into a 0-5 to 0-1 lead, but Jimmy McGuinness’ men slowly but surely worked their way into the game and a late goal from Dermot Brick Molloy sent them on their merry way. It marked a seismic shift in Ulster and they ended up having the hex over Tyrone for the remainder of McGuinness’ tenure. Tyrone ended up losing heavily to Dublin the quarter-final and a number of their veterans called it a day as a result.

9

Woeful Armagh fall well short against Fermanagh

Fermanagh got their Ulster Championship campaign up and running two years ago with a surprisingly straightforward 0-12 to 0-7 victory over Armagh. After being beaten by the Orchard men in the Division Three League final, Fermanagh went into the provincial contest as underdogs despite their home advantage. They kept Armagh at bay, however, with some extremely disciplined defending and deservedly booked their place in the semi-finals.

10

Down win marathon battle against the Red Hands

Tyrone were starting to look like a fading force by the time 2008 came around, but they were still expected to do the business against Down in the first-round of the championship. However, they could only manage a draw at Healy Park on their first day out, and they lost by 1-19 to 0-21 after extra-time at Pairc Esler in the replay. It was a fantastic game, but Tyrone were written off by all and sundry as a result of the loss – and we all know what happened next as they went on to claim their third All-Ireland title in six years.