Roscommon edged out Leitrim by 3-17 to 4-13 after extra time in an absorbing contest at Carrick-on-Shannon.

Down to 14 men at the time, the visitors – who twice trailed by six points – got a precious lifeline when full forward Paul Carey dramatically clipped over a free off his left foot with the last kick of the game in the seventh minute of injury time to send this magnificent match to extra time – 4-8 to 2-14.

A brace of goals from Mark Diffley in the sixth and tenth minutes followed by a 25th-minute Jordan Reynolds major fired the hosts into a 3-4 to 1-5 interval advantage and they stretched the gap upon the restart but the Rossies reeled off four unanswered points inside the next ten minutes to close within two, 3-5 to 1-9, St Dominics clubman Daire Keenan clipping over a series of stunning points.

Leitrim’s backs were to the wall but they mustered a devastating response when substitute Oisin Bohan finished to the net followed by a James Clancy point as the gap went back out to six. Roscommon’s first-half goalscorer Ronan Dowd brought his tally for the night to 1-4 with a terrific point on 44 minutes but Diffley replied at the three-quarters mark with a sensational curling point.

Amazingly, Paul Carey won possession and fired low to the net from a tight angle to halve the deficit to just three points with twelve minutes remaining.

Roscommon were reduced to 14 men when midfielder Padraig Halpin was dismissed for a second yellow-card offence on 49 minutes.

But Dowd’s brace of frees pared the gap to two with four minutes left. When Bohan got through on goal again at the other end, this time he registered a point to make it 4-8 to 2-12. The tension rose when it was announced that there would be five minutes of injury time and Dowd hammered over his seventh point on the stroke of the hour to again make it a one-point game, Carey pointing his high-pressure stoppage-time free to force an additional 20 minutes.

The Rossies landed the first two points of injury time, Dylan Ruane firing over a beauty before James Fitzpatrick hammered low to the net in the 67th minute to make it 3-16 to 4-8 … an eleven-point turnaround! Jack Gilheaney pulled one back before the second short whistle of the night but Shane Curran’s men led by three heading into the second period of extra time.

UCD ace Gilheaney (2) and Diffley pulled it back to a one-point match again but amid the highest drama possible, Brian Dervin knocked over the insurance point for the Rossies on a night that will never be forgotten. Leitrim rallied again and halved the deficit before missing a last-gasp free, which would have sent the game to penalties.

But the Rossies had done enough to secure a semi-final date with Galway next Wednesday night.

Roscommon - R Kearney, E Killoran, E Flynn, R Dolan; M Conroy, N Higgins, G Galvin; P Hannon, P Halpin; D Keenan (0-3), R Dowd (1-7, 0-5f), T O'Rourke; B Derwin (0-1), P Carey (1-4, 0-1f), D Ruane (0-2). Subs: S Hanley for M Conroy (BC), J Hester for T O'Rourke, J Fitzpatrick (1-0) for B Derwin, C Corcoran for P Fannon, C Lawless for D Keenan, A Brady for R Kearney, A Lyons for P Carey, B Derwin for D Ruane, R Donoghue for E Killoran.

Leitrim - S Reynolds; F Earley, L Rowley, S Chandler; S Harkin, C O'Dwyer, R O'Rourke; A Hoare (0-1), J Gilheaney (0-3); C Cullen (0-2), M Diffley (2-4, 1-0pen, 0-2f), P Keaney; J Reynolds (1-1), T Prior, J Clancy (0-1). Subs: O Bohan (1-1) for R O'Rourke (BC), D Kelleher for J Reynolds, E Harkin for T Prior, M Keegan for P Keaney, J Barnes for C Cullen, D Maguire for J Clancy.

Referee - P Lydon.

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