Derry hold off Westmeath to avoid All-Ireland exit

Conor McCluskey (left) scored Derry's first goal near the end of the first half

Derry kept alive their hopes of winning a first All-Ireland Football title in over 30 years as they held off a spirited Westmeath 2-7 to 0-9 in Newry to advance to the preliminary quarter-finals.

Needing a win to make the last 12 of the Sam Maguire series, the Oak Leafers led 1-5 to 0-5 at the break thanks to Conor McCluskey's well-worked goal.

But having stretched their lead out to four points early in the second half, Derry conceded three points in a row as Westmeath - who needed a draw to progress - chased a major upset.

However, following a nail-biting period, Emmett Bradley eased Derry nerves with a goal to secure their first championship win of the year and seal their place in Monday's draw.

Derry will be on the road again for their preliminary quarter-final after finishing third in Group One, with Armagh and Galway facing each other in a winner-takes-top-spot contest at Markievicz Park on Sunday.

Having followed a humbling Ulster quarter-final loss to Donegal with defeats by Galway and Armagh, there was intense scrutiny on Mickey Harte's Derry as they bid to save their season.

That bid was hindered by the absence of some key men, including Gareth McKinless, Padraig McGrogan, Conor Doherty and Niall Toner.

But while they were unable to produce a major statement at Pairc Esler, the National League champions showed character to carve out the required result after an uncomfortable second-half period in which Westmeath looked capable of pulling off a stunning win.

Much of the scrutiny on Derry has centred on their shape and set-up after shipping nine goals in the defeats by Donegal, Galway and Armagh, all of whom exposed frailties in the Oak Leaf ranks with quick counter-attacks.

There were a couple of early warning signs here, too, with Odhran Lynch keeping out James Dolan's goal-bound shot after he had eluded the Derry to latch on to Jamie Gonoud's pass over the top.

Derry also had a sniff of an early goal chance but Brendan Rogers was unable to bundle the ball home from close range after Shane McGuigan's effort came back off the post.

And while the impressive Ronan O'Toole caused havoc in the Derry defence with three scores from play during the first half, the Ulster side gradually improved in the first half before McCluskey's 32nd-minute goal.

It was beautifully worked, too, with Diarmuid Baker and Donncha Gilmore cutting the Westmeath defence open before McCluskey smashed his shot past Jason Daly to score Derry's first championship goal since last year's All-Ireland semi-final defeat by Kerry.

That green flag was swiftly followed by Eunan Mulholland's second score from play, handing Derry a three-point cushion at the break.

Bradley goal comes after nervy period

Emmett Bradley came up with a nerve-settling goal for Derry with five minutes remaining

While Dolan reduced the arrears upon the resumption, a Shane McGuigan free and Conor Glass' effort from play appeared to set Derry on course for victory.

But Division Three winners Westmeath refused to exit the championship with a whimper as three unanswered scores from substitutes Robbie Forde, Stephen Smith and his brother Jack Smith brought the Lake County to within a point.

With Derry coughing up possession, Harte cut a troubled figure on the sideline, although Westmeath lacked the cutting edge to find the goal that would have heaped even more pressure on the favourites.

Recently, Derry have been criticised for failing to come up with a solution when under pressure in games. But here, they managed to ride a mini-Westmeath storm before Bradley found the back of the net after 65 minutes to steady the ship.

Derry will hope this win breathes new life into a season which stalled alarmingly after the high of beating Dublin to clinch the Division One title.

The road remains long from here, of course, with four straight wins required to lift Sam.

They will hardly have frightened the other contenders with their performance in Newry. But with their backs against the wall after a tough couple of months, they delivered when it mattered most and inserted themselves into the draw for next weekend's preliminary quarter-finals, where they could face Harte's former sides Tyrone or Louth.