Thanks to Seanie Furlong, Mick O’Dwyer’s life as an inter-county manager is not over yet.
The Wicklow full-forward twice scored dramatic goals, one at the end of normal time, one at the end of extra time, to ensure that Wicklow drew 2-13 to 0-19 with Armagh at the Athletic Grounds to set up a replay next week.
Wicklow were expected to be overawed by the 2002 All Ireland champions but they looked anything but in the opening period.
A Tony Hannon free set them on their way and they should have been further ahead but for three bad wides.
The expected Armagh charge never arrived and it was 18 minutes before Kevin Dyas got them off the mark. Leighton Glynn was in wonderful form and he chipped in with three points while Hannon kept the scoreboard ticking over with frees.
When Furlong kicked his first point, Wicklow lead by seven and Micko was in dreamland. But Armagh managed to claw two points back before the break and the game was still in the balance, despite Wicklow’s dominance.
The majestic Glynn scored the first point of the second half, when a goal seemed on, but the Orchard County finally found their top gear and points from Jamie Clarke brought the gap down to three with 25 minutes to play.
James Stafford was winning lots of ball for Wicklow but wastefulness in front of goal was starting to cost the Garden County, with Glynn and Paul Earls kicking two very bad wides when they really needed a steadying score.
At the other end Johnny Murtagh had a goal-bound effort well saved by John Flynn but Wicklow still led heading into the final quarter.
But then the class of Jamie Clarke and Stevie McDonnell started to show and they combined to turn the game completely in Armagh favour, putting them two points clear with two minutes to play.
Then, just as the obituaries for O’Dwyer’s career were being penned, Furlong lashed home a goal for Wicklow and a stunning shock seemed on. They held on until the final minute of added time when Clarke set up Gavin McParland for the leveller, bringing us extra-time.
Armagh got off to a flyer in extra-time, with Clarke and Charlie Vernon pulling Armagh clear but two Furlong points meant there was still just a point between the sides midway through the bonus time.
The drama continued as Aaron Kernan put Armagh two clear once again before Furlong raised the green flag once again to put Wicklow in to the lead with just minutes left but Kernan got his third of the half to level it for the final time.