The AIB Ulster Club Senior Football Championship final on Sunday, November 28 will be an Armagh v Donegal affair, after Crossmaglen and Naomh Conaill emerged victorious from today's semi-finals.

A security alert on the M1 motorway near Casement Park delayed the start of Crossmaglen's clash with Burren, but the Armagh champions were quick off the mark when the action got underway.

A defensive mix-up, which saw Burren's Ciaran McGovern miscue a sideline ball, allowed Michael McNamee fire to the net in the seventh minute and move Cross into a 1-3 to 0-1 lead.

Scores from Stephen Finnegan, McNamee, Oisin McConville and Tony Kernan had Burren eight points clear, but Burren rallied to close the gap for half-time.

Crossmaglen goalkeeper Paul Hearty pulled off a fine save to deny Donal O'Hare, however he was well beaten by a superb Sean Murdock shot, two minutes before the break.

Finding themselves 1-8 to 1-3 ahead at half-time, Cross were able to maintain their five-point lead until Murdock kicked two points in quick succession.

The Down title holders built further momentum when substitute Eoin McCartan helped create a match-levelling goal for O'Hare, with little over ten minutes remaining.

Cross manager Tony McEntee sent on his brother John and Francie Bellew and Rangers' greater experience helped them see out a hard-fought one-point win in the end.

McEntee and Oisin McConville combined to set up McNamee for the lead point, with six minutes to go. The pressure was on for Burren as O'Hare and McGovern missed scoring chances and a nervy McCartan also lost possession at a crucial stage.

The worst miss of the match arrived in injury-time when Down ace Kevin McKernan kicked the ball wide in acres of space, and with that went Burren's chances of reaching the final.

In this afternoon's second semi-final, an early Dara Gallagher goal set Donegal champions Naomh Conaill on their way to a 1-10 to 1-9 victory over Coalisland of Tyrone.

In foggy conditions at Brewster Park, the Glenties side seized the early initiative - leading by 1-3 to 0-3 - before a scoring burst of 1-3, which included a Plunkett Kane goal, helped Coalisland move ahead.

However, having led by 1-7 to 0-6 at the break, Naomh Conaill did just enough in the second half to book their place in the final in two weeks' time.

Dermot Molloy, who impressed in front of goal in the opening half hour, added to his side's lead early in the half, before Brian Toner, Patrick McNeice and Dermot Thornton replied for Coalisland.

Leon Thompson was denied a goal by a point-blank save from Coalisland goalkeeper Peter Donnelly, whose opposite number Johnny Curran scored two long range frees on the day.

Coalisland edged ahead courtesy of a 43rd-minute goal from their captain Plunkett Kane, but Molloy's fifth point of the afternoon quickly squared the game up.

The tension was obvious as the sides endured an 11-minute scoreless spell. Four minutes from time, Gallagher landed a close range free and that turned out to be the match-winning score.

Coalisland engineered a series of late chances, but McNeice and goalkeeper Curran agonisingly missed three frees between them, two of them from the 45-metre range.