The Clan na Gael star has been outstanding for Mickey Harte’s side throughout the league but Kildare had managed to reduce his influence significantly until the final minutes, when he scored two barely believable points, either side of a Mark Donnelly score, to confirm his side’s progression.

The Lilywhites led at half time by 1-6 to 1-5 and should have been further ahead but registered nine wides to Tyrone’s four.

Harte clearly had some stern words with his players though as their intensity upped quite significantly in the second half.

Martin Penrose goaled a minute after to restart and though Paul Cribbin scored an outstanding goal on the hour and Paddy Brophy pointed to reduce the margin to the minimum with three minutes remaining, Kildare had no answer to O’Neill’s heroics in the end.

Kieran McGeeney will feel that this was a game his side could have won, particularly given that Kildare might have had a free in the build-up to Penrose’s goal.

Just before the interval, Sean Cavanagh pointed a free following an incident where Conor Gormley struck Cribbin open-handed in the face. After the score, referee Rory Hickey yellow-carded the experienced defender but if it was for that incident, Gormley must surely have been lucky to have escaped a red, while Kildare should have had a free instead.

Having said that, Tyrone were the better team after the resumption, with substitutes Aidan Cassidy and Cormac McAlliskey exerting a considerable influence.

Harte will be concerned by the injuries picked up by three of his players in the first half, particularly the hamstring strain that his nephew Peter picked up. With the championship clash with Donegal six weeks away, he will be hoping that the problem isn’t too serious.

For McGeeney, there is plenty to be positive about, as most of the six U21s that started the game played well just six days ahead of their All-Ireland semi-final against Galway. They scored two top-drawer goals, showed plenty of energy and managed to keep Seán Cavanagh and O’Neill quiet for large portions of the game.

Penrose wasted a goal opportunity after just 60 seconds following a poor kickout by Mark Donnellan and six minutes had elapsed before O’Neill turned on his right foot from a tight angle on the right to hit the mark.

From the next attack, the full-forward showed for Dermot Carlin and sent a quick offload to Mattie Donnelly, who planted a powerful shot to the top right-hand corner of the Kildare net.

Padraig O’Neill helped drag Kildare back into proceedings with three excellent points of his own, including a trademark outside-of-the-boot bomb from around 50m.

The All Whites began to dominate around the middle third and their speed of off-loading and running off the shoulder began to pay significant dividends.

Paddy Brophy’s goal was a case in point as the tireless Johnny Doyle began a wonderfully slick move. Eoghan O’Flaherty exchanged passes with Cribbin and then Brophy before unleashing a shot from close range that was brilliantly saved by Niall Morgan. Brophy planted the rebound to the net though and Kildare were deservingly ahead at the break.

Tyrone were a different outfit entirely in the second half. Penrose had a point after 15 seconds and when Donnellan’s attempt at a placed kickout was spoiled by Cassidy, Mark Donnelly proved the ultimate beneficiary as his shot went off the goalkeeper’s palm to the net.

Doyle came back with two points, the first a truly inspirational effort as the 35-year-old carried the ball half the length of the field before clipping over.

Cassidy and McAlliskey put a goal between them again and it took a brilliant block by Mick Foley to deny Penrose another goal.

Stephen O’Neill extended the margin to four with his second right-footed score in the 57th minute and when McAlliskey profited from powerful work by the Cavanagh brothers soon after, it looked all over.

Kildare have plundered goals galore throughout the year though and back they came with another. It started the impressive Seán Hurley sent O’Flaherty scampering away once more. He set up a one-two with Cribbin, rounded Dermot Carlin and returned the ball to the former AFL man, who slid it coolly beyond Morgan.

Peter Kelly and Ollie Lyons were excellent coming out of defence before Brophy launched a left-footed shot over the bar from 35m and it was a one-point game again.

Kildare didn’t score again though. With three minutes of normal time remaining, O’Neill sold an outrageous dummy that left Kelly on the ground, before curling over from a very tight angle on the right.

Mark Donnelly put a goal between them again before O’Neill rendered superlatives superfluous in injury time by flighting a point with his left from wide on the left flank and only about eight metres out from the endline. It was exhibition stuff from a man who has been producing those sort of heroics for more than a decade.

In the end, that was the difference between the sides.

Scorers – Tyrone: Mattie Donnelly 1-2; S O’Neill 0-4; Mark Donnelly 1-1; S Cavanagh (fs), C McAlliskey 0-2 each; D McCurry (f), N Morgan (f), A Cassidy, M Penrose 0-1 each

Kildare: J Doyle 0-6(4fs); P O’Neil 0-3; P Brophy 1-1, P Cribbin 1-0; E O’Flaherty 0-1

Tyrone: N Morgan; P Quinn, C Clarke, C McCarron; D Carlin, Mattie Donnelly, C Gormley; C Cavanagh, S Cavanagh; R McNamee, P Harte, Mark Donnelly; D McCurry, S O’Neill, M Penrose. Subs: A Cassidy for Harte inj (24); Joe McMahon for McNamee inj (ht); C McAlliskey for McCurry inj (ht); C McGinley for Carlin (62); A McCrory for Quinn (62)

Kildare: M Donnellan; M Foley, O Lyons, H McGrillen; E Doyle, P Kelly, P Cribbin; Daniel Flynn, P O’Neill; E Bolton, N Kelly, E O’Flaherty; P Brophy, S Hurley, J Doyle. Subs: T O’Connor for Flynn (50); S Johnston for Bolton (54); E Callaghan for N Kelly (62); A Smith for J Doyle (66)

Referee: R Hickey (Clare)