Football

Conor McManus goal is the clinching score as Monaghan edge Cavan

Conor McManus celebrates his clinching goal against Cavan Picture by Philip Walsh
Conor McManus celebrates his clinching goal against Cavan Picture by Philip Walsh Conor McManus celebrates his clinching goal against Cavan Picture by Philip Walsh

Ulster Senior Football Championship quarter-final: Cavan 0-15 Monaghan 1-15

THE amount of wind that swirled around the Breffni bowl all day still wouldn’t have matched the collective gasp from the crowd seconds before the end of this game.

Monaghan breathed out a huge sigh of relief, Cavan one of despair after home substitute Ryan Connolly’s rasping shot rattled back off the woodwork rather than rippling the netting and forcing a replay. A breathtaking finish to an increasingly entertaining game.

The Drumlane man fell to his knees, as did many of his team-mates; Cavan had gone down fighting, but they’d still gone down, and to the old enemy for the third Championship meeting in five seasons.

The Breffnimen’s wait for an Ulster Final appearance has now reached 16 years, since 2001 – coincidentally the last year they beat Monaghan in senior Championship combat.

Monaghan just about deserved their victory, earned by the only goal of the game from Conor McManus just before the hour mark, but Cavan came mighty close to making them do it all over again.

The Clontibret man’s cool finish had put the visitors ahead for only the second time in the match but this time they held on to that advantage for more than a couple of minutes and advanced to a semi-final against Down.

Yet although Monaghan were chasing Cavan throughout most of this match, the Breffnimen could never get far enough ahead to be comfortable; indeed the sides were level on no fewer than nine occasions.

This was as tight and tense an affair as had been anticipated between these age-old adversaries.

The inland rivals rolled back and forth at each other in slow waves, lines of men colliding, seeking to force gaps. Both pulled plenty of bodies back behind the ball, inviting their opponents to come and have a go if they thought they’re hard enough.

Monaghan were playing into that strong breeze, which was also blowing across from the stand side, the problems it was causing shown by McManus missing his first free attempt from almost in front of the posts.

The wind affected Cavan too, though, the hosts’ first three wides the result of long balls kicked towards their inside-forwards but carrying too far. They tried a variety of men at full-forward, first Liam Buchanan, then Gearoid McKiernan, next Conor Madden, then Niall McDermott, but none seriously troubled the Monaghan goal.

Angled approaches to the corners proved more productive, with Cian Mackey in particular posing problems, twice getting on the end of long kick-passes before taking points.

Still, it was mostly score for score: Cavan went ahead, Monaghan responded. Cavan edged in front, Monaghan pegged them back.

Put it however you want, it was the same old story, the tit-for-tat tale of this close-fought rivalry.

Cavan’s strategy of sitting very deep allowed Monaghan to get defenders into the attack; indeed a long run from one of their sweepers, Kieran Duffy, created a score for McManus.

‘Mansy’ was being fairly well-watched by Padraig Faulkner, but the Kingscourt defender departed from the dangerman to snuff out other danger, whizzing across to block a rising shot from Owen Duffy, who had been released on the right by Karl O’Connell, another Monaghan back embarking on a surge from a deep position.

Monaghan went in front for the first time in the 33rd minute through a superb score from McManus, 0-7 to 0-6, but that advantage was short-lived.

Shortly after someone asked how often the teams had been level (on six occasions at that stage), Cavan opened up only the

second two-point gap of the game, injury time points from James McEnroe and Gearoid McKiernan taking them into the break 9-7 ahead.

That lead lasted less than seven minutes after the re-start, with the highly impressive Owen Duffy adding two more scores either side of the only one from Jack McCarron. The star of the latter stages of the League largely struggled for confidence again, with some wild efforts.

A wayward shot from Cavan corner-back Niall Murray almost led to a goal, captain Killian Clarke fisting it goalwards before it was cleared by Dermot Malone, but the momentum was shifting to their opponents.

With the wind at their backs, the feeling was that it was only a matter of time before Monaghan sailed in front, but Cavan kept plugging away, with Niall McDermott and Seanie Johnston registering from frees.

Indeed Monaghan might have begun to worry when McCarron shrugged off McEnroe and fired in a superb shot on the turn,

only for Galligan to brilliantly turn it around the post, although his opposite number Rory

Beggan did convert the subsequent ‘45’.

Typically, Cavan went ahead again, sub Dara McVeety’s clever hand-pass setting up Mackey for a snapshot to make it 14-13 – but that was their only score from play in the second half.

The Monaghan breakthrough finally came when sub Conor McCarthy found Owen Duffy inside the ‘D’; his instant

hand-pass sent McManus through one-on-one and he coolly rolled the ball below Raymond Galligan and into the net.

Those goal-creators Duffy and McCarthy quickly added points and suddenly Monaghan were four points up with only five minutes of normal time to play.

The noise levels from the Cavan support increased; tongues bitten while the prospect of victory seemed on, were loosed as the fear of losing filled lungs.

However, there didn’t seem as much urgency from the players in blue, who instead of piling men into attack only had one player at inside forward – and that was Mackey late on.

A Johnston free entering added time did leave just a goal between the teams and Cavan began belatedly to go for one, but Ciaran Brady was correctly called for over-carrying as he barrelled towards the nets.

The goal chance came, as it usually does, but although Connolly’s shot was full of power it lacked a few degrees of direction and home hopes crashed as hard as the ball

came back off that right-hand upright.

Cavan must pick themselves up and enter into the unknown of the qualifiers. Monaghan puff out their cheeks and head into their sixth consecutive provincial semi-final – and will be favourites to reach a fourth final under Malachy O’Rourke.

Cavan: R Galligan; P Faulkner, K Clarke (capt.), N Murray; J McEnroe (0-1), C Moynagh (0-1), G Smith; L Buchanan (0-1), G McKiernan (0-1); C Mackey (0-3), C Madden, M Reilly (0-1 free); N Clerkin, N McDermott (0-3 frees), S Johnston (0-4 frees); Substitutes: C Brady for Madden (26); D McVeety for Buchanan (h-t); R Connolly for McDermott (53); J Dillon for Clerkin (64); J McLoughlin for McEnroe (64); C O’Reilly for Murray (73).

Yellow cards: Clarke (62); Connolly (67).

Monaghan: R Beggan (0-3, 0-2 45s, 0-1 free); F Kelly, D Wylie, R Wylie; C Walshe (capt.) (0-1), V Corey, K O’Connell;

K Hughes, N McAdam; G Doogan, K Duffy, O Duffy (0-4); D Malone, J McCarron (0-1), C McManus (1-4, 0-2 frees).

Substitutes: R McAnespie for Doogan (h-t); C McCarthy (0-2) for Malone (48); D Ward for K Duffy (56); D Mone for D Wylie (68); D Hughes for McCarron (68); S Carey for O Duffy (black card, 73).

Yellow cards: D Wylie (37); Kelly (52)

Black card: O Duffy (72, replaced by Carey)