Electric Ireland Ulster Minor Football Championship semi-final: Cavan 0-15 Down 2-7
WHEN the going gets tough, the tough get going – and they don’t come much tougher than Cavan, as Down found to their cost at the Athletic Grounds on Saturday night.
Monaghan reeled off eight unanswered scores at one stage in their provincial quarter-final meeting, the Farneymen looking to have the momentum that would carry them over the line.
Wrong. The Breffni Blues picked themselves off the ground to book their spot in the last four, and that never-say-die attitude was there for all to see again in Armagh.
Cavan – who lost midfielder Ronan Patterson to a black card just eight minutes in - trailed by four at the break after being stung by two sucker punch goals from Down.
However, inspired by the towering James Smith at midfield and elusive corner-forward Oisin Pierson, they scored six of the first eight points of the second half to take the ascendancy.
James McCartan’s Mournemen had two more chances to bag majors, Gary O’Rourke denying Brendan Gallen and Ruairi McCormack, but they lacked the cutting edge in front of the posts that saw them past Armagh three weeks previous.
And once Cavan got their noses in front they didn’t look back, keeping Down at arm’s length to set up an Ulster final showdown with Derry on July 16.
“The second half performance was excellent,” said Cavan boss John Brady.
“There’s still areas we probably need to improve on, that’s nowhere near good enough to compete even with Derry in the final, but it was fit for purpose today. It’s good to get across the line.
“We conceded two bad goals in the first half but in the second half the goalkeeper made one good save. Apart from that they didn’t really look like threatening too much.”
Brady was in Clones last weekend to see Derry comfortably dispose of Antrim, but the Ramor United clubman wasn’t worrying about the Oak Leafs just yet.
He added: “They’d be strong enough, but look we’ll enjoy tonight and worry about Derry on Tuesday night.”
In a nervy first half that saw only eight scores in total, Down got the ones that counted with goals in the 12th and 20th minutes.
Cavan had taken the lead, 0-2 to 0-1, the impressive Smith lashing over from 30 metres out, but three minutes later Down hit the back of the net for the first time.
When a Cavan attack broke down, the ball was worked upfield and Ruairi McCrickard didn’t break stride as he ran on to an offload from Conor McCrickard before slotting low to the left corner of the net.
Eight minutes passed without a score until the men in red and black struck for gold again, Liam Kerr running unchallenged through the heart of the Cavan defence, the Burren forward’s mishit shot bouncing just beyond O’Rourke’s outstretched arm.
Unfortunately for Down, that was as good as it got.
Patrick Lynch’s free two minutes before the break was Cavan’s first score in 20 minutes and, despite trailing 2-2 to 0-4 at the interval, they picked up where they left off in the second half.
Cian Madden led the cavalry with the first two points, and Pierson finished a pitch-length Cavan move in the 35th minute to leave a point in it. The Gowna man levelled matters five minutes later with a free.
With Smith winning everything at midfield, and Down kicking some bad wides in the closing stages, Cavan assumed control of the scoreboard in the last 10 minutes, Madden, Lynch and two from Pierson seeing John Brady’s bunch into the Ulster final.
Cavan: G O’Rourke; J Cooke, P Meade, K Brady; P Rogers, E Fortune, D Cusack (0-1); R Patterson, J Smith (0-2); K Hendrick, C Madden (0-3), O Kiernan; O Pierson (0-5, 0-1 free), P Lynch (0-4, 0-3 frees), S Keogan
Subs: P Nulty for E Fortune (44), T Reilly for K Cosgrove (54). Black card: R Patterson replaced by K Cosgrove (17)
Down: J Hazard; C Fitzsimons, B Gallen, T Gordon; F McElroy, P Fegan, S Annett; R McCormack (0-1), R McCrickard (1-0); R Anderson, C Clarke, D McClements (0-1); T Prenter, C McCrickard (0-3, frees), L Kerr (1-1)
Subs: L Middleton for T Prenter (40), R McEvoy for R McCrickard (54), A Gribben (0-1) for R Anderson (54), R Carr for D McClements (60)
Blood sub: R Carr for C Clarke (15), C Clarke for R Carr (18)
Yellow card: R Carr (16), C Fitzsimons (43)
Referee: S Laverty (Antrim)
