THREE Ulster sides go forward to the next round of the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship after wins at the weekend – but Cavan will not be joining them.
Monaghan had 18 points to spare against hosts Wexford while Kieran McGeeney’s Armagh finished five points better off than Westmeath at Cusack Park in Mullingar.
Donegal had considerably less of a winning cushion, edging out Meath by a point, 1-14 to 1-15, at Pairc Tailteann in Navan
But centre-field exchanges in the second-half cost Cavan dearly resulting in another victory on their travels by Tipp.
All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Qualifying round 2B: Wexford 1-11 Monaghan 3-23
MALACHY O’Rourke emphasised the importance of Monaghan getting back to winning ways as they swatted aside the challenge of Seamus McEnaney's Wexford in this qualifying encounter at Innovate Park on Saturday.
Having lost their Ulster Championship semi-final to Down, the Farneymen needed very little time to lay down a marker suggesting that they still meant business as they destroyed a feeble home challenge.
Wexford finished the game with 12 players.
Ciaran Lyng was dismissed on a second yellow card on 62 minutes before Adrian Flynn was flashed a black card four minutes later.
Substitute John Leacy was shown a straight red on 70 minutes.
But in truth the outcome of the game had long been decided as Monaghan showed the gulf in standards that now exists between Division One and Division Three sides.
Wexford: S Roche; B Malone, J Rossiter, M Furlong; E Nolan, J Wadding, T Rossiter; D Waters, N Rossiter; K O’Grady, J Firman, A Flynn (0-1); C Lyng (0-3f), C Carty, P J Banville (0-2, 1f).
Subs: B Brosnan (1-5; 0-3f, 0-1x45), for E Nolan (B.C. 17), M Dwyer for Carty (ht), J Tubritt for Firman (ht), J Leacy for Wadding (39), C Kehoe, T Rossiter (40), P Curtis for Kehoe (47)
Monaghan: R Beggan; F Kelly (1-0), D Wylie, R Wylie; C Walshe (0-1), D Mone, N McAdam; K Hughes (0-2), K O’Connell; S Carey (0-3), G Doogan (0-2), O Duffy (1-1); D Malone (0-1), J McCarron (0-3, 1f), C McManus (0-1)
Subs: D Freeman (0-3) for McManus (B.C. 28), K Duffy (1-1) for D Wylie (ht), C McCarthy (0-4, 2f) for Carey (47), T Kerr for McCarron (47), D Hughes for K Hughes (50), D Ward (0-1) for O’Connell (65)
Referee: C Lane (Cork)
All-Ireland SFC qualifiers round 2B: Cavan 0-18 Tipperary 2-15
MUCH has changed since the previous Championship clash of Cavan and Tipperary, which was in the 1935 All-Ireland semi-final, but certain truths remain.
It’s a game of two halves, dominating the midfield battle goes a long way towards winning the war, and strength in depth is important.
Both bosses pointed to the visitors ruling the centre-field exchanges after the teams turned around, which helped turn this tie around from an apparently comfortable home win to another victory on their travels by Tipp.
Cavan: R Galligan; P Faulkner (0-1), K Clarke (capt.), J McLoughlin; J McEnroe, N Murray, C Moynagh (0-1); G McKiernan (0-3, 0-1 free), T Corr (0-2); C Mackey (0-1), M Reilly (0-2), C Brady; C O’Reilly (0-2), L Buchanan, D McVeety (0-1).
Substitutes: N McDermott (0-2 frees) for Brady (12); R Connolly for Buchanan (h-t); T Galligan (0-1) for Corr (48); J Dillon for McDermott (57); S Johnston (0-2, 0-1 free) for O’Reilly (60); N Clerkin for McVeety (black card, 66).
Yellow cards: Brady (6); McEnroe (40).
Black card: McVeety (65, replaced by Clerkin)
Tipperary: C Kenrick; C O’Shaughnessy, A Campbell, E Moloney; B Maher, R Kiely (1-1), J Feehan; L Casey, G Hannigan; J Keane, L Boland, B Fox (capt.) (0-1); C Sweeney (1-5, 0-5 frees, 1-0 pen), K O’Halloran (0-2, 0-1 free), J Kennedy (0-3, 0-2 frees).
Substitutes: D Foley (0-1) for Boland (23); P Austin (0-1) for O’Shaughnessy (h-t); M Quinlivan (0-1) for Hannigan (48); L McGrath for O’Halloran (68); K Bergin for Maher (73).
Yellow cards: Kennedy (49); Kiely (57); Sweeney (57); McGrath (68).
Referee: Fergal Kelly (Longford).
Attendance: 6,054.
All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Round 2B: Westmeath 1-7 Armagh 1-12
THE thousands that flocked to Cusack Park will remember this night for a long time. The sweltering conditions and the tension were unbearable.
For 80 minutes or more the Mullingar venue was one big unruly ball of stress.
Like stubborn mules, Armagh left the midlands on Saturday night victorious.
How they achieved it was hard to fathom.
Westmeath dominated the Ulstermen in the second half but they simply couldn’t clinch the deal.
On an unforgettable night in the midlands, Armagh marched further into the Qualifiers, bonded even more by the manner of their victory.
But there is more football in them. Much more.
Westmeath: D Quinn; M McCallon, K Maguire, J Gonoud; D Lynch, F Boyle, J Dolan; P Sharry (1-0), G Egan; J Egan, K Martin, S Duncan; K Reilly, J Heslin (0-6, 0-4 frees), K Daly Subs: T McDaniel for G Egan (28 inj), C McCormack for K Reilly (55), A Stone for S Duncan (57), N Mulligan for J Dolan (64)
Yellow cards: F Boyle (12), J Gonoud (52), Blood substitution: C McCormack for K Martin (31-34)
Black cards: M McCallon replaced by A Gardiner (66-67), J Egan replaced by A Gaughan (0-1) (66-67)
Armagh: B Hughes; A McKay, C Vernon, P Hughes; A Forker (0-1), B Donaghy, J Morgan; S Sheridan (0-1), N Grimley (0-1 free); C O’Hanlon, A Duffy, R Grugan (0-3, 0-2 frees); J Clarke, A Murnin, G McParland (0-2) Subs: M Shields for A McKay (45 inj), O O’Neill (0-2) for A Duffy (45), C McKeever for G McParland (57), E Rafferty (1-0) for C O’Hanlon (64)
Yellow cards: A Murnin (35), G McCabe (35), A Duffy (43), R Grugan (50), Sheridan (56), C O’Hanlon (61)
Red cards: G McCabe (yellow & black 35 & 54)
Black cards: J Clarke replaced by S Campbell (0-2) (2- 2); J Morgan replaced by C McCabe (19-20)
Referee: P O’Sullivan (Kerry)
All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Qualifying round 3A: Meath 1-14 Donegal 1-15
AS the dust settled on the Pairc Tailteann thriller, Meath manager Andy McEntee took a verbal swipe at referee Derek O’Mahony, but Donegal’s extra touch of class was the real difference.
In a scrappy, often chaotic, but always absorbing encounter between evenly-matched teams it was the influence of Michael Murphy, in midfield, and Paddy McBrearty, in attack, that saw the Ulstermen over the line.
With extra-time beckoning, McBrearty stroked over a superb winner from the 45-yard line to nick a game that had been level 11 times and Donegal boss Rory Gallagher was mighty relieved at the finish.
Donegal: MA McGinley; C Ward, N McGee, K Gillespie; P McGrath, R McHugh (1-0),
F McGlynn (0-1); J McGee (0-2), M Murphy (0-5, 0-2 frees); E Gallagher, C Thompson,
E McHugh; M O’Reilly, H McFadden, P McBrearty (0-7, 0-3 frees)
Subs: M McElhinney for Thompson (43), J Brennan for McFadden (48), K Lacey for O’Reilly (58), M McHugh for McGlynn (60)
Meath: P O’Rourke; D Keogan (0-1), C McGill, M Burke; P Harnan, B Power, S McEntee (0-1); B Menton (0-1), B Conlon; R O Coileain (0-1), J McEntee (0-1), G Reilly (0-1); S Tobin, C O’Sullivan (1-1), D Lenihan (0-7 frees)
Subs: M Newman for S Tobin (h/t), D Tobin for S McEntee (61)
Black card: E Wallace replaced O’Sullivan (67)
Referee: Derek O’Mahony (Tipperary)
Saturday July 8
All-Ireland SFC Qualifiers Round 3A
At Pairc Tailteann: Meath 1-14 Donegal 1-15
All-Ireland SFC Qualifiers Round 3A
At Cusack Park: Mayo 2-14 Clare 0-13
All-Ireland SFC Qualifiers Round 2B
At Cusack Park: Westmeath 1-7 Armagh 1-12
All-Ireland SFC Qualifiers Round 2B
At Wexford Park: Wexford 1-11 Monaghan 3-23
All-Ireland SFC Qualifiers Round 2B
At Dr Cullen Park: Carlow 2-14 Leitrim 0-13
All-Ireland SFC Qualifiers Round 2B
At Breffni Park: Cavan 0-18 Tipperary 2-15
All-Ireland SHC Qualifier Round 2
At Semple Stadium: Waterford 4-23 Kilkenny 2-22 AET
All-Ireland SHC Qualifier Round 2
At Semple Stadium: Tipperary 6-26 Dublin 1-19
