Football

Cavan prove much too strong for Queen's in Ballyconnell

Cavan goalkeeper Raymond Galligan scored from three frees and made two diving saves to deny Queen’s two goals in Sunday’s Dr McKenna Cup clash in Ballyconnell Picture by Seamus Loughran
Cavan goalkeeper Raymond Galligan scored from three frees and made two diving saves to deny Queen’s two goals in Sunday’s Dr McKenna Cup clash in Ballyconnell Picture by Seamus Loughran Cavan goalkeeper Raymond Galligan scored from three frees and made two diving saves to deny Queen’s two goals in Sunday’s Dr McKenna Cup clash in Ballyconnell Picture by Seamus Loughran

Bank of Ireland Dr McKenna Cup Section A: Cavan 0-17 Queen’s University, Belfast 0-3

THE value of third-level colleges playing in the Dr McKenna Cup is an old chestnut but Cavan fans were at a loss to crack it after this mis-match at Ballyconnell.

Even anoraks among the host support were left perplexed as they tried to remember the last occasion a Cavan senior football side restricted their opponents to just one point from open play in a competitive 70-minute match while at the same time keeping them scoreless over the course of the second half.

Simply said, Queen’s were out-classed, out-run and out-biffed to such a degree that winning boss Mickey Graham will have his work cut out in the coming week to make sure his charges keep things in perspective.

Cavan built on their opening Section A victory over Down with consummate ease, although their post-mortem will likely hone in on their failure to find their opponents’ net. In that regard though, the fact that the students aped Cavan in positioning at least 12 men behind the ball at all times probably did go quite a way towards denying the home fans the pleasure of seeing the Queen’s net billowing.

Overall, it must be said this was as tame a Dr McKenna Cup tie as Cavan have played in for many years; engaging in an exercise that was just a notch above a routine training evening as they made their point(s) ahead of certainly more stern examinations.

That Shane Mulholland’s charges failed to test Cavan’s mettle yesterday to any significant or sustained degree brooks no debate. And just how much benefit it is to Queen’s or Cavan when the former is asked to go toe-to-toe with a NFL Division One side is highly questionable too when the non-county side is shorn of almost half of its first-choice players.

On a cold, damp day and on a greasy Cavan sward, made even more slippery by drizzly rain, Queen’s fielded without first-teamers like James McMahon, Ben Crilly, Niall Scullion, Jack McCann, James McAuley and Odhran Eastwood and from early on it was obvious their replacements just hadn’t it in them to stymie, let alone overcome a hungrier, fitter and more purposeful Cavan selection which, in itself, fielded without such household names such as Gearoid McKiernan, Cian Mackey, Martin Reilly, Dara McVeety and Killian Clarke.

In line with most of the other games seen this season so far, the difficulties encountered by teams trying to mine majors on the back of the introduction of the handpass rule was again showcased.

With both teams packing their own halves when not in possession, the inability of the players to embroider moves deep in enemy territory with a decisive handpass did much to make for barren times at the business ends of the field.

Ironically, the visitors created the only two goal chances over the course of what was a banal 70-plus minutes but Cavan ’keeper Raymond Galligan denied James Smith and substitute Kieran Hughes with diving saves in the 14th and 52nd minutes respectively.

The weakened students were at their best in an uninspiring and rather predictable first half with Ryan Treanor’s free reducing Cavan’s lead to a manageable 0-3 to 0-1 at that juncture.

Slowly but surely, though, Cavan went up the gears and they saved their best for last when local Kildallan clubman Ryan O’Neill fired over from long range with the final kick of the half.

Once subs Kevin Tierney and Niall Clerkin made it 0-10 to 0-3 inside 90 seconds of the restart, there was only ever going to be one winner with Queen’s flattering to deceive in playing their game of catch-up.

Cavan’s control of the middle third plus their greater desire and fitness became more pronounced the longer the game progressed and even the sin-binning of impressive midfielder Paul Graham in the 52nd minute failed to alter the status quo.

Queens remained on the backfoot in the dregs of the game; their game still coloured more by perspiration than inspiration.

Cavan canterered rather than sprinted home, with four of their last five points coming from frees.

Cavan: R Galligan (0-3 frees); J McLoughlin, P Faulkner, P O’Reilly; B Fortune, C Moynagh, C Rehill; M Argue (0-2), P Graham; N McKiernan (0-2, 0-1 free), C Conroy, R O’Neill (0-1); J Brady (0-2, 0-1 free), P Moore (0-2), O Pierson.


Subs: N Clerkin (0-1) for N McKiernan (h-t); K Tierney (0-1) for P Moore (h-t); S Smith for C Conroy (45); C Madden (0-3, 0-2 frees) for O Pierson (50); L Fortune for C Moynagh (64).

Queen’s: A Hasson; A Rushe, O Lappin, C McCluskey; B Gallen, J Rice, N Keenan; E Deane, B Crealey; R Treanor (0-1 free), C Martin, C O’Neill; R Campbell (0-1), J Smith, D Guinness

Subs: K Hughes (0-1 free) for B Crealey (27); N Rafferty for B Gallen (h-t); D McKeever for N Keenan (h-t); N Hannigan for C Martin (47); C Fox for J Smith (47)

Referee: N Cullen (Fermanagh)