Allianz Football League Division Three round two
Cavan 1-19 Tipperary 1-7
CAVAN easily made it two from two in Division Three despite going behind to a shock 10th-minute goal from an otherwise fitful Tipp side.
Sean O’Connor’s fetch and finish – after an inviting centre by Teddy Doyle – was a goal that ought to have formed a springboard for Tipp. Instead, it was an effort which was the cue for a long run for home by the hosts.
Central to Cavan’s entry into cruise control was the performance of centre-back Dara McVeety (right), whose three excellent first-half points were pivotal to engineering a clear path to victory.
Mikey O’Shea’s neat effort (28) broke a 16-minute barren period for the visitors but even at that stage, the writing was on the wall in big, bold letters for the Premier county.
“We’re very pleased with the competition we have for places and I think that you could see that showing in the second half with the changes we made,” Cavan boss Mickey Graham enthused after the game.
“Hopefully it’s gonna be a long year for us and so you need fellas who can come onto the field at any given time and make a contribution.
“It’s a cliché but all managers want to have a situation whereby it’s a pain in the head for them trying to pick their best 15 or 26 or whatever the case may be. This is our second win in a row and a credit to all the lads currently training with us. It sets us up nicely for Longford which is a local derby and that should be an interesting one.”
For Cavan, it wasn’t a case of not if but when they would bag a goal and their (surprisingly) only major of the day duly arrived in the 32nd minute when Ryan O’Neill’s aggression and perseverence on the edge of the small square allowed him to angle the ball inside the side-netting.
In trailing by 1-4 to 1-10 at the interval, Tipp needed to hit the ground running on the restart but, ominously, Cavan were first off the mark with Tiarnan Madden making it a seven-point game after 38 minutes.
From there the result was never in any doubt.
Cavan R Galligan (0-1’ 45); P Faulkner, N Carolan (0-1); C Brady, D McVeety (0-3), T Madden (0-2); D Brady, K Clarke; O Kiernan, Cian Madden, J McCabe; M Reilly (0-1), R O’Neill (1-2), O Brady (0-7, 0-6 frees)
Subs R Donohoe for D Brady (44); P Lynch (0-1) for M Reilly (51); B Boylan (0-1) for J McCabe (58);
C Moynagh for C Brady (62); C Madden for R O’Neill (66).
Tipperary M O’Reilly; S O’Connell, J Feehan, D Carew; K Fahey, C O’Shaughnessy, E Moloney; C Deely,
J Kennedy (0-5, 5f); M Russell, M O’Shea (0-1), T Doyle; L McGrath, S O’Brien, S O’Connor (1-1) Subs C Cadell for M O’Shea (h-t); L Boland for S O’Brien (45); W Eviston for C Deely (52); C Kennedy or C O’Shaughnessy (59); M Stokes for L McGrath (59); P Maher for S O’Connor (59); T Maher for M Russell (67)
Referee B Judge (Sligo)
