Bank of Ireland Dr McKenna, Section B, round one: Cavan 1-10 Derry 0-15
THE baseball cap, the arms folded as he stood on the white line watching the action deep in thought… The crest has changed, the demeaner never will and Mickey Harte marked his Derry debut with a workmanlike win.
That meant defeat for Raymond Galligan on his managerial opener but the Cavan boss will have taken positives from what he saw from his men in an entertaining tussle.
Cavan hands hadn’t touched leather when Paul Cassidy jinked in off the left wing and scooped over the first point of the Harte era after two minutes. Cavan attacked from the restart but the Oak Leafers got men behind the ball, turned it over on their own 45 and, with debutant goalkeeper Jack Cassidy heavily involved outfield, worked it calmly up to Cassidy and the Bellaghy half-forward again added the finish to put the defending champions two-up.
Paddy Lynch pulled a point back when he converted a difficult free and, after an Oisin Kiernan (Denn) interception and accurate long pass, Padraig Faulkner equalised. Cavan, getting the ball forward quickly, could have gone ahead when Niall Carolan somehow found his way out of a thicket of Derry defenders and then played an inch-perfect pass to James Galligan. His goalbound shot was brilliantly blocked by diving Eoghan McEvoy.
New goalkeeper Cassidy was scurrying back to gather an attempted chip at one end and Ben McCarron just missed Niall Toner’s cross at the other as both sides threatened goals and then Toner edged Derry ahead again with a free from the left before Cassidy made it 4-2 with another fine finish.
Oisin Kiernan (Castlerahan) cancelled it out and Ballinderry’s Ruairi Forbes and Jason McLoughlin swapped scores as the action from end to end. There were glimpses of quality from Declan Cassidy, Conor McGrogan and Dan Higgins among others but when Derry over-elaborated Cavan needed no invitation to put boot to ball on the counter.
Or run it. Carolan slalomed through a series of McKenna Cup half-tackles but shot straight at Cassidy and then Niall Loughlin slipped in McCarron who sent Derry two ahead and Toner made it three (0-7 to 0-4) on the stroke of half-time.
McCarron opened the second half scoring and Lynch replied with a free and Oisin Brady cut in from the right and finished left-footed to leave two in it and Cavan got their noses in front for the first time when Faulkner played in Gerard Smith who beat Cassidy with a low shot.
Daniel Baker raided forward to level it but Oisin Brady restored Cavan’s slender advantage with his second of the half.
Derry answered with a rapid attack but McCarron was denied by a brilliant save from Liam Brady. A minute later, Brady saved from Loughlin but Padraig McGrogan fisted over the rebound to level it again.
Shane McGuigan had just been thrown into the mix when Donncha Gilmore regained the lead for the Oak Leafers and the Slaughtneil forward’s first involvement was a lightning run down the left and a shot that clipped the crossbar on its way over and, as Cavan’s wides began to mount up, Paul Cassidy’s fourth left three in it.
Harte sent on Chrissy McKaigue to sweep up in defence but two Lynch frees just a point between them as injury-time began. Cahir McMonagle stroked over a point to ease Derry nerves and another Lynch score wasn’t enough to salvage a draw for the home side.
Cavan: L Brady; O Kiernan (Denn), K Brady, C McKeogh; J McLoughlin (0-1), N Carolan, B O’Connell; J Galligan, P Faulkner (0-1); O Kiernan (C’rahan) (0-1), T Madden, R Donohoe; P Lynch (0-4 frees), J Smith, O Brady (0-2)
Subs: G Smith (1-0) for K Brady (HT), L Fay for R Donohoe (HT), C Timoney for O’Connell (55), C O’Reilly for J Smith (55), P Smith for Carolan (60), J Tully for Madden (63), M Magee for McLoughlin (63), E Shehu for Faulkner (68)
Yellow cards: K Brady (35), O Kiernan (C’Rahan) (40), Madden (50), Galligan (50)
Derry: J Cassidy; D Baker (0-1), E McEvoy, C McGrogan; C Doherty, P McGrogan (0-1), P McGurk; D Higgins, D Gilmore (0-1); R Forbes (0-1), D Cassidy, P Cassidy (0-4); B McCarron (0-2), N Loughlin, N Toner (0-2, 0-1 free)
Subs: M Doherty for McGurk (50), S McGuigan (0-2, 0-1 free) for McCarron (50), C McKaigue for C McGrogan (55), C McMonagle (0-1) for Toner (67), R McNicholl for P Cassidy (70)
Referee: J Lewis (Fermanagh)