National Football League Division Two: Cavan 1-16 Galway 1-12
AFTER a 14-year hiatus, Cavan are finally back among the big boys after coming up trumps in Sunday’s Division Two promotion shoot-out with Galway at Kingspan Breffni Park.
Relief poured from all sides when substitute Niall Murray’s 73rd minute insurance point was followed seconds later by Eddie Kinsella’s whistle, after a tense final 10 minutes. Full-back Killian Clarke jokingly complained of a sore back, not because of any rough treatment from the Tribe forwards, but as a result of so many congratulatory slaps as the Breffni faithful swarmed the sodden field to lap up a historic moment for the county’s exciting new breed.
It was a momentous day for Cavan, who will meet Tyrone in the Division Two decider on April 24. Amid the wild scenes afterwards, boss Terry Hyland described promotion to the top flight as an important moment in the “maturing process” of his young side.
“It was a Championship match, winner-takes-all, and that’s the way it ended up,” he said.
“Our lads showed great character in the last 10 minutes, at both ends of the field, especially our defence, and when we did get the opportunities for scores we took them. It’s part of their maturing process and it’ll bring them on. But the important thing to remember is that we’ve only got into Division One - the most important thing next year is that we stay in it.”
Owing to the wet underfoot conditions - as well as the all-or-nothing nature of the game - Sunday’s encounter was a dogfight from start to end. The sides exchanged first-half goals through David Givney for Cavan and Galway midfielder Eamonn Brannigan, with three beautiful scores from captain fantastic Gearoid McKiernan and the second-half performance of Galway’s quicksilver corner-forward Shane Walsh illuminating a gripping encounter.
Yet it could all have been so different had Cavan corner-back Jason McLoughlin not somehow managed to keep out Damien Comer’s goal-bound shot with just three minutes left on the clock. The Tribes men trailed by two points at that stage, but had scored the last two points to close the gap. And when Cavan goalkeeper Raymond Galligan got his fists to a high ball into the square, the ball fell to Comer and he fired low towards the net.
McLoughlin had other ideas though, getting back on to the goal line to clear before the Breffni Blues fired over three of the last four points to seal the deal: “The big turning point was maybe that save,” said Galway boss Kevin Walsh.
“Two points was as close as we came, that would’ve put us a point ahead, and at that stage we really had Cavan on the rack. They looked dead on their feet at that stage.”
Hyland, as ever, took a more pragmatic approach: “You have to be philosophical and say, ‘well, we would’ve had time after that’.
“People talk about backs, but their job is to stop those goals going across the line. That’s what they’re there for, and they have performed well all year doing that. It would’ve been a pity that, if we were to lose out, that it would’ve been to something like that.”
Cavan came out of the blocks quickly - perhaps a little too quickly for Hyland’s liking as midfielder Tomas Corr received a yellow card for grappling with Paul Conroy just 10 seconds in. Cavan brought that combative nature into their football too, with a free from Jack Brady - brought in as a late replacement for Seanie Johnston, who has a hamstring injury - and Givney’s ninth minute goal giving them a 1-1 to 0-2 lead.
The big Mountnugent man, deployed at full-forward instead of his usual centrefield station, benefitted from a Declan Kyne slip before slotting under Manus Breathnach. But the Tribe had come to fight too, and within three minutes they found the back of Galligan’s net when Patrick Sweeney fired home after Danny Cummins’ fisted effort rebounded off the upright and into his arms.
With Gary Sice unerring from frees, as well as points from David Wynne, Cummins and Comer, Galway had moved into a 1-5 to 1-2 lead by the 15-minute mark - and then they stopped. Having looked like they were building up a head of steam, the Tribesmen failed to register another score in the first-half.
The Breffni men kept the scoreboard ticking over and a magnificent McKiernan point in the 22nd minute - picking Cummins’ pocket before firing over from way out on the left - brought the home support to their feet.
Dara McVeety was popping up here, there and everywhere as Cavan kept the pressure on, firing one over from distance to put his side ahead after 39 minutes. Scores from McKiernan, this time with his right foot, and a Galligan 45 left Cavan ahead by 1-8 to 1-5 at the break. Yet, having kicked 10 wides to Galway’s none in that first period, the Breffni men could have been out of sight.
And Galway threatened to make them pay with a much improved second-half performance. The superb Shane Walsh ended Galway’s drought with a point 20 seconds after the restart, before a smart catch, swivel and shot from Givney - defying the slippery conditions - kept the Tribes men at arm’s length 39 minutes in. Galway, through Sice, Brannigan and Walsh, kept coming back though and closed the gap to two before McLoughlin’s incredible block stopped them snatching the lead heading down the home strait.
Buoyed by that lifeline, substitute Eugene Keating, man-of-the-match McKiernan with his fifth of the day and that final kick from Murray ensured Cavan would return to the promised land.
MATCH STATS
Cavan: R Galligan (0-2 45s); P Faulkner, K Clarke (0-1), J McLoughlin; C Brady, C Moynagh, K Brady; T Corr, L Buchanan; D McVeety (0-1), G McKiernan (0-5), M Reilly; D Givney (1-2), M Argue, J Brady (0-2 frees); Subs: N Murray (0-1) for Argue (51), E Keating (0-2) for J Brady (55), C Mackey for Reilly (60), C Conroy for Corr (70); Black card: L Buchanan replaced by R Dunne (64).
Galway: M Breathnach; D Wynne (0-1), D Kyne, C Sweeney; L Silke, G O’Donnell, G Bradshaw; E Brannigan (0-2), P Conroy; T Flynn, P Sweeney (1-0), G Sice (0-3, frees); S Walsh (0-4, 0-2 frees), D Cummins (0-1), D Comer (0-1); Subs: J Heaney for Cummins (49), A Varley for Sweeney (53), S Denvir for Sice (62), E Hoare for Brannigan (70).
Referee: E Kinsella (Laois).
