Football

Cavan move to the top of Division Two after beating Meath

Allianz Football League Division Two: Cavan 2-14 Meath 1-12

MEATH mischief-makers claim this  derby doesn’t get pulses racing in the Royal county, but the result meant a lot to Cavan fans yesterday.

Playing an inventive, energetic brand of football, the unbeaten Breffnimen moved to the top of Division Two with a deserved win over their neighbours.

Meath were favourites but well-drilled Cavan laid the platform for their five-point win by dominating the first half and they held off a game challenge from the visitors to keep their hopes of a return to Division One alive.

The county’s prophets of doom had predicted a struggle for Mattie McGleenan’s young charges after they were hammered by Tyrone in the Dr McKenna Cup, but they have responded by drawing in Clare and winning back-to-back home games to lead the charge for the top flight and McGleenan was delighted with his team’s efforts.

“I’m proud of the boys,” he said.

“I thought their attitude and their application were superb, we took some great scores at key times and I’m really pleased.”

Next up for Cavan is a trip to second placed Cork and McGleenan knows it’s too early to start talking about promotion.

“There’s no point looking any further ahead than Cork next weekend,” he said, adding: “You have to win your home games.

“We have two more and if we can win them we’re secure in Division Two and we’re heading in the right direction.

“Everything you do away from home is bonus territory and Cork is going to be a massive game next weekend.”

Cavan’s Caomhin O’Reilly opened the scoring in the third minute after the Breffni defence had weathered some early Meath attacks.

Eamon Wallace equalised for the Royals after Bryan McMahon had held off Niall Murray and David Phillips. McMahon was ploughing a lone furrow up front so the ball into him had to be instant and accurate – it was neither. Meanwhile, Cavan made hay thanks to the excellent movement of their forwards.

They were helped by the Royals’ misfiring tactics. Meath ran into trouble time and time again and Cavan were able to get back to defend in numbers and counter-attack with pace.

The visitors had set up without a sweeper and Raymond Galligan’s wind-assisted kickouts and the passing of composed ball players like Martin Reilly, Conor Moynagh and Ciaran Brady left their defence in disarray. The Cavan scores kept coming.

O’Reilly darted wide to get on to Brady’s pass and then Bryan Magee stroked over a free after Brady had broke forward again.

Two more points from Niall Clerkin followed before Adrian Cole’s movement earned him a scoring chance and he left Conor McGill for dead to send Cavan 0-6 to 0-1 ahead by the midway point of the half.

At the other end, Meath got the ball forward and worked it back and across then across and back until Bryan Menton finally had the courage to have a go.

His shot was one of seven first half wides and Cavan reacted by winning the kick-out and breaking down the field in a sweeping move that ended with Dara McVeety whipping a shot over the Meath bar to send his side six clear.

Graham Reilly pulled one back before Cavan struck their first goal. Cole’s shot hit the right upright and Moynagh was onto the rebound in a flash. Clerkin’s third point of the half left Cavan 1-8 to 0-2 with the interval approaching.

Wallace and Padraig McKeever were able to narrow the gap to seven but the Royals were in huge trouble at the break and McGleenan was able to introduce the experience of Gearoid McKiernan and Cian Mackey for the second half.

Meath’s Cillian O’Sullivan opened the second half scoring with a curling effort to but Mackey raced forward to win a free that Magee swung over to cancel it out.

McKiernan and Reilly swapped scores before Cavan surged ahead with a superb team move.

McKiernan picked out Mackey and Mackey picked out Brady who drove forward under pressure until he could see whites of Meath goalkeeper Andrew Colgan’s eyes and slotted his shot into net.

Cavan led by 10 but Meath refused to throw in the towel and the marauding O’Sullivan broke through the home defence, dropped a shoulder to go around Galligan and was pulled down as he shaped to shoot.

A penalty was awarded and both number eights – Killian Clarke and Bryan Menton – were booked for instigating a one-in-all-in row as Donal Lenihan waited to take it.

When order had been restored Lenihan cracked the ball into the net to give Meath a glimmer of hope which widened a little more when Menton got on the end of a well-worked team move to reduce the arrears to six points.

Meath stuck to their task but Cavan were always able to find an outlet ball and a score when they needed it to maintain the distance between the sides.

Shane McEntee had a shot booted off the line by Padraig Faulkner late on but Cavan stood firm and were on the attack when referee Niall Cullen blew it up.

Cavan: R Galligan; N Murray, P Faulkner, D Phillips; M Reilly, C Brady (1-0), E Flanagan; K Clarke (0-1), B Magee (0-2 frees); D McVeety (0-1), C Moynagh, O Kiernan; C O’Reilly (0-3, 0-1 free), A Cole (0-1), N Clerkin (0-3)

Subs: C Mackey for Clerkin (h-t), G McKiernan (0-2) for Cole (h-t), J McLoughlin for Phillips (52), S Murray for Flanagan (55), T Galligan for O’Reilly (63), R Connolly for Magee (69)

Referee: N Cullen (Fermanagh)

Meath: A Colgan; S Lavin, C McGill, D Keogan; B Conlon, B Power, S McEntee; B Menton (0-2), A Flanagan; J McEntee, P McKeever (0-3, 0-2 frees), G Reilly (0-2); E Wallace (0-2), C O’Sullivan (0-2), S Tobin.

Subs: D Lenihan (1-0 pen) for McMahon (ht), H Rooney for Flanagan (43), D O’Neill for Conlon (55), S Tobin for J McEntee (55), T O’Reilly for Reilly (63).

Black card: H Rooney, replaced by C Halligan (61)

Attendance: 6,572