Allianz National Football League Division One: Mayo v Cavan (tonight, 7pm, MacHale Park, live on eir Sport 2)
CAVAN will be hoping history can repeat itself tonight as they bid to get their Division One survival bid up and running in Castlebar against in-form Mayo.
The last time the Breffnimen graced football’s top tier, in 2017, they stormed Mayo’s MacHale Park fortress on a cold Saturday night in March to give themselves a chance of avoiding the drop with two more games to go.
They didn’t quite manage to pull off the great escape, that victory ultimately coming too late in the day, but there is plenty more road to run before this campaign reaches its conclusion.
Defeats to Galway on their last trip out west, and then at home to Kerry, have left Cavan alongside Ulster rivals Tyrone at the foot of the Division One table two games in.
However, whereas Mickey Harte’s All-Ireland finalists have been well below par in losing comprehensively against Kerry and then at home to Mayo, Michael Graham’s side don’t have to reach too far to find positives.
In both games they seized the early initiative before fading and running out of ideas late on, yet you get the sense they aren’t too far away.
Against the Kingdom last weekend, Cavan were by some distance the better team in the first half and led 0-11 to 0-7 at the break, with seven of their scores coming from play as Peter Keane’s men looked all at sea.
During that spell, Dara McVeety and Ciaran Brady were Cavan’s playmakers in chief, finding gaps to penetrate the Kerry rearguard as the Breffnimen dominated the break ball, keeping plenty of width to create the space through the middle that was so well utilised.
Unfortunately for Graham, both McVeety and Brady were taken off with injuries during the second half after receiving heavy hits. McVeety left Kingspan Breffni with his arm in a sling, yet Cavan management remain hopeful both will be okay for tonight’s game.
And the Cavan boss won’t have been happy that his team mustered only two points in the second half as Kerry took complete control.
Just as Galway had stretched ahead in the latter stages, so too did the Kingdom, eventually taking the lead for the first time in the 68th minute and never looking back during the 10 odd minutes of added time.
Heading to Mayo tonight, they need to return with something but, buoyed by that nine-point win in Omagh last Sunday, it is James Horan’s men who come in full of confidence.
The Ballintubber man has made five changes from the team that took the field at Healy Park, handing first starts to Breaffy midfielder Matthew Ruane and Westport corner-forward Colm Moran.
Goalkeeper David Clarke, full-back Ger Cafferkey and corner-forward Evan Regan are all brought in, with Rob Hennelly, Brendan Harrison, Donal Vaughan, Ciaran Treacy and Brian Reape the ones to make way.
Given the damage that Brady caused Kerry last week, you would imagine Stephen Coen could be handed that detail. Coen picked up Peter Harte in Omagh and, barring a couple of nervy moments, did well to curtail the Errigal Ciaran man’s influence.
Peter Crowley struggled with Conor Madden’s movement in the first period at Kingspan Breffni, and the Gowna forward will fancy his chances against the experienced Cafferkey tonight.
Killian Clarke did a sound job on Kerry’s marquee forward Paul Geaney and could find himself on Andy Moran in Castlebar, while newcomer Fionn McDonagh – so impressive against Tyrone – could have the energetic Niall Murray for company.
The raiding runs of veteran defender Keith Higgins and Paddy Durcan troubled Tyrone all afternoon and Graham will no doubt have a plan in place to stop them wreaking havoc again.
Mayo have scored three goals in their two wins so far but Cavan have yet to concede, and it would be no surprise if this game is in the balance well into the second half. However, physically James Horan’s side look to have a march on most sides at this stage of the season, and it would be a big surprise if they don’t make it win number three, leaving Cavan facing an uphill struggle for survival.
Mayo: D Clarke; S Coen, G Cafferkey, K Higgins; L Keegan, M Plunkett, P Durcan; D O'Connor, M Ruane; F McDonagh, A O'Shea, J Doherty; E Regan, A Moran, C Moran
Cavan: TBC
