Johnston returns as Cavan impress again

Cavan 3-14
UUJ 0-9

Paul Fitzpatrick
at Kingspan Breffni Park

Where to start with what was a fairly dramatic night in Cavan? Maybe at the end.

Cavan are cruising and one of those toying with the UUJ defenders is prodigal son Seanie Johnston, sprung from the bench to a muted response for his first Cavan appearance in four years.

 

It was that kind of night - on the face of it, this had the makings of a low key affair played in a heavy mist but there was plenty to entertain the crowd, not least two top-class goals from Paul O'Connor and new boy Enda Henry.

O'Connor, a clubmate of Johnston's, came on after 12 minutes and was unlucky to see black on the half-hour mark but managed to bag 2-1 while in that time.

The sides were level at 0-3 apiece on the quarter-hour mark, two frees from UUJ's best player, Kieran Hughes, keeping them in touch, but once O'Connor conjured a brilliant goal from nothing with his first touch and then rose to palm home another, the fight went out of Martin McHugh's men.

Jack Brady and Enda O'Reilly added points before Henry scorched through and supplied a soccer-style lobbed finish to extend Cavan's lead to 3-5 to 0-4 after 25 minutes.

At half-time there was 10 between the sides and further scores from Henry, Brady, sub Dara McVeety and Man of the Match Niall Murray saw Cavan accelerate off over the horizon, with Monaghan's Hughes and Derry's Caoilean O'Boyle doing their best to keep students in touch.

They had run out of ideas long before the final whistle, though, and Cavan won pulling up by 14 to make it two from two for 2016.