Stage set for mouthwatering clash

Paul Fitzpatrick

The TV cameras will be in place, it will be bumper to bumper out the road and electricity will be crackling in the air. Sunday is game day and the big house will awaken from its winter slumber. As a football fan, where would you rather be?

There's something different about Sunday's fixture. Dublin have an aura no other team can match; always have, always will. Their big city swagger can sprinkle a shimmering of magic on the mundane, catapult a routine occasion into something extraordinary.

And when we consider that Cavan's first game back in Division 1 represents something far removed from what we are used to on any given February Sunday, it's clear that this occasion is something special and something to be savoured.

The day-trippers from the capital haven’t been on a bucolic ramble to Breffni since March 2008 when they had a few points to spare over the friendly hosts in Division 2 of the League.

In the meantime, they have soared to unparalleled success and are currently so dominant in Leinster that they could send their 30 most established players on holiday and still win the O’Byrne Cup at a canter.

A crowd of over 10,000 is expected and Cavan manager Mattie McGleenan didn’t play down his team’s chances this week when speaking to The Anglo-Celt.

Micheál Lyng in action against the Dubs in 2008.

“All I can do is concentrate on what Cavan’s doing. I have no real control over Dublin so I want to concentrate on us and our preparations going into the game, that we do everything as well as we possibly can,” he said.

“We’re not going to take part, we’re not going to do that this year. We’re going to attack Dublin and see what happens.”

We suspect he'll be true to his word, too, and why not? Dublin have named a daunting line-up, brimful of superstars, but if Cavan are to be comfortable in this company, and that is surely their goal, then there is no time like now.

An interesting sub-plot are the Cavan links to GAA clubs across the capital. They used to say that no Dublin pub is complete without a Cavan (or Tipp, funnily enough) man behind the bar; the same could be said about their GAA clubs. Well, not the bar bit but you know what I'm getting at...

Eoin Maguire, Cavan's strength and conditioning coach and former St Brigid's player, knows all about those links. He spoke this week about seeing the royal blue jerseys at Russell Park, where the club train, over the years.

But there's no question of divided loyalties. For Eoin, “we” now means Cavan.

“It's the first time we have played them in such a long time and it's our first game in Division 1 so it's going to set the standard of where we are at. It will hopefully make us, we're looking for a really good performance. We've prepared well and hopefully we can get that and drive on then for the rest of the league.”

Where, though, do you start to target a team like Dublin who are so quick, so powerful, so skilful...

“They're very strong,” said Maguire, “ you could see that in them putting out their third string against Kildare in the O'Byrne Cup semi-final and putting in a really good performance. It's like with any team, you'd be hoping that they will be a little bit complacent, they've been around the block, a lot of them have won a lot and they might have their eyes further down the line.

“A few of the lads might be easing back into the season. Our lads won't be complacent, that's one thing for sure.”

We fervently hope he's right, that the Dubs enjoy a warm Breffni welcome everywhere they go bar when they cross that white line.

The bookies give Cavan little chance and that's fine; it's hard to make a case given how long it is since the Blues have downed genuine top-class opposition.

But Cavan are in this division on merit and they've prepared well. And if, just if, they're in the hunt in the final 10 minutes and Killian Clarke is driving forward or Padriag Faulkner is felling an attacker or Sean Johnston is turning his man, the roars will be heard all the way up the M3.

Here's hoping.