U20s deliver brilliant performance to oust favourites Monaghan

Ulster U20 Championship

Cavan 1-11

Monaghan 0-3

Cavan U20s delivered a masterful performance tonight in Inniskeen to sweep aside a strongly-fancied Monaghan side in emphatic fashion.

Damien Donohoe’s charges were magnificent as they out-played their opponents in all sectors, a ferocious work-rate underpinned by disciplined tackling and smart, adventurous use of the ball.

At half-time, Cavan were deservedly ahead by seven points but probably still had regrets going back to the dressing-room as the Breffni lads had missed two gilt-edged goal chances which would have certainly put this tie to bed.

Cavan came into the match as big underdogs against a Farney side who had won the Ulster minor title three years ago and were favourites to go all the way again this time round.

But the Blues were brilliant in the first half; their tackling was exceptional, counter-attacking full of pace and their handling and support play was out of the top drawer as they delivered in style on the big occasion.

Monaghan had two early wides in a cagey first five minutes before Cavan broke the deadlock when Gowna’s Tiarnan Madden picked out speedster Darragh Lovett and the Killygarry lad turned a defender and buried the ball to the net for a terrific goal and a brilliant start for the away side.

The teams traded wides, Monaghan with two, before Cavan registered again, Madden curling over from long range with the left after a lovely move out of defence.

Monaghan steadied the ship momentarily when their captain Ronan Boyle drove out of defence and bombed over an excellent score from 40 metres but Cavan weren’t ruffled and on the 16-minute mark, they raised another white flag when Cuchulainns man Turlough Farrelly cut in on the right and split the posts.

The resulting kick-out didn’t travel the requisite distance and Cavan punished Monaghan again. The ball was thrown up, Brían O’Rourke won it and under pressure, managed to recycle it to Peter Devine who hooked over the bar for to leave five between the sides.

Cavan had a lucky escape when their captain Niall Carolan was caught in possession in front of his own goals but Monaghan panicked and blazed wide and, taking the wrong option, they soon added another, as did Cavan as the exchanges became scrappy.

Cavan carved out a huge goal chance when the enterprising Fionntán O’Reilly picked out Lovett but Monaghan goalkeeper Joe Kirk – Rory Beggan’s understudy at senior level – saved bravely. Four minutes later, Cavan cut the ball out as Monaghan attacked and had a four-on-two but Lovett’s shot was unusually tame and Monaghan survived.

Just before half-time, the Cavanmen put further daylight between the teams when O’Reilly slotted over two frees, one a massive effort from 40 metres and the other after a foul on Lovett, who was outstanding.

Cavan needed a fast start to the second half to kill off the contest and they got it. O’Rourke won the throw-in, Carolan found Lovett and the corner-forward beat his man and curled in.

From the kick-out, the ball was worked to defender Eoghan Hartin, who kicked a fabulous long-distance point to make it 1-7 to 0-1 and suddenly, it seemed there was no way back for the home side.

Better was to follow when Tiarnan Madden, who oozed class throughout, knocked over a free and Peter Devine nipped in for a well-taken point after good work from O’Reilly and Farrelly to make it 1-9 to 0-2, with Tiarnan Kearns having scored Monaghan’s second.

The Farney were by now lumping the ball in high but Cavan dealt with it with assurance, with all of the defence superb, Cian Reilly and Hartin to the fore.

Stephen Mooney and Madden (free, foul on Lovett) exchanged scores to leave it 1-10 to 0-3 with 39 minutes played.

The final 20 minutes – plus seven minutes’ injury time – were attritional as Cavan soaked up quite a bit of pressure but Monaghan seemed out of ideas and kicked some poor wides. The classy Fionntán O’Reilly rounded off the scoring as the visitors won pulling up with 11 points to spare.

Next up for Cavan is Derry in the semi-final.

Monaghan: Joe Kirk, Shane Hanratty, Thomas McPhilips, Bobby Walker, Louis Kelly, Ronan Boyle, Dylan Beirne, Darragh Treanor, Sean Treanor, James Slevin, Jason Irwin, Michael Hamill, Eoin Duffy, Liam McDonald, Stephen Mooney

Subs: Tiarnan Kearns for Hamill (3 mins, inj.), Jason Duffy for L Kelly (ht), Karl Gallagher for S Treanor (ht), Shane Slevin for J Slevin (42), Niall Rice for Mooney (51), Conor Eccles for D Treanor (57)

Cavan: Jake Norris, Eoghan Hartin, Cian Reilly, Cormac Brady, Cormac McKeogh, Cathal Leddy, Niall Carolan, Brían O’Rourke, Evan Kelly, Tiarnan Madden, Fionntán O’Reilly, Peter Devine, Turlough Farrelly, Fergal Smith, Darragh Lovett

Subs: Emmet Martin for J Norris (44 mins, inj.), Aaron Reel for Farrelly (45), Caoláin O’Reilly for Devine (50), Daryl McGurren for F Smith (54), Seán Ó g McGearty for Hartin (59)