U20s face all-or-nothing trip to Celtic Park

Paul Fitzpatrick

Cavan U20s make something of a leap into the unknown this Sunday as they take on Donegal in the quarter-final of the first-ever Ulster 20 Championship (2pm, Celtic Park).
With the abolition of the U21 grade, in which Cavan have been successful over the last eight years, the U20s now take centre stage, with the competition moved from Spring to summer. That poses its own challenges in terms of preparation but, says Cavan manager Kevin Downes, the mood in the camp is one of confidence.
“We’re in good enough nick. Injury-wise we’re happy with where we are. I suppose we’re just really looking forward to the game now, it was an awfully long run-in with no Hastings Cup or anything. It’s hard to see where we’re at and we won’t really know until we take the field,” Downes told The Anglo-Celt on Monday.
“We think we’re ‘on it’ but we mightn’t be, you just don’t know when you don’t have competitive games.
“We played a couple of challenge matches and our results have been good but we don’t know where the teams we were playing were with regard to their preparations. But look, we’re happy with where we are at, that’s the most important thing.”
The Cavan panel, which will be selected tonight (Wednesday) is backboned by around a dozen of last year’s minor side which reached the All-Ireland semi-final, including the likes of James Smith, Ronan Patterson, Philip Rogers, Cian Madden, Oisin Pierson and Gary O’Rourke.
There are also a number of survivors from the 2016 minor side who lost in the Ulster opener against Armagh, with Thomas Edward Donohoe, Stephen Smith, Conor Smith and Conor Brady among them along with 2018 captain Luke Fortune.
“There’s no shortage of talent. It will be a very tough 15 to pick and an even tougher 24 to pick which is great for us, it’s a great headache to have. We’ll have a long night Wednesday night picking it but it’s a good complaint,” stated Cavan Gaels clubman Downes, who expects a stern challenge from Donegal.
“Donegal are the favourites for Ulster and probably one of the favourites for the All-Ireland with the team they have, they were in the All-Ireland minor semi-final two years ago. 
“They have Jason McGee and Niall O’Donnell who have played Division 1 inter-county football. They have a couple of great footballers but I feel if we play to the best of our ability we’ll be right there in the end.”
Up front, Cavan should have plenty of firepower.
“We haven’t been lacking on the scoreboard which is good. It’s good to have a few good scoring forwards, we’d like to have a well rounded offense if that makes sense so we’re not depending on one forward to shoot the lights out, we’d like to get scores from around the pitch, that’s harder to defend against.”
Downes is joined in the back room by Jimmy Higgins (Crosserlough), Brian Clarke (Killinkere), Paddy O’Reilly (Ramor), Colin McCabe (Ballinagh and Bohemians soccer goalkeeper), psychologist Niall Stack, Pappy Galligan (Ballymachugh), physio John O’Neill (Kildallan) and former Down All-Star Marty Clarke.
The team have prepared well for a number of months in preparation for Sunday.
“It worked out well, the basketball training helped our movement and how our attack sets up but it was also good to get the guys off the field for two months. 
“It was an awful wet winter as we all know and we wouldn’t have got a field to train anyway so from that point of view it worked out well that we were able to keep the lads indoors and get a lot of work done.
“It’s been a tough six weeks leading up to the game because obviously April is a club month and all the players played all their club games so we didn’t see them much at weekends. Then May madness, we’re in the middle of third level exams, we had 20 guys doing exams so it was very hard to pull them out of college to get back to Cavan for training mid-week.
“We would have had a couple of scattered sessions. Logistically it has been hard on everybody to get together for training sessions.
“The fact that the U20 championship is coming in the middle of the Senior Championship allows a lower key build-up whereas when the U21s was normally played, the National League was only starting or getting going and there was a bit more profile.
“I do actually feel that back then was an ideal time to play it, you had no college exams, very little club action, and very little interaction with your senior squad. 
“I would feel that playing this competition in the old slot was a perfect time to play it.
“I think they need to go back to the drawing board next year with regards to when it is played.”
Downes praised the contribution of former AFL star Clarke.
“He’s had a great response from the players and from everybody in Cavan. He’s enjoying his time here and he’s certainly parting with any knowedlge he has, he’s not holding on to it! He has been a great asset for the players and the management as well, we’re delighted he’s here and we’ve learned an awful lot from him.”
After all the countless hours of effort, it all comes down to Sunday.
“At the end of the day you’re being judged by one game of football. If you lose, you’re gone. If you win, you carry on and you’re out the following weekend.
 “An awful lot of work goes in for just one game of football essentially. Of course you’ll be nervous but nerves are a sign that you’re getting ready for it.
“We all know how important the game is, we’ve put a lot of work into it and we hope that work will show next Sunday.”