Cavan crash out as Down earn deserved victory

Tailteann Cup quarter-final

Down 1-17

Cavan 0-15

Paul Fitzpatrick at Kingspan Breffni

Down toppled competition favourites Cavan to march on to the Tailteann Cup semi-finals with a deserved victory.

When the sides met at the same venue in last year’s Tailteann Cup, Cavan won by nine points and the Breffni men franked that form with a seven-point victory in round five of the National League this year.

But there was no doubting who the better team were here as a fired-up Down out-foxed a Cavan side who were flat on the day and never led in the match. From play, Conor Laverty’s side registered 1-11 to Cavan’s 0-8 and carved out several other half goal chances, with Niall Kane’s fine save from Oisin Brady in the first half putting a stop to Cavan’s only real sniff of a green flag.

With a fairly strong wind at their backs, Down edged the exchanges in the first half and took a 0-9 to 0-7 lead in with them at the break.

Down were rigid in their defensive set-up – Cavan looked for the mark a lot as a way to prise open the padlock but – but the Mourne men were impressive when they had the ball, varying their running game with the delivery of long, direct ball towards Pat Havern and Odhran Murdock.

Havern opened the scoring with a close-range free before Cavan levelled with an Oisin Brady mark.

Havern had a similar effort at the other end after fielding spectacularly and although Brady converted another free, after a mark was brought up, Down reeled off three in succession via the outstanding trio of Rory Mason, Liam Kerr and Havern.

Cavan full-back Padraig Faulkner stopped the bleeding. Ryan Johnston waltzed through unhindered for Down’s sixth point but a 40-metre Brady mark and a close-range free after the ref spotted a foul off the ball made it a one-point game again.

Havern and Gearoid McKiernan traded frees but Down were looking more threatening in possession and put together a lovely move which ended with Kerr blazing over when bearing down on goal.

A 46-metre free from Mason was followed by that Kane save after a well-worked Cavan move and a trademark curled effort from the left wing from Oisin Kiernan saw Mickey Graham’s side go in trailing by two.

With the wind at their backs in the second half, there were reasons for optimism in the blue corner and by the 43-minute mark, they had drawn level, Faulkner again stepping up for the first point and punching a hole in the defence and laying off to Brandon Boylan for the equaliser.

Magill and Brady (free) exchanged white flags but the crucial spell arrived thereafter as Down landed four of the next five points, Havern (free), Kerr, Mason and Patrick McCarthy the scorers, with Cavan’s top scorer Brady providing their sole reply with a terrific effort from the wing.

Cavan gained some confidence when they pinched a Down kick-out and Cian Madden scored from the corner and, with the home crowd finally coming to life, they pressed up. Another eye-catching Brady point left the minimum between them again but Down replied, Guinness feeding Kerr to snipe another.

Tiarnan Madden landed an exceptional point for Cavan but Down finished strongest. Shealan Johnston found Havern in an ocean of space and he laid off for Danny Magill, who planted his finish in the bottom corner with 68 minutes on the watch.

Brady (free) pulled one back but Cavan never looked like getting the goal they needed and Down sub Shane Annett picked off another point on the break as they ran out five-point winners.

Cavan: Raymond Galligan, Cian Reilly, Padraig Faulkner (0-2), Niall Carolan, Ciaran Brady, Oisin Kiernan (0-1), Conor Brady, Gearoid McKiernan (0-1), Killian Clarke, Cian Madden (0-1), Dara McVeety, Tiarnan Madden (0-1), Brandon Boylan (0-1), Gerard Smith, Oisin Brady (0-8, 4f, 2m)

Subs: Ryan O’Neill for Conor Brady (23, inj.), Conor Moynagh for B Boylan (58), Jonathan McCabe for C Reilly (51), Caoimhan McGovern for G Smith (70)

Down: Niall Kane, Patrick McCarthy (0-1), Pierce Laverty, Anthony Doherty, Miceál Rooney, Ceilum Doherty, Patrick Branagan, Daniel Guinness, Odhran Murdock, Liam Kerr (0-4), Rory Mason (0-4, 1f), Danny Magill (1-1), Eugene Branagan, Pat Havern (0-5, 2f, 1m), Ryan Johnston (0-1)

Subs: Shealan Johnston for E Branagan (45), Ryan McEvoy for P Laverty (59), Shane Annett (0-1) for R Johnston (66), Gerard Collins for R Mason (70)

Ref: Seamus Mulhare (Laois)