Cavan produce their best wine as Derry err

CAVAN hearts beat a little quicker in Pairc O Raghallaigh, Kingscourt, yesterday. The well appointed venue may be a little way off the beaten track, but Cavan keeping the best wine til last applied the wrapping to the pre Christmas offering of the Church & General National Football League Division One campaign with the sort of performance more befitting a summer's day than a December afternoon.

It wasn't such a nice time for the League holders. Their minds and hearts appeared elsewhere and, indeed, the only time Derry troubled the umpires in the second half (when they failed to score a single point) was with a series of bad wides, and, late on, a goal that was quickly, adjudged to have been of the square ball variety. Nope, not a good day at the office for the Derrymen.

Martin McHugh's return to the Cavan helm in the New Year should be a lot more appetising now. The old questions may crop up: How good were Cavan? How bad were Derry? But the fact remains Cavan displayed great authority in fashioning their first win in four attempts in the current NFL, turning this rescheduled match into a one way affair.

Strangely enough, the first half and especially the opening 20 minutes or so - was competitive. Yet, the suspicion always persisted that Cavan were the more committed. Some 30 minutes before the throw in, trainer Joe Doonan was putting them through their paces on the Kingscourt sod.

Cavan dominated practically all over the pitch. Their defence, especially, was superb and confined Derry's forwards to just a solitary point from play - from Joe Brolly, who else? - along with a couple, of upfield excursions from the visiting half back line, namely Gary Coleman and Dermot Heaney. Bernard Morris and Aidan Connolly were particularly prominent in Cavan's stonewall tactics, although there were also occasions when Stephen King, who started the match at full-forward, but who had a passport to visit any part of the pitch he fancied, appeared miraculously in the backline to aid and abet.

Jason Reilly made known Cavan's intentions almost immediately. The Belturbet man could have scored two goals inside the opening, 90 seconds but settled for two points. Still, it got Cavan off to a smooth start and the only worrying times for the home team came midway through the opening half when Derry - with pointed frees from Enda Muldoon and Brolly, two pre-match additions to the Derry side and Coleman - drew level at 0-3 apiece after 18 minutes.

However, by the time Heaney sallied forth to add Derry's fourth point in the 28th minute, a gap had already developed thanks to four successive Cavan points, three from Ronan Carolan frees and one from Anthony Forde. When Brolly kicked Derry's fifth point three minutes into injury time at the end of the first half (after a lovely move involving five players), to leave them trailing 0-8 to 0-5 at the break, they would have died laughing if anyone told them that they wouldn't manage a single score in the second half. They didn't, as things transpired.

The first half had provided some wonderful football, almost of championship vigour. The second half was in total contrast. At times it appeared little more than a practice match for Cavan who were the complete and utter masters.

Within three minutes of the restart, Carolan pointed a free and pointed from play after a nice move involving Connolly and King. Five points adrift and floundering, Derry's day was summed up by pass from Fergal McCusker to Heaney missing its intended target and trickling over the sideline; a punched goal from substitute Ronan Rocks being disallowed for an infringement in the small square.

By the time Sean Lockhart kicked Derry's ninth wide of the second half appropriately enough the last kick of the match - the Derry goose was well and truly cooked and their minds had long adjusted to a quiet coach trip home.

Indeed, it was fitting that Cavan's last three points in the final three minutes of the one sided second half should be arguably among the best of the day. Firstly, Connolly neglected his defensive duties to get on the end of a move involving Michael Reilly, Peter Reilly, Ray Cunningham and Philip Smith; then Cunningham, who impressed on his second half introduction, grabbed his second point, and finally Carolan got his only point from play in a personal contribution of five points.

Cavan may have had to wait longer than anyone in Division One to secure their first win of the 1996-97 campaign, but the victory - and especially its execution - will provide new hope in the post Christmas resumption. Indeed, the win presents the intriguing situation whereby all eight teams in Division One are in contention to secure the four knockout places on offer.