ULSTER SFC QUARTER-FINAL Cavan 0-13 Fermanagh 1-9: CAVAN ENHANCED their impressive provincial championship record against Fermanagh with a deserved quarter-final win at Breffni Park on Saturday.
After stand-out performer Seánie Johnston notched the opening two points of the game, the home team kept their hands on the tiller for large tracts of the game, even if they did finish the game on the back foot.
After the game ,Johnston said old lessons would have to be learned if Cavan were to have a good championship: “One win doesn’t make a summer,” he warned. “Every team goes out with the hope of winning the championship, but a lot of Cavan teams in the past got one championship win, but were not able to back it up with another win so that’s the challenge for us now.”
Fermanagh can have no complaints, with their old failings once again coming back to haunt them, especially their lacklustre free-taking and, in truth, they never looked like winning their game of catch-up.
The visitors shocked the home side in the seventh minute when Eamon Maguire’s clever overhead fisted effort – from Daryl Keenan’s delivery – sailed over advancing Cavan goalkeeper James Reilly before nestling in the net.
Fermanagh’s lead lasted just five minutes and after Martin Reilly’s 45 and Cian Mackey’s point-on-the-run, Cavan began to cement their place in the driving seat. That said, exciting full forward Ryan Carson showed well and his 25th-minute point drew Fermanagh level, 1-2 to 0-5.
Cavan went on to lead 0-8 to 1-4 at the interval and Johnston extended that lead by a point six minutes after the restart. They seemed destined to ease their way over the finishing line after Mackey scored to make it a 0-12 to 1-5 game with 20 minutes to go.
Fermanagh, however, notched a hat-trick of unanswered points through Mark Little, Carson and Barry Owens to make it 0-12 to 1-8.
Johnston showed his composure by rifling over a point from an acute angle in the 67th minute to steady the Cavan nerves.
Fermanagh refused to throw in the towel, but save for a Little free in injury-time had nothing to show for their late efforts.
CAVAN: J Reilly; M Hannon, D Sheridan, M Brides; J McCutcheon, E Keating, P Reilly; N Walsh, C Galligan; S Brady (0-2), R Flanagan, C Mackey (0-2); M Reilly (0-4, three frees, one 45), R Cullivan, S Johnston (0-5, two frees). Subs: D Givney for C Galligan (62 mins). R Dunne for P Reilly (62 mins), L Reilly for S Brady (65 mins), G Pierson for C Mackey (inj, 71 mins).
FERMANAGH: C Breen; N Bogue, S Lyons, H Brady; R McCluskey (0-1), S McDermott, T McElroy; M McGrath, J Sherry; R Keenan, C McElroy, M Little (0-3, two frees); D Keenan (0-1, free), R Carson (0-3, one free), E Maguire (1-0). Subs: P Sherry for S Lyons (31mins), M Murphy for D Keenan (42 mins), B Owens (0-1)for J Sherry (53 mins), D Kelly for S McDermott (56 mins), D Kille for R Keenan (67 mins).
Referee: R Hickey(Clare).
