NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE DIVISION THREE:Tipperary 0-13 Cavan 0-11

TIPPERARY’S BARRY Grogan scored seven frees as Cavan slumped to their second successive league defeat in a dire encounter at Breffni Park yesterday.

Apart from a workmanlike Gerald Pierson and Sean Johnston up front, Cavan were more powder puff than potent at the business end of the field.

Tipperary were full value for their 0-7 to 0-4 interval lead as Cavan desperately lacked ideas in converting possession into scores.

In that respect, wing back Brian Fox must take a lot of the plaudits as his solo points either side of the interval exemplified Tipperary’s hard-working display.

Predictably, Tipp had the last say with Brian Coen finishing off the best move of the match in the 66th minute to leave Cavan rooted to the bottom of the table.

TIPPERARY:P Fitzgerald; M Phelan, C McDonald, C Morrissey; A Morrissey, B Jones, B Fox (0-2); G Hanningan, S Kearney; H Coghlan, P Austin (0-1), S Carey (0-1); T Dalton, B Coen (0-2), B Grogan (0-7, all frees). Subs: L Coskeran for M Phelan (33 mins, yellow), D OBrien for S Carey (34 mins, yellow), B Mulvhill for T Dalton (half-time), J Cagney for B Mulvhill (50 mins, yellow), J Tierney for S Kearney (61 mins).

CAVAN:F Reilly; M Brides, P Reilly, K Fannin; M Cahill, R Flanagan J Crowe; N Walsh, C Galligan; E OReilly (0-1), E OReilly, R Cullivan, M Reilly (0-1, free); G Pierson (0-5, four frees), D Givney (0-1), S Johnston (0-2, one free). Subs: M Lyng for C Galligan (43 mins), D Sheridan for P Reilly (50 mins), C Mackey (0-1) for E OReilly (52 mins), J McCutcheon for D Sheridan (55 mins, yellow); J Reilly for G Pierson (68 mins).

Referee:G Ó Conamha (Galway).