A bridge too far
December 30, 2010In 1984, Cavan went under to Wexford in the All-Ireland JFC semi-final. The two counties met again last summer and the result was reversed; this time in the Leinster championship!
Like the Antrim hurlers, the Breffni blues have shifted their focus in recent times to Leinster fields for championship fare.
Sadly, the Gaelic Grounds, Drogheda proved to be an abattoir for Cavan's Leinster JFC hopes in early July last.
Under the stewardship of Terry Hyland, Cavan reached the provincial final way out east but their hopes of victory against Louth went west.
On the same weekend that the Cavan minors prepared for an Ulster semi-final and the ladies senior footballers for an Ulster final, Hyland's charges geared themselves up for battle with Louth.
Earlier in the competition, Cavan's finest seemed to have confidence and talent encoded in equal parts in their heads.
The squad appeared to approach the unheralded competition with a certain relish, a certain swagger and things looked promising.
The blues were a class apart against Wexford. Seemingly suffuced with ambition, they were authorative at the back, dervish-like in the cockpit and incisive up front.
The team played excellently in the first half in particular against the Model County before eventually running out comfortable victors.
Hyland and his think-tank team brought together a squad that was focussed, determined and liberally laced with players of experience of youthful vim.
Investor confidence in Cavan Juniors Inc. rose the more the squad got together and their jousts with Tommy Carr's seniors raised some eyebrows.
That said, there was no way complacency was going to take root in the camp. The game after the Wexford tie (against Meath) would see to that.
In truth, it was a wholly disappointing contest at Pairc Tailteann, Navan against the Royal county side. The words paint and dry sadly came to mind.
Still, semi-finals are all about the result, aren't they? Booking a pace in the provincial decider was the one and only objective for Cavan.
Other than the result itself, the game was one best forgotten by Cavan, if the truth be told, as the team laboured to find any decent, consistent form.
The blues eventually won by 1-4 to 0-4; the scoreline itself a clear indication of the dearth of imagination, fluidity and accuracy on show from both sides.
Ultimately the game was decided by the only goal of the game which came with just five minutes remaining in the tie.
Two players who would come into the reckoning for Cavan 'cum Ulster SFC time found themselves at the heart of the move which led to the goal.
Mullahoran clubman Philip Brady broke down the right hand side of the Brews Hill park and placed Lorcan Mulvey with a neat pass.
As Meath's rearguard seemed to be caught flat-footed, Mulvey was afforded the time and the space to pick his spot and fire the ball into the net.
Meath's tale of woe was completed just a few minutes later when full-forward Casey Dunne was sent off following an off-the-ball clash with Eoin McPhillips.
It was a sorry end to a dismal day for Meath and for Cavan a day in which the only real solace was provided by the final score.
Both sets of players gave their all of course and couldn't be faulted for their honest endeavour, perseverence or ambition.
It was just that nothing seemed to come off for the combatants with powder-puff tackling, a final pass going astray and poor decision making blighting the players' genuine attempts at playing quality football.
Playing against a stiff breeze, Cavan were on the backfoot for large tracts of the opening half but defended stoutly as a team.
Taking a leaf out of Tyrone's template, the visitors hunted in packs and laid a firm blanket in the viscinity of their own half-back line to smother out a succession of threatening Meath attacks.
As things panned out, it was Cavan who opened up proceedings when Raymond Galligan fired over two close range frees in the 3rd and 12th minutes.
Amazingly, it took Meath all of 22 minutes to break their scoring duck with a converted free from Rory Maguire doing the needful.
Cavan continued to operate against the ropes for the most part thereafter but nine wides - as opposed to Cavan's none - greatly hampered their cause.
Just on the cusp of half-time, another free for the hosts saw Paddy Gilsenan split the posts and level the scores at 0-2 apiece at the break.
The small, hard core group of supporters gathered in the ground must have been hoping for a better offering on the restart but they were to be let down.
That said, Meath did carve out a very fine score 11 minutes after the restart when a seven-man move was finished off by a Gilsenan point.
Now trailing by the odd point in five, Cavan quickly rolled up their sleeves and with renewed vigour countered with a similar score moments later.
It was was left to Philip Brady to level matters at 0-3 apiece when he cleverly fired over which turned out to be his side's only score from play.
Cavan needed to compliment Brady's belter; to get a leg-up, a springboard to go on and nail down their place in the decider. Cue Mulvey's goal.
Meath did hit back after the major from the man from the 'bridge with a point from Eoin Gilsenan but Cavan's had the last say when sub Eamon Reilly split the posts in the closing minutes to put the issue to bed.
Cavan's victory over Meath saw them book a place against Louth in the Leinster final; their nemesis in the first round of the 2009 competition.
Defections to Tommy Carr's crew, namely Lorcan Mulvey (Butlersbridge), Dane O'Dowd (Drumlane) and Michael Brennan (Drumalee) were not what Doctor Hyland ordered as a panacea to Cavan's poor form in the junior grade down the years.
To counter those losses in personnel, the Cavan team-management called up Trevor Crowe (Lacken Celtic), Joey Jordan (Lavey), Thomas Reilly (Killeshandra), Barry Reilly (Kingscourt) and Niall Smith (Cavan Gaels).
To upset the apple cart and beat the defending champions on their home turf in Drogheda presented Cavan with a tall order.
Sadly, by the end of the game the blues were left fuming like a man handed someone else's bill in a restaurant.
Cavan's fans didn't have to cross the town's Peace Bridge to get to the game but, for their favourites, the game proved to be a bridge too far.
The visitors lost out by 2-6 to 0-13 in a contest that was worthy of the competition but that was scant consolation for the Cavan camp at the death.
In perfect conditions, save a stiffening breeze, Cavan allowed their opponents to seize the initiative in the opening minutes of a high-tempo clash.
Louth leaped into a 0-3 to 0-0 lead after just nine minutes with former senior star Mark Stanfield re-winding the clock to make quite an impression.
Eamon Reilly (Shannon Gaels) converted a free for Cavan before Cavan's best player on the day, Philip Brady (Mullahoran), rifled over an excellent point from play.
Good work shortly afterwards from Eoin McPhillips and Raymond Galligan ended up with the 'Gunner' scoring a fine goal to propel Cavan into the lead.
Inspired by the aforementioned Stanfield, Louth continued to pose problems going forward and they soon tied the scores at 0-5 to 1-2.
The run-in to the half-time break saw a hat-trick of scores being recorded in nearly as many minutes with Louth scoring on the double in response to Declan McKiernan's sole effort for the blues.
Trailing by 1-3 to 0-7 at the commencement of the second half didn't short-change Cavan. In fact but for a very fine save by Darren Murphy just before the break, the Breffni boys could have been much further adrift.
Cavan got off to the proverbial flyer though on the restart, propelled forward by the powerful twin-axis of Trevor Crowe at midfield and Kevin Donohoe just behind him at wing-back.
A converted free by Eamon Reilly revived Cavan's hopes and then Crowe set up Philip Brady for another point and suddenly Louth were left looking to their laurels.
Mark Stanfield kept Louth on course with a point before the 'Gunner' curled over another point at the other end of the field.
Then, three minutes later, Brady fired home a real belter of a goal to steer Cavan into a four point lead.
Sadly that was to be Cavan's last hoorah despite the creation of a number of good scoring chances thereafter.
Poor decision making, bad handling errors and no favours from officialdom combined to make for a fatal cocktail for Cavan.
Louth gradually chipped away at Cavan's lead before grabbing the winner in the dying seconds.
A desperate case yet again of 'so near and yet so far' for Cavan Football Inc.
Cavan (v Louth 2010 Leinster JFC final); Darren Murphy; Eoin McPhillips, Eoin Smith, Mark Johnston; Niall Reilly, Padraig Cahill, Kevin Donohoe; Trevor Crowe, Adrian Taite; Darren Costello, Raymond Galligan, Stephen Jordan; Eamon Reilly, Declan McKiernan, Philip Brady.
Subs used; Niall Smith; Francis Bird; Joey Jordan; Brendan Reilly. Tweet
