THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY
November 27, 2011Three provincial finals, two triumphs. Unfortunately, for the junior contingent of Cavan football, it was another Leinster Junior Football Championship title that got away from them in 2011, as the Lilywhites of Kildare ended a seven-year wait for success in the competition down at St Conleth's Park, where a barrage of goals proved the visitors' undoing.
No doubt the taste of defeat was as sour for any team after having lost a provincial title, but afterwards Cavan manager Val Andrews put a positive spin on the scenario by claiming that if a couple of seniors could be identified from the team's campaign in the Leinster junior section, than it would be more than worth it from a long-term perspective.
Hopefully, it proves to be the case come next summer.
When Cavan set out their stall for another tilt at junior silverware this past season it was by no means a half-hearted effort. After Terry Hyland had stepped aside to allow fellow senior co-manager Andrews to take up the reins and plot against more familiar opposition, the Ballymun native brought in former Breffni goal-getter Jason O'Reilly to assist him in his managerial duties. As it turned out, the Belturbet sharpshooter would end up lining-out in all three of the team's championship outings during May, June and July.
Once fixed, sights were set on a derby with neighbours Longford on May 25, but due to the distraction of a welcome run from the county Under 21s to the All-Ireland final, Cavan's second-string wouldn't get the chance to train collectively ahead of the Pearse Park clash. By the last Wednesday in May, Andrews and O'Reilly had together worked out an experimental panel to face the Midlanders, which included some of the star performers from the 2010 Cavan club championships and the ensuing league campaign, with clubs stars such as Kingscourt's Ryan McCormack, Cavan Gaels' Enda King and Ramor's Anton Reilly among them.
Added to the mix were a number of Terry Hyland's Under 21 stars, including captain Gearoid McKiernan, Niall Murray and Fergal Flanagan, along with experienced campaigners Keith Fannin, Micheál Lyng, Terry Hyland jnr and, of course, player/co-manager O'Reilly, who would start at full-forward come the quarter-final.
It took just 30 seconds for Cavan to settle into the game with a point from Anton Reilly, before ensuring a perfect start when Lyng struck a sweet pass into the path of Jason O'Reilly, who rifled a superb goal to the Longford net with trademark poise. The goal stunned the home side somewhat and delayed them finding their groove in the game, but by the closing stages of the half they had moved into the lead thanks to an Enda Ledwith goal and two frees from marksman James Noonan.
Longford were handed the perfect start to the second-half, when a poor kick-out from Cavan goalkeeper Alan O'Mara fell to Mark McDonnell and the corner-forward was afforded the time and space to register the hosts' second goal.
The visitors responded well, however, as points from O'Reilly, Lyng and Michael Brady earned them parity. The final ten minutes proved to be thrilling stuff, with both sides sharing the lead at different phases but Cavan had the final say and three points in the closing minutes earned them a 1-12 to 2-6 victory.
Cavan (Leinster JFC v Longford): Alan O'Mara; Terry Hyland, Patrick Carroll, James McEnroe; Stephen Jordan (0-1), Feargal Flanagan, Michael Brady (0-1); Ray Cullivan, Enda King; Keith Fannin (0-1), Michael Lyng (0-1), Niall Murray (0-2, 2f); Gearoid McKiernan (0-1), Jason O'Reilly (1-2), Anton O'Reilly (0-1). Subs: Brendan Fitzpatrick for E King (38 mins), Cillian O'Reilly for P Carroll (45 mins), Declan Meehan (0-1) for N Murray (48 mins), Ryan McCormack (0-1) for M Lyng (54 mins).
The win provided somewhat of a boost before the county's Ulster SFC meeting with would-be champions Donegal on June 12 and set-up a first-ever championship meeting between Cavan and Kilkenny on the football field.
The Cats had stunned Wexford with a last minute goal in their respective quarter-final and it meant that Cavan would be making a rare trip to Nowlan Park as favourites to seal another provincial final place on June 8.
Minus the services of Feargal Flanagan, Ray Cullivan, Micheál Lyng and Gearoid McKiernan from their opening win, after appearing against Donegal in the senior grade that Sunday, Cavan headed south-east that Wednesday night to take on what was, in truth, Kilkenny's first choice team.
It was the visitors' young contingent that got them off the mark early on to help settle any nerves, after the seniors had endured what was a very demoralising exit from the Ulster SFC race just three days previous. Young Mullahoran star Michael Brady opened their account, before Robert Maloney-Derham and Jack Brady, who had been superb throughout the Cardbury U21 Football Championship, shot Cavan into a 0-5 to 0-2 half-time lead.
In the second-half, promising talent Niall McKiernan continued to give an exhibition from centre-field - the Lacken youngster finished with 0-3 - and Keith Fannin pulled the strings for the Breffni men, while grabbing two points if his own. Terry Hyland jnr, Sean McCormack and Tomas O'Reilly shackled the hosts' attack to reduce them to just two points in the second period, while Ryan McCormack and Declan Meehan came off the bench to kick points which secured what turned out to be a comfortable 0-13 to 0-4 win.
It was the second consecutive year in which Cavan booked a final place in the Leinster JFC, having faltered to a strong Louth side in the 2010 decider, and Andrews and co had no intentions of letting the opportunity of rare silverware slip by this time.
On the day, Cavan would simply be outgunned by a sturdy Kildare side determined to end their long wait for a provincial triumph at this grade.
The start was a scrappy one from both sides, with the small crowd waiting 14 minutes for the first score when Keith Fannin split the posts to break the deadlock. Kildare responded with the next three scores, with the latter coming in the form of a 19th minute goal from Ciaran Kelly, to put themselves into a lead which they would never relinquish.
The whole-hearted Jason O'Reilly, who was amongst the Blues' best performers on the day, and Killeshandra's Tomas O'Reilly fired points to try and pull Cavan back level, but they would go in at break trailing by 1-4 to 0-4.
Fannin, Jason O'Reilly and Declan Meehan grabbed early points for Cavan after the resumption, but a second Kelly goal came as a hammer blow and when Mikey Conway snuck in for a third the flood gates had opened and the visitors were left with a mountain to climb.
A Tomas O'Reilly goal and Ryan McCormack's point looked to stem the tide, but when Dan Campbell and Eoghan Carew plundered in more goals past Under 21 goalkeeper Alan O'Mara, who had done his utmost in the Cavan goal, it shut out any glimmer of hope for the Ulster side and in the end Kildare would finish the game deserved 5-8 to 1-9 victors.
Afterwards, the ever upbeat Andrews looked at the team's campaign from every angle, while also insisting that the players could themselves could take plenty of positives.
"It has been good from the point of view that we got a few games, we saw a few young fellas playing. We saw some fellas that have put themselves in the window definitely for the senior panel next year. There were some sterling performances. Let's be proud of these fellas they tried really hard tonight," Andrews stated.
"They weren't good enough and they (Kildare) won easily, but you can't fault effort. When they gave a sucker-punch goal away and then came back again they got into it, and then we gave another goal away. They ran out easy winners, Cavan should still hold their heads up.
"I'm not making excuses for losing, but the lads went out there and made a very honest effort."
He added: "Tonight we learned a bit about one or two players who perhaps will feature in the senior team next year and that is great. From that point of view it was a success, but from the point of view of the final it was a disaster."
Cavan (Leinster JFC final v Kildare): Alan O'Mara; Terry Hyland, Sean McCormack, Cillian O'Reilly; Tomas O'Reilly (1-1), Robert Maloney-Derham, Daniel Graham; Sean Gaffney (0-1), Enda King; Stephen Jordan, Declan Meehan (0-1), Keith Fannin (0-2); Conor McClarey, Jason O'Reilly (0-3, 1f), Jack Brady. Subs: Ryan McCormack (0-1) for Brady (42), Paddy King for Gaffney (42), Joshua Hayes for T Reilly (49), Paddy McCabe for Meehan (53), Colm Smith for King (55). Tweet
