The strong sense of disappointment was clearly palpable when Cavan crashed out of the 2004 Ulster minor football championship at the very first hurdle, losing to Down by 1-12 to 0-11 at Casement Park on Sunday May 16. Thus, the early season promise the team had shown in reaching the final of the Ulster minor league counted for little as one of the Breffni County's most talented sides failed to realise its potential and the 30-year gap remained unbridged. Championship exits are invariably flanked by pallbearers of ill repute - spectres of disappointment, dismay and discontent. Sometimes disbelief gatecrashes the funeral procession. That's not to mention despondency and desolation! All these feelings were very much in evidence in the Cavan dressing-room at Casement Park on May 16 2004 after the Breffni County's talented minor team nosedived out of the Ulster MFC with an inadequate display against Down. Big things were expected from this particular crop of U18s, whose inherent potential indicated that they could launch a genuine bid for provincial honours. The target was a first Ulster minor championship since 1974 - a step further than the 2003 side had managed. A first-round championship exit was certainly not part of the plan formulated by manager Donal Keoghan and his assistant Bernard Morris, yet that's precisely what befell the Breffni Blues. Cavan have been knocking loudly on the door at under 21 and minor level in recent seasons and it looked to all the world as if that door might be kicked open when they stormed through to the final of the Ulster minor league. But successive defeats within the space of 16 days at the start of May - to Tyrone in the subsidiary competition decider and Down in the first round of the championship - put a premature end to a year that had once been pregnant with promise. The performance against the Mourne County was below par. Of that there can be no doubt. Cavan were a much better proposition than that display suggested but, alas, you only get one chance at this grade and all we can do now is ponder the whats, ifs and buts. What might have been… Cavan showed their true worth when qualifying for the Ulster minor league final with successive defeats of Donegal and Derry. In the decider, an exceptional Tyrone side outgunned them, but there was every reason to look forward to a decent run in the premier competition. However, all hopes of Cavan making an impression in the provincial championship went up in wispy smoke at Casement on the middle Sunday in May. Cavan gave as good as they got over the hour but their finishing was askew on the day and three glorious goalscoring opportunities were passed over. The Blues registered a total of twelve wides en route to a humbling 1-12 to 0-11 capitulation. Indeed, both sides seemed to be overawed by the big occasion and neither set of players impressed in what was a fairly low-key encounter. The outcome remained in the balance right up to the closing minutes but, ultimately, greater economy in front of the posts from Ross Carr's troops was the telling factor. Despite the very best efforts of Cian Mackey, Gearoid Collins, Daragh Gaffney and Darragh Gunn up front, Cavan couldn't muster enough scores to secure passage to the second round. Full back Emmet Madden performed heroically as did Declan McCabe, Finbar Jordan and Anton Reilly. But it wasn't enough. Earlier in the year, Cavan had done superbly to reach the Ulster minor football league final. By beating Donegal narrowly at Breffni Park on Saturday April 17, they qualified for a play-off with Derry seven days later, on Saturday April 24. This game was played at Casement Park, as curtain-raiser to the Ulster U21 final meeting of Derry and Armagh, so the Cavan lads would get to play in front of a large crowd. Surely this would do their championship preparations the world of good. Cavan had already beaten the Oak Leafers in the league stage of the competition and here was the perfect occasion to sample the Belfast venue ahead of their championship bow there a few weeks later. Furthermore, playing so many competitive matches in close succession so close to 'the big one' was as close to ideal preparation as it gets! The Breffni boys battled to a magnificent 0-15 to 0-14 play-off victory over Derry, substitute Darragh Gaffney landing the winning point from a free deep into injury time. The winners led by 0-10 to 0-6 at the interval and had to dig deep when their opponents eventually drew level in stoppage time. The final of the 2004 Ulster minor football league took place in Brewster Park, Enniskillen on Saturday May 1 and Tyrone provided the opposition. Cavan went into the decider full of confidence, relishing the role of underdog, fully believing they could match the best sides in the province. And the O'Neill County have without doubt been best in the province at underage level for quite some time! Boasting forwards who were already representing their respective clubs at first-team level, Cavan had no shortage of experience but their hopes were wrecked when the Tyrone lads turned on the style to take the silverware by 1-17 to 2-8. All in all, it was a subdued performance from Cavan, who never managed to get into contention after turning over trailing to the reigning Ulster champions by seven points, 1-7 to 0-3. Substitute Enda Gaffney and Darragh Gunn netted the goals for Cavan, who finished strongly without ever threatening to overhaul a deficit that was as pronounced as ten points as one stage in proceedings. And, while they were by no means outclassed by Down two weekends later, the outcome was effectively the same… Cavan V Down, 2004 Ulster MFC Round One: Terry Smith (Ballinagh); Fergal Slowey (Ballyhaise), Emmet Madden (Gowna), Ronan Flanagan (Castlerahan, 0-1); Alan Clarke (Kingscourt), Dermot Sheridan (Mullahoran), Declan McCabe (Crosserlough); Ray Cullivan (Ballyhaise), Anton Reilly (Ramor); Finbar Jordan (Lavey), Daragh Gaffney (Drumalee, 0-1), Cian Mackey (Castlerahan, 0-2); Gearoid Collins (Cavan Gaels, 0-3), Darragh Gunn (Kingscourt, 0-3), Enda Gaffney (Crosserlough). Subs: Aaron Duignan (Kildallan, 0-1), Alan O'Riordan (Cavan Gaels). Tweet

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