Swanlinbar 1-13 Cavan Gaels 1-10 Swanlinbar gained a vital win in their bid to emerge from this year's junior football championship 'group of death', but it came at an awful cost as they look to be without star midfielder Gearoid McKiernan for a lengthily period of time. By Shane Corrigan at St Aidan's Park, Bawnboy The 19-year-old Cavan senior panellist suffered a horrific dislocated knee injury 11 minutes into the second-half of his club side's meeting with Cavan Gaels last Saturday evening at Bawnboy when landing awkwardly after jumping for a kick-out at centre-field. So serious was the extent of the injury that the game was delayed by a total of 50 minutes as McKiernan laid in pain and grief, surrounded by family, players and officials, before an ambulance arrived from Cavan General Hospital, but a special mention must go out to Cavan Gaels physio, David Brady, who helped to calm the player as best he could in all that time before the ambulance vehicle was eventually driven onto the playing field at St Aidan's Park and took the injured party to hospital. In a game which was not malicious, as such, two players saw straight red cards and four, all in all, were forced off with injury, including Swad midfielder John Cunningham, who is said to require surgery on his face after having an eye socket knocked out of place, and Gaels attacker Levi Murphy, who was left drifting in and out of consciousness after the game following a knock to the floor five minutes from the full-time whistle. The Gaels couldn't have had a better start to this match when Stephen Maguire sent sharpshooter Ciaran Flynn through for the first goal inside three minutes. Robbie Prior looked to be the only Swad man willing to take the fight to the Gaels in the opening stages, as he drew a free five minutes later which he converted himself to narrow the difference to two points. Then on the ten-minute mark the game's first red card was distributed when a clash between Ed O'Hanlon and John Cunningham resulted in referee Margaret Farrelly pointing the Gaels midfielder towards the line, while the Swad midfielder made his way towards the other dug-out injured with hand over face. The Cavan town side stepped it up a notch after that, with full-forward Sean Higgins sending over a nice point and Flynn crashing a scorching shot off Gerry Scollan's crossbar. Swad hit back through Prior making space for himself to shoot over, but an acute effort from Flynn, after brave work from Maguire to win back possession, and a Levi Murphy single meant the Gaels had opened up a four-point lead. Prior flew his second attempt of a placed ball directly between the posts in response, and the aforementioned McKiernan slipped through to cut the gap to two moments later. After losing Patrick Heslin through injury, who was probably their best performer at the back along with the returning Pauric Smith, Cavan Gaels began to leak scores and only a fantastic left-footed point from Murphy kept them ahead at the break as two points from Michael Cunningham brought Swad right back into the game at 1-4 to 0-6. Two minutes into the restart and the excellent Damien Leydon levelled matters with a run from his wing back position that eventually finished over the Gaels' crossbar. Flynn was unlucky to see another attempt come off the goal frame moments after, but he had a hand in the Gaels next score when drilling a free into the chest of Ronan Farrelly, who offloaded to Sean Higgins for the talented attacker's second point. Quick points from Prior (free) and Michael Cunningham moved the west Cavan men into the lead for the first time, but as they threatened to extend their gain the Gaels caught them on the hop with Niall Smith finishing a menacing 40-metre run over the bar for what was the score of the game. Levi Murphy got himself bundled over and shot the resultant free on ten minutes to give the Gaels back the initiative. However seconds later disaster struck when Scollan's kick-out flew past centre-field and McKiernan was left lying on the ground in screaming pain before eventually being calmed and both teams went into their dressing rooms - not coming out to resume the game for the best part of an hour. On the resumption, niggling little tackles began to creep into the game for the first time, which were sickening to watch given the circumstances of what had happened previous. Mark Cunningham and Gaels substitute Francis Graham both received yellow cards for an off the ball incident before it got down to football again, with Michael Cunningham and Ronan Farrelly both kicking over exceptional points to keep it a one-point game heading towards the last ten minutes. It was in those last ten minutes that Swanlinbar - clearly with McKiernan in their thoughts - truly shined as a Mark Cunningham levelling free paved the way for his side's goal, which Damien Leydon was the architect of via placing a killer pass between Prior and Gaels 'keeper David Reilly that the Swad attacker was always going to get to first and net his team into a three-point lead. It was a serious blow to the Gaels, who had lead for much of this match, and further points from Michael Curran and Damien Leydon in quick succession didn't raise spirits either. Alan O'Riordan had the chance to bring them back into it with over five minutes left, but the usually deadly accurate attacker blazed his goal chance from the left wide and instead the Cavan Gaels management were left with trying to keep their scoring outlet in Murphy awake along the sideline, after he was tackled from behind by Seamus Corrigan and fell to the floor in some discomfort. The Swad full-back received his marching orders for his part in the incident, but whether or not there was any intent to harm from the player is debatable. By that stage the game was up for Cavan Gaels. And even though the resulting free was converted by Flynn and backed up a minute later with a point by Murphy's replacement, Sean Hanley, any notion of another goal chance being carved out against a now resolute Swad outfit in the time remaining was far-fetched. Swanlinbar - Gerry Scollan; Donal McGovern, Seamus Corrigan, Thomas O'Brien; Adrian McGoldrick, Paul Prior, Damien Leydon (0-2); John Cunningham, Michael Curran (0-1); Paul McGovern, Mark Cunningham (0-1, a free), Gavin Leydon; Robbie Prior (1-4, three frees), Gearoid McKiernan (0-1), Michael Cunningham (0-4). Subs: Paul Brennan for John Cunningham (inj), Rory McBarron for McKiernan (inj), Padraig Leydon for McGovern. Cavan Gaels - David Reilly; Joe Dunne, Dallan McCormack, Patrick Heslin; Christy Quinn, Padraig Byrne, Pauric Smith; Ronan Farrelly (0-1), Ed O'Hanlon; Ciaran Flynn (1-2, one free), Alan O'Riordan, Niall Smith (0-1) Levi Murphy (0-3, one free), Sean Higgins (0-2), Stephen Maguire. Subs: Darragh Sexton for Heslin (inj), Francis Graham for Byrne, Michael Meehan for Maguire, Sean Hanley (0-1) for Murphy (inj). Referee: Margaret Farrelly (Laragh United) Tweet

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