In 2005, Cavan reached their first Ulster U21 final since 1996 only to suffer an agonising extra-time defeat to Down. The luckless losers - bidding for our third provincial title at this grade - lost both captain Micheal Lyng and scorer-in-chief Seanie Johnston to injury in the final before falling to a 2-14 to 2-12 set back. The close nature of the game was typical of Cavan's campaign as Eamon Coleman's battlers had recorded narrow victories over both Monaghan (one point) and defending All-Ireland champions Armagh (two points) en route to the provincial decider. The gutsy but unfortunate county under 21s kicked off their 2005 provincial campaign against Monaghan at Clones on Saturday March 19. The quarter-final represented a major test for the Breffni boys, who had failed to get past the first stage the previous year (losing to Sean Cavanagh's injury-time point for Tyrone). Cavan retained a number of the 2004 panel as well as no shortage of senior panellists. Those available included Micheal Lyng, Sean Johnston, Patrick Brady, Mark McKeever, Dermot McGlade, Gearoid Collins, Lorcan Mulvey and Paul Brady. Unfortunately, Cavan never had their full complement to choose from and this was ultimately their undoing. As is customary, Cavan used the Hastings Cup to warm up, reaching the Plate final in early January, but the championship clash with neighbours and arch rivals Monaghan was undoubtedly the first major appointment of the year. This is the oldest and most intense rivalry in Ulster and both teams were always going to go all out for victory. Monaghan had prepared meticulously under manager Eamonn O'Hara, but Cavan had every reason to be confident considering that they'd had an exceptionally strong and decidedly unfortunate minor team a couple of years previously. An early 1.00 pm throw-in was agreed at sun-kissed St Tiernach's Park as Cavan were heading south that same evening (to face Waterford in the national football league the following afternoon). In the end, Cavan did just about enough, eking out a solitary-point victory against an under strength Monaghan team that was reduced to 14 men at a key stage. While it may not have been vintage stuff, Cavan were still in the championship afterwards and, at the end of the day, that statistic was the only one that mattered. It was an excellent victory considering that Cavan were forced to play without injured trio Shane Cole, Sean Brady and Patrick Brady, while Anthony Gaynor was suspended and Micheal Lyng lasted a mere 20 minutes… Exchanges were hard-fought and uncompromising, but Cavan demonstrated admirable spirit to get on top during a dominant spell either side of the break, thereby established the platform for victory. Sean Johnston was a thorn in the collective side of the Farneymen over the hour, finishing the match with a personal tally of five points. The 'home' team tried in vain to cut off the supply feeding the unforgiving Cavan No.15, but the winners had a sound game plan and adhered to it. Cavan started senior centre forward Michael Lyng on the forty and he was an influential figure up until his enforced departure after 20 minutes (the Cavan Gaels clubman, who was to have an injury-ravaged campaign, aggravated his hamstring injury and was replaced by Gowna's Niall Madden). Ironically, when Lyng left the fray, Cavan redoubled their collective effort to compensate for the loss of their leading light, producing a match-winning spell. The Breffni Blues upped the ante and threatened to take the game by the scruff of the neck. But for two exceptional saves from Monaghan netminder Brian McCabe, there would have been clear daylight between the teams. The winners were first on the scoreboard with a point from Ciaran Galligan but they were dealt an unlucky early blow when a long delivery from Monaghan full forward Paul McGuigan ended up in the back of the net. Though they were rocked, Cavan refused to panic. Monaghan moved further ahead with a Dessie Mone point but the soon-to-depart Lyng dispelled any notions of a Cavan collapse with a superb long-ranger within sixty seconds of Mone's strike. Paul Meegan landed another Monaghan point but Cavan eventually got on top and registered four excellent points on the bounce (from Johnston, Madden and McKeever(2)) to regain a one-point advantage. Monaghan had the final say of the first half and the sides were level at the half-time hiatus: Monaghan 1-3, Cavan 0-6. It got better on the resumption as the Breffni County outscored their opponents by three points to one in the opening minutes of the second half. Johnston got all three of those points for the winners, while Mone's point between scores only served to limit the damage. Monaghan were left reeling when the same player was sent to the line. From here, one may have expected Cavan to pull away for a comfortable win but some poor finishing almost let their neighbours off the hook. Monaghan levelled with five minutes remaining but Cavan - courtesy of Peter Monaghan and Johnston - registered the next two points. There was time for a Monaghan consolation point but Cavan had deservedly booked passage to the semi-final stage - and a date with defending Ulster and All-Ireland champions Armagh. Armagh had beaten Donegal after extra time in a first-round thriller and were clearly going to be very difficult to beat at Kingspan Breffni Park on Saturday April 2. However, Cavan produced a superb second-half display to prevail by 1-6 to 0-7 and book their first provincial final place at this level since the Ulster U21 title had been scooped in 1996. Both sides fielded without a number of key men. Mark McKeever took over at centre forward in the absence of Lyng, while Sean Brady was also again missing. Cavan manager Eamon Coleman made four changes from the Monaghan game, bringing in Anthony Gaynor at centre back, Patrick Brady in midfield, Niall Madden at right half forward and Dara Gunne at right corner forward. Armagh presented a big physical challenge but Cavan frustrated the Orchard men with a gritty second-half showing. The vital score arrived one minute after the restart when Sean Johnston fired the match-winning shot to the net. Kingscourt clubman Alan Clarke was introduced to the full forward line early in the second period and his performance was also integral to Cavan's success. The match went right down to the wire before Johnston kept his cool to convert two frees and bridge the nine-year gap to Cavan's last U21 final appearance. It was 0-3 apiece at the end of the first half, with Cavan's points coming from McKeever, Dermot McGlade and full forward Peter Monaghan. There was a minor set-to as the teams re-emerged for the second half and this set the tone for a resilient Cavan display that had Derry-born boss Coleman gushing praise. Johnston's early goal put Cavan in the ascendancy but Armagh had levelled by the three-quarters stage. McKeever pointed a free and both teams had a number of wides before Shane Cole entered the fray with ten minutes left. Patrick Galligan - not for the first time - came to Cavan's rescue with a stunning save, but a Peadar Toal free had the Orange & White level, 1-4 to 0-7, by the 53rd minute. Armagh could have took the spoils but spurned a glorious goalscoring opportunity before Johnston intervened with two late frees, one in injury time, to book Cavan's place in the decider. Ulster final opponents Down were bidding for their first Ulster U21 title in 20 years, while Cavan were aiming to close a nine-year gap. The Blues made three changes to the side that dethroned Armagh, with Micheal Lyng, Mullahoran's Dermot Sheridan and Ramor's Shane Cole getting the nod. They were taking a real gamble on the fitness of the first-mentioned… The 2005 Ulster U21 football championship final between Cavan and Down took place in front of some 3,000 spectators at Clones on Saturday April 16. Having negotiated two slenderer-than-a-butterfly's-eyelid victories en route to the decider, the Breffni lads were involved in yet another closely-contested match. This time the sides couldn't be separated in normal time, but the Mourne County eventually edged out a depleted Cavan combo by 2-14 to 2-12 after extra time. Cavan were hampered by injury throughout their campaign and the final itself summed up their woes in this regard. They lost both team captain Micheal Lyng (who had been a doubt in the build-up to the game and actually started wearing the No.25 jersey) and Sean Johnston to hamstring injuries after 23 and 48 minutes respectively and ultimately the enforced defections of two of the best U21 footballers in the province took their toll. When Anthony Gaynor received a straight red in the 49th minute, with the sides level, one could almost sense that the Blues wouldn't be taking to the winners's rostrum for the first time since Peter Reilly led them to glory in '96. Cavan trailed by three points to no score after eleven minutes but centre back Gaynor's superb 21st-minute goal saw them assume a 1-2 to 0-3 lead. Mark McKeever opened the losers' account from the right wing in the 15th-minute and the same player obliged from a free five minutes later after a foul on Peter Monaghan. Cavan took the lead for the first time in the 21st minute when Gaynor's boot met the ball on the edge of the square to drive to the net following a long delivery from Shane Cole. Down refused to panic, however, and replied with an instant goal from Jason Brown before James McGovern added a second major for the Mourne men. Cavan's other three points in the first half arrived courtesy of McKeever, Seanie Johnston and Monaghan. After trailing by 2-6 to 1-5 at the interval, Cavan made a rousing start to the second half, striking five successive points to move ahead 51 minutes. Down lost full back Mark Rooney to a second yellow card in the 39th minute and Cavan - who had squandered a number of chances in the preceding nine minutes - finally began to add to Johnston's 36th-minute second-half opener. McKeever, Johnston and Cole were all on target as Cavan drew level and midfielder Luke Mulvey's point put them in front with only nine minutes remaining, 1-10 to 2-6. Already shorn of Lyng, Cavan lost first Johnston and then Gaynor within a cruel two-minute spell and there was further frustration when Down landed a levelling score in the 56th minute (Down had drawn level before Ciaran Galligan had given Cavan the lead with six minutes of normal time left). Cavan almost recorded a dramatic victory when - three minutes from the end - Galligan saw his goalbound shot heroically blocked by Down midfielder Ambrose Rogers. The first period of extra time was a disaster. With both sides restored to the full complement, Down, bolstered by the addition of 17-year-old Joe Ireland from Bryansford, hit five points on the bounce to take a commanding 2-13 to 1-11 lead. A goal from extra-time replacement Paul Brady and a point from returned-to-the-fray Sean Johnston closed the Breffni combination within a point but Down had the last say as they took the honours and Cavan's dream was dashed. Cavan, 2005 Ulster U21 football championship finalists: Patrick Galligan; Gearoid Collins, Padraig Cahill, Padraig O'Reilly; Damien McInerney, Anthony Gaynor (1-0), Dermot Sheridan; Patrick Brady, Luke Mulvey (0-1); Mark McKeever (0-4) Shane Cole (0-1), Ciaran Galligan (0-1); Micheal Lyng, Peter Monaghan (0-1), Sean Johnston (0-4). Subs: Alan Clarke, Niall Madden, Sean Johnston. Extra time: Paul Brady (1-0), Mark Lynch, Kieran Fitzpatrick, Kevin Donohoe. Tweet

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