Cavan await back door opponents after neighbours shade derby

Cavan must await to see who they play in the All-Ireland Qualifier series after yesterday evening's heart-breaking defeat to Monaghan. The Farneymen emerged victors by the narrowest of margins - Monaghan 1-10 Cavan 0-12 - after a keenly contested Ulster semi-final derby in Clones.

Despite winning the lion's share of possession, and playing the better football, Terry Hyland's men could not make their dominance count on the scoreboard. Chrsitopher McGuinness's cooly taken first half goal, having been put through by a perferctly weighted Darren Hughes pass, proved a key moment in the game, in which the two teams drew level on numerous occasions.

Referee Marty Duffy gave the 15,644 spectators in St Tiernach's Park plenty to debate due to his lack of blowing for crucial moments in the game. Monaghan fans will feel he denied them a certain penalty in the opening minutes after a Cavan back, scrambling to prevent a McGuinness shot from crossing the line, appeared to touch the ball on the ground with his hand in the small rectangle. Likewise, the Cavan contingent will contend he should have penalised Monaghan keeper Rory Beggan for over carrying in added time and given Cavan the chance to bring the semi-final to a replay.

While Monaghan progress to meet Donegal - whose management team attended Saturday's game - in the Ulster Championship final, Cavan must await to see who they play in round two of the All-Ireland Qualifiers.