Published: Friday, 11th June, 2010 1:52pm

Eyes fixed on the ball

The common theme coming from the Cavan press night last Tuesday week was that Cavan are a better side now than they were this time last year.

Tommy Carr said it, Dermot Sheridan was adamant about it and the facts back it up.

Inch by painstaking inch, Cavan are certainly becoming more consistent. In 2009, they were still in contention for relegation on the final day of the league. This year, only for a late goal against the run of play on a cloudy afternoon in Sligo, Cavan could have been in the final.

Football, of course, doesn't respect logic and has a habit of smacking the face of those who make presumptions. Just look at the Cavan Under 21s earlier this season for proof.

Underdogs against both Down and Monaghan, they won. Betting favourites against Donegal, they were well-beaten.

The Under 21s, while we're on the subject, gave the local scene a huge shot in the arm with the manner of their Ulster championship wins and provided the platform for the emergence of the best young midfielder in the county. David Givney was the form player back in March and April but he has had a long season, playing Sigerson Cup, National League, club championship and Under 21. Here's hoping that he can re-produce his best stuff when Cavan need him most.

It's a big ask of a man who turned 21 just a fortnight ago but, on all known form, he is the best midfielder we have.

Who partners him is another question. It's horses for courses and the Ulster Championhip is one of the most perilous tracks there is. Fermanagh bring power and athleticism to midfield, where captain James Sherry is a huge player, and Cavan will need to counteract this.

Lorcan Mulvey or Ray Cullivan look best equipped for that type of game, but reports suggest that Ciaran Galligan is motoring well. Whatever the pairing is, Cavan need to get a foothold here.

There is no point talking about a midfield battle as two on two of course. The 'middle eight', like 'impact sub (what other type is there?), 'hard yards', 'dirty ball' and all the rest, is one of the buzz words de temps, and Cavan are strong here.

The half-forward line is our most potent; Flanagan, Smith and McKeever bring guts, pace and experience. Take it as a given that they will start en bloc.

Behind them, the make-up of the back line is anyone's guess. As many as a ten players are in with realistic chances of taking their place, with only full-back Tomas Corr, Martin Cahill (if fit, which he should be - just about) and possibly Dermot Sheridan guaranteed their starting jersey.

In analysing how this one will play out, it's worth looking at the last two meetings between the sides.

This column predicted last year in our pre-championship issue that if Cavan matched the almost-mythical Fermanagh workrate (anyone else find all of that talk a little patronising? If a 'limited' team wins, it's always workrate that swung it. Maybe they're not that limited!) their class would shine through and they'd get over the line by the minimum.

So it transpired. So, for starters, we'll need to do that again.

The class Cavan had last year came in the shape of Johnston and Martin Reilly. Mackey, of course, was deployed as a workaholic half-forward, whereas this year Johnston's injury has seen him take on the onus of a lot of the scoring.

Cavan scored 0-35 more than Fermanagh in the league and averaged 15.4 points per game. Against Dublin and Wexford on the challenge match circuit, they ran up some impressive tallies. There is no reason to think they won't kick 0-16 or 0-17 again and if they do, they should win. Fermanagh's highest score in seven league matches was 1-11, and they shipped 3-15 at the other end on the same day. In only one other match did they score more than ten times (1-10 in the defeat to Offaly) and, of course, they kicked 19 wides and only seven points against Cavan in Breffni Park in a woeful last league match.

On the face of it, these stats matter. We know that Fermanagh struggle to score and the stats prove that they haven't unearthed anyone to solve that problem. Or do they?

Closer inspection reveals that Fermanagh aren't as bad as their bare league form suggests. With Rory and Ronan Gallagher tied up with St Gall's and Seamus Quigley, Ryan McCluskey and Shane McCabe ruled out due to soccer commitments, Fermanagh were badly weakened.

Throw in to the mix the absence of Marty McGrath and Damien Kelly due to injury and the loss of full-forward Ryan Carson - a player who can score - to suspension and a clearer picture begins to emerge.

Yes, Fermanagh were awful during the league but they were minus half of their team.

Malachy O'Rourke is shrewd and will look to attack any perceived wink links in the Cavan line-up. The spine of Cavan's defence are novices at this level and O'Rourke wil bring pressure to bear on Tomas Corr and Eoin McGuigan.

The Belturbet man will be pitted againt Rory Gallagher, who you may remember as a former Cavan player under Donal Keogan. Gallagher is back to lead the Erne symphony, but the music stopped for him, at inter-county level at least, around the time he moved to Cavan.

Corr will face an altogether trickier test. With Sherry and clubmate Kevin Cosgrove going well at midfield, Fermanagh may opt to throw former All Star Marty McGrath on the edge of the square, where he would be a huge danger.

Corr is game, though, loves to attack the dropping ball and is capable of minding the house well.

Prediction time, then. For all of Cavan's point-scoring (they hit 20 twice, 17 once and 14 once in the NFL), goals win championship games and Cavan generally don't get them in numbers. If a green flag is to be raised, it is more likely to be from the likes of Givney or a half-forward than Johnston, whose tendency to clip over close-range points rather than bite on his gumshield and go for goal is one of his few weaknesses.

Fermanagh suffered from Second Season Syndrome last year but are still a good team.

They won't be as poor in front of goal as they were on their last two visits to Breffni Park. The big question is if Cavan have matured enough to eke this sort of game, against a very tough side to play against, out.

If they want it badly enough, Cavan will win here by something like 1-13 to 0-12.

They are making the right noises and the feeling is that they will sieze the day.

But nothing will come easy.