Published: Wednesday, 6th May, 2009 12:59pm

Experimental Cavan beaten by Saffrons' late strike

Cavan snatched defeat from the jaws of victory in a fast-paced senior county challenge with Antrim to mark the official opening of Lacken Celtic GFC"s splendid new facilities on Saturday evening last.

In bitterly-cold conditions, Saffron substitute Niall McKeever proved the match-winner after he followed up a shot from Mark Dougan to fist the bouncing ball to the net in the dying embers of the game.

Referee Higgins - one of the beneficiaries of the Lacken club draw results announced at the interval - blew the whistle seconds after McKeever"s strike despite having only played 31 minutes in the second half as opposed to the requisite 35-plus he exhausted in the opening moiety.

Higgins" curtailment of the evening"s entertainment might have come as a relief to those among the wind-bitten, rain-doused attendance but it hardly left a sweet taste in the collective mouths of those in the Cavan camp ahead of championship time.

Antrim"s first challenge game after their NFL final defeat proved to be a good pick-me-up ahead of their championship tilt with Donegal but their win must have spawned some serious soul-searching within the Cavan think-tank about their charges" assuredness at the back.

Cavan"s new look full-back line endured a very testing time but, in fairness, such was Cavan"s miniscule return under the "breaking ball" from the team"s half-back and half-forward sectors that the blues" defence came under consistent examination in the first half in particular due to the amount of decent ball fired into the Antrim attackers.

Antrim were much the better team in the first half and but for a three point haul from the again impressive Jason Reilly, Antrim"s 1-6 to 0-5 interval lead would have been much more pronounced.

Both sides employed their full array of personnel in a game which though entertaining lacked the bite and indiscipline invariably associated with championship fervour.

Liam Bradley"s squad won most of the battles in the first half but, worryingly, only added two scores - including McKeever"s major - to their tally in the second half.

Nevertheless, Antrim were full value for their dramatic win with the visitors" full-forward line impressing in particular as they edged into the lead by the odd point in nine at the quarter-hour mark.

Antrim made it a double-scores lead two minutes later when Justin Crozier and Michael McCann combined to put Michael Pollock through for a fine goal.

Cavan huffed and puffed in their efforts to gain parity but with Antrim hoovering up the vast majority of breaking-ball and John Finucane scarcely troubled in goal, Cavan laboured to make progress.

However thanks, in large part, to the promptings and finishing of Belturbet"s Reilly, the hosts kept in touch and a clearance off the line by Dermot Sheridan in the 33rd minute denied Antrim a second goal.

At the other end of the field, Antrim "keeper Finnucane had no such scares with five shots being delivered harmlessly into his mid-rib as the Cavan forwards saw their attempts at points nose-dive.

With the introduction of proven ball-winners like Sean Brady (Castlerahan) and Nicholas Walsh (Cavan Gaels), Cavan increased their quota of possession in the second half as they attempted to eat into Antrim"s well-merited 1-9 to 0-8 interval lead.

Tommy Carr"s charges out-scored their opponents by 1-4 to 0-1 in a fluid third quarter with Jason Reilly"s opportunist fisted goal after two minutes adding new impetus to the blues" challenge.

The momentum was now with Cavan as both mentors shuffled their respective packs, the football became predictably unwieldy and fractious at times.

Fired-up Cavan target-man Eddie Reilly pointed in the 48th minute to put his side in front, 1-11 to 1-10, for the first time since the 12th minute and Antrim looked to be on the slippery slope.

Cavan failed to find a knock-out punch in their locker though and while a Martin Reilly free in the 56th minute made it a two point game, the visitors unleashed a shock sting in their tail.

As the rain added to the biting wind, Bradley"s boys aimed for Cavan"s jugular and duly hit the jackpot after the ball bounced conveniently high off the crossbar from Dougan"s shot leaving McKeever to pounce in fatal fashion.

Cavan: Fintan Reilly; Rory Dunne, Dermot Sheridan, Eoin Smith; Padraig Reilly, Eugene Keating, Thomas Reilly; Ciaran Galligan, Ray Cullivan; Cian Mackey, Micheal Lyng, Ronan Flanagan (0-1); Jason Reilly (1-3), Eddie Reilly (0-2), Gerald Pierson (0-4, two frees).

Subs: Sean Brady (0-1) for R Flanagan; Keith Fannin for T Reilly; Nicholas Walsh (0-1) for C Mackey; Martin Reilly for C Galligan; Gearoid McKiernan for J Reilly; David Givney for E Reilly.

Antrim: J Finnucane; A Douglas, A McLean, K O"Boyle; D O"Hagan, P Carey, J Loughry; N O"Connell (0-2), B Hasson; M Pollock (1-0), K Brady, A Gallagher (0-1); C Fleming (0-3, one free, "45), M McCann (0-3, one free), J Crozier (0-1).

Subs: P Graham for J Finnucane; N McKeever (1-0) for A Gallagher (inj); T McCann for K Brady; C McVeigh for K O"Boyle; D Edwards for J Crozier; M Dougan for M McCann; C Brady for A McLean.

Ref; M Higgins (Fermanagh)