Published: Wednesday, 10th March, 2010 5:00pm

Wasteful Cavan pay heavy price

Gareth Smith claims possession

Paul Fitzpatrick

in Drogheda

It's hard to analyse a match with no distinct pattern, a random, scatter-gun affair in which one side bolted like a racehorse and didn't even nearly get the trip. The bottom line is what matters, so let's cut to the chase: another two points gone, another few inches closer, it seems to the trapdoor.

This was a match lost by Cavan rather than won by Louth. Tommy Carr's men opened smartly but faded out of sight, like a boxer who spends the first couple of rounds searching for the knock-out, runs out of ideas and is easily outpointed over the distance.

Cian Mackey, our best player on the day along with David Givney, handed Cavan the best possible start with a brilliantly-taken goal just four minutes in, taking a pass from the galloping Ciaran Galligan, scorching along the end-line and tucking away well under Neil Gallagher.

Two minutes later, Givney punched over after a clever quick free from Ray Galligan to open a four-point lead, but in hindsight the signs were already looking ominous.

First the Lacken man had missed a free he normally would slotted over with his eyes shut, before Givney had a gilted edged goal chance well-saved. Louth looked jittery though and Cavan drove at them in waves.

In fact, if you couldn't make it to Drogheda last Sunday, despatches after 15 minutes might have suggested that all was good in the world of the Cavan football supporter. They were carving a watery looking Louth side - who had been beaten in their opening two matches - open time after time in that first quarter but just couldn't score.

It's no exaggeration to say that the visitors created ten very good scoring chances in the opening 14 minutes, five of them goal opportunities. The return was a paltry 1-1.

Louth tacked over two quick points from Ronan O'Carroll and Brian White, who dominated midfield for the final three-quarters of the match, but Cavan were still in the ascendancy by this stage and a slick move resulted in Michael Brennan missing their third goal chance with a daisycutter inches wide of the post.

Another wide from a Galligan free, this one half a foot the wrong side of the opposite post to his first, allowed sloppy Louth defending go unpunished again.

Louth kept the scoreboard ticking over with a Darren Clarke point from play before Cavan missed another straightforward free, this time Gareth Smith - who had his worst game in a blue jersey after starting the season in fine form - the culprit.

While the creation of such chances was encouraging, only the best teams can afford to miss on this scale and still hang on. When another clear-cut goal opportunity, this time through Dermot Sheridan, went begging, the tide turned immediately. Louth had by now tightened up at the back and choked the supply lines. Cavan, naturally, grew frustrated.

And that was that.

If Louth's defending in that opening stanza was shambolic then Cavan's response to it - careless shooting and panicked decision-making - was unforgivable. As early as the 15th minute, then, it became clear that Cavan had blown this one. Louth had steadied the ship and began to take the sort of scores inter-county forwards do in perfect footballing conditions. Cavan huffed and puffed and slowly wilted in the afternoon sun.

A 45 from Brian White - who had no problems with the slightly swirling wind which perplexed Cavan's dead ball kickers on the day - and a huge free from Andy McDonnell made it 0-5 to 1-1.

Two quickfire frees from Aaron Hoey opened a three-point gap, 0-7 to 1-1 and the rest was inevitable.

Even when Mackey, who took over place-kicking duties, ended a 24-minute drought with a free to make it 0-7 to 1-2, Louth replied instantly with a Hoey free to go in three to the good.

Cavan opened the second half with two wides before Hoey slotted over a free for Louth's ninth score (against three for their opponents).

Ref Gregory Walsh from Antrim had brought the kick forward; while we're on the subject, the official didn't help the match one bit, constantly holding up play and showing a complete lack of consistency in his decisions.

Still, Cavan should have had more discipline than to get involved, poor as the ref was, and their protestations cost a couple of scores over the 70 minutes.

As it was, they scarcely mattered given Carr's team's lack of ideas going forward in the second half. A Brian White free opened a five-point gap ten minutes into the second half and the same player added a sweet 45 moments later as a rout loomed.

With any game plan seemingly out the window, Cavan continued to struggle, with only sub Micheal Lyng and Mackey really threatening.

Lyng could have found himself back on the bench when he caught Padraig Rath around the head in the 46th minute but the ref waved play on and the Cavan Gaels man set up Mackey for a well-taken point.

The weakness of the official was shown, then, when he responded, it seemed, to the baying off the home support to book Lyng while Rath received attention.

A long range strike from White opened a 0-12 to 1-3 gap and although Mackey replied with a free after a foul on Givney - whose high fielding was exceptional again - and Gareth Smith curled over another after Mackey was fouled, Louth were still in control.

Cavan managed to get back to within three with four minutes remaining when "Nesty" curled over another close-range free but Louth slotted over another, after two very harsh calls from Walsh against Tomas Corr.

To rub salt in the wound, Walsh dismissed Alan Clarke - who had a decent match - for an innocuous tussle as a Louth player tried to stop him taking a sideline. The hosts finished the match playing "keep-ball", soccer-style, as Cavan continued the trend of the afternoon, chasing shadows and, ultimately, the game.

Forget what the song says - two out of three is bad. At least, the past two performances have been that and more. Team manager Tom Carr stated afterwards that everyone is working hard - they will have to work a whole lot harder against Wexford this Saturday if his side are to avoid the embarrassment of relegation to the lowest grade.

As poor as the past two performances have, it would be worse to turn them in against London and Kilkenny next season should the very real danger of relegation come to pass.