Minors see off Derry after marathon battle
Cavan 0-18
Derry 1-14
AET
Paul Fitzpatrick
at O Raghalliagh Park
A point from Cornafean’s Jack Trainor finally proved the difference as Cavan U17s saw off Derry by a single point after ‘extra’ extra time in this dramatic, pulsating Ulster round one clash at Kingscourt last evening (Saturday).
Cavan thought they had it won twice – in normal time and again at the end of extra time – but were denied when Derry came up with late, late equalisers but with another 10 minutes of extra time called for – and players, cramping up, dropping like flies – Cavan finally got over the line after an energy-sapping 105 minutes including injury time.
This was an epic, which swooped and soared, tilted one way and the other but eventually went the way of Cavan, who were only behind once, for a short period in the final quarter of normal time and just about shaded it by the slenderest of margins.
The Blues overcame some dubious officiating, too – although Derry felt aggrieved at the decisions of the man in the middle also, which said it all – in a slowburner of a match which finally ignited brightly into one of the most memorable tussles in many years.
Both sides were nervous early on and missed numerous chances before Cavan opened the scoring through Trainor in the 14th minute. Enda Downey, who was very dangerous throughout, replied immediately with a free before Cavan recorded three of the next four points through Caoimhán McGovern and the excellent Emmett Boylan (one free).
At this stage Cavan lost key man Eoin Clarke to a black card – a dreadful decision – but they made light of it when Mulahoran’s Ryan O’Reilly – one of the stars of the evening – hooked over to make it 0-5 to 0-2 in the 28th minute.
Derry hit back through Downey (free) and Conleth McGuckin as the sides went in with Cavan leading by the odd point in nine.
Emmett Boylan got the home side off to a flyer with another top-class score on the restart but Derry replied through Downey and were then correctly awarded a penalty which Eoghan Hawe slotted home to give the visitors the lead, 1-5 to 0-6, for the first time with 19 minutes remaining.
But Cavan responded with a great run from Ballymachugh’s Dara Sheridan and another stylish finish from Emmett Boylan.
Iarlaith Donaghy and Ryan O’Reilly – now at full-forward – traded scores but when Downey curled in another beauty with 10 minutes to go, Derry were up by two.
Cavan dug in, however, with a well-struck O’Reilly free and another from Boylan before two calls went against them and Downey slotted over a free to give Derry a one-point lead again on 56 minutes.
With 40 seconds of normal time remaining, O’Reilly stepped up to power over a 40-metre point to tie it and three minutes later, Cian Boylan beat his man and teed McGovern up for a sublime strike which looked to be the winner, a feeling which was underpinned when Michael Veale pulled off two huge marks.
Four minutes of injury time had been called but the ref had other ideas and at 67:10, Downey slotted over what had seemed an inevitable equalising free.
To make matters worse, captain Veale was handed a straight red card after the full-time whistle for remonstrating.
So, to extra time and in the first half of the first period of it, Cavan were irresistible, Daryl McGurren – who made a huge impact on his introduction – putting them in front and lively sub Oisin Brady adding another before Boylan landed two tricky frees – one from the right sideline – to make it 0-16 to 1-9.
Derry, though, had recovered from a similar position against Monaghan six days earlier and dug deep, Hawe and Ethan Doherty on the mark before Downey held his nerve from 45 metres with a free to draw it again.
In the second spell of extra time, then, Drumlane’s McGurren again opened the scoring and although Derry responded through Oran McMenamin, when McGurren picked Trainor out with a short free and the latter spun and pointed, Cavan were in front once more.
And this time, they stayed there, although how cruel it was on Derry to lose such a close, drawn-out encounter.
See this week's print issue for full coverage.