Gaels storm to further success

A very familiar script unfolded at Kingspan/Breffni Park on Thursday evening last when, for the second time inside four days, a county football title winged its way to Terry Coyle courtesy of a five-star display by Cavan Gaels' U16s. Winter may have visited headquarters with a vengeance for the decider, but it was the Gaels' spring in their step which, from the get-go, lent an air of predictability about the destination of the Division One Championship title. In common with their senior club colleagues, the would-be winners were all comfortable on the ball and their poise plus the pace they employed in moving the ball forward in intricate patterns had their opponents at sixes and sevens for the most part. To Castlerahan's chagrin, the Gaels' wave of attacks inevitably ended in a score with only two mean wides being racked up in the first half hour by the county town youngsters. Castlerahan were pinned up against the ropes for most of the opening moiety and, despite the fact that was little or no breeze of any consequence, it was all of eight minutes into the game before the maroon and whites succeeded in getting the ball into their opponents' half. And all the while, the losers' totemic attacker Enda Flanagan was left to play nothing more than a cameo role from the edge of the square. With the ever-alert Barry Fortune sweeping in front of Flanagan's marker (Cathal Cronin), and Cian Donohoe invariably playing in a withdrawn role, time and time again Castlerahan fell short of finding a route to their number 14. In contrast to their forward colleagues, the Castlerahan defenders were feverishly employed and from a very early stage, their work had all the makings of a damage limitation job. That said, Castlerahan were deserving, hard-working finalists though and while they were easily out-gunned on the night, the pride, passion and sportsmanship they showed was of the highest order. After Oisin Sheridan pointed after 19 seconds, Cavan Gaels proceeded to ratchet up the pressure on their opponents in Usain Bolt-like fashion. With surgical precision, the blues flew into a 1-5 to 0-0 lead after 11 minutes with Stephen Murray racing across the byline in the 5th minute before placing Kevin Johnston for the opening goal. And from there to the short-whistle the lights remained largely stuck on green for the blue and whites as Castlerahan were forced to operate off the backfoot and lean on the promising free-taking ability of midfielder Cian McEnroe. It was McEnroe's three points which ate into the Gaels' lead leaving the Ballyjamesduff-based 0-3 to 1-5 in arrears by the end of the first quarter. Sadly for the match underdogs, things were to get progressively worse for them with Kevin Johnston's fisted effort in the 19th minute turning the screw on the Ballyjamesduff-based crew. A good save by Cathal Flanagan (26th) prevented Stephen Murray adding a third goal for the Gaels and there was similarly no luck for Enda Flanagan for Castlerahan when his close-range fisted effort was batted clear by Richie Murphy for a fruitless '45. Leading by 2-8 to 0-3 on the restart, the Gaels showed all the killer instinct and ambition redolent of really true champions as the second half got underway. All belonging to Castlerahan breathing a collective sigh of relief after just 11 seconds as speedster Stephen Murray sliced his point-blank shot wide of Cathal Flanagan's goal from five metres. Desperate, last-ditch defending was all that prevented young Murray from goaling four minutes later but in the fall-out, Andrew Graham was able to convert a free to make it a 12 point game. It remained all-action stuff with Cian McEnroe's shaving the post with a shot on the turn after a fisted pass across the square from Enda Flanagan found him on the angle of the small square. Then in the 41st minute Padraic Sexton's looping shot came off the bar and Oisin Sheridan's follow-up saw him punch the ball against the Castlerahan post in a frenzy of excitement. Moments later at the other end of the pitch Cian McEnroe's 'screamer' left all believing it was net-bound for half-a-second but it whizzed wide of the post. Eventually the game's third goal arrived with livewire Andrew Graham making the net billow in the 43rd minute; a score that was effectively the coup de gras. As if to prove that the gods weren't on their side over the hour, Castlerahan could only hold their heads in anquish in the 50th minute when Joshua Fox was denied a goal by the butt of the post. To rub salt into their by now gaping wound, the Gaels' showed exemplary precision at the other end of the pitch less than one minute later with the irrepressible Andrew Graham cheekily side-footing the ball, on the run, into the roof of the net. To their eternal credit, Castlerahan never threw in the towel and they got their just reward when Joshua Fox's clever pass was finished powerfully to the net by Enda Flanagan. By then however, the blue and white garlands had long since been matched up with the cup and to put the icing on the cake, top-scorer Andrew Graham notched his side's fifth and sixth goals in the final three minutes to round off a really impressive victory for the outrageously dominant and increasingly peerless county town club. Cavan Gaels; Richie Murphy; Barry Fortune (0-1), Cathal Cronin, Daniel Mulligan; Vincent Coyle (0-4, three frees), Kevin Brady, Gary Farrelly; Paul Graham (1-3, one free), Cian McKiernan (0-2); Oisin Sheridan (0-1), Kevin Johnston (1-0), Padraic Sexton; Cian Donohoe, Stephen Murray, Andrew Graham (4-5, one free). Subs; Alan Kelly; Shane Clarke; Liam Fitzsimons; Cian Mulligan; Leon Smith. Castlerahan; Cathal Flanagan; Ryan Egan, Ciaran Farrelly, Darragh Smith; Darren Treacy, Kieran Daly, Killian McEnroe; Cian McEnroe (0-4, all frees), Darren Reilly; Daniel Harte, Jamie McDermott, Fergal Reilly; Sean Greene, Enda Flanagan (1-1, one free), Gary Fitzsimons. Subs used; Joshua Fox; Killian Cullen; Jamie McGrath;