Lavey's date with destiny

A magical season for the footballers of Lavey continues when they take the field this Sunday in Brewster Park, Enniskillen hoping to become only the second Cavan club to win an Ulster club title. Standing in their way is the small matter of highly-rated Tyrone IFC champions Cookstown, home club of three-time All Ireland senior medallist Owen Mulligan, although Lavey manager Terry Hyland is bullish about the task in hand. "I'm a great believer in playing your own game," stated Hyland this week. "Sometimes we try in Cavan to change our game around too much to suit the opposition when we should play our own style of football. We will go out and we'll try and play our own style. If we're good enough, we're good enough, and if we're not, we're not, but it won't be for the want of trying." Confidence is high in Lavey following two successive wins in the provincial campaign. Hyland and selectors Val Smith, Seamus Smith and Seamus Donohoe have a full hand to choose from for the first time since early in the season. "We have everybody that we can have," revealed Hyland. "It's going to be a very tough game, this is obviously a very decorated side with All Ireland medals and different things, so it's going to be one of the toughest games of the year. "I think in Tyrone circles, before a ball was kicked they were being tipped to win the Intermediate All Ireland but our lads will give it everything." One notable facet of Lavey's play this season has been their ability to move the ball at pace and their impressive scoring tallies. Having struggled badly in front of the posts in previous seasons, Lavey have notched 6-100 in their eight championship matches to date for an average of 14.75 points per game. "We probably concentrated more on the attacking side of the game and moving the ball faster this year," said the manager, who admitted that the win over Donegal's Fanad Gaels in the semi-final, when Lavey came from five down at half-time to win, pulling away, by six, was the highlight of the season so far. "As I said on the evening, and maybe sometimes emotion gets away with you, it was the best half of football I have ever seen on a pitch in my lifetime, and I still stand over that, it was exceptional," he stated. "If we can re-create the first half and the football we played against Kinawley and the second half and the workrate we showed against Fanad Gaels the last day, we'll have a chance. We'll have to be playing at 100 per cent." With such a young side, including a host of minors and Under 21s, nerves could be a factor on the big day but Hyland is confident that Lavey will cope with the extra pressure that comes with playing in a final. Having broken off the shackles and finally won the county title they had coveted for four years, Lavey have played with carefree abandon in their two Ulster matches thus far. "In finals at any level there are going to be a certain amount of nerves, especially with young fellas... Hopefully it won't be a factor though. "In fairness they have gone out and enjoyed it so far, they haven't let anything get in the way of playing football. We would be hoping to reproduce that sort of form. "Intermediate within Cavan is one of the hardest to win because its the most competitive. You can put in years trying to win an Intermediate, every team feels they can win it every year and it's very level compared to senior where a handful of teams dominate. "Sometimes then [in Ulster] the monkey is off your back, The same pressures are not on you as in your own domestic leagues. you're at a level and it's nice to be there and you can open up and express yourself. Now we've got to a final, we have to say, look, we've enjoyed getting here, let's see if we can win it." Should Lavey repeat Ballinagh's heroics of 2007 and lift the cup on Sunday, it will be just reward for what Lacken native Hyland terms "a great club". "They are great people, from the chairman John Joe Maguire to everybody involved, they get behind the fellas. Anything we have looked for, we have got. There were no questions asked. They have a great club. They have that great sense of camaraderie there, it emanates through it all. " Lavey PRO Pauric Owens, meanwhile, admits that the club is hopeful of landing yet another trophy in what has been a magnificent season to date. "We were disappointed to lose out in the Under 21 last week to a strong Laragh team because we had been on a good winning run but hopefully that will help to focus the minds of the players on the big one this Sunday," said Owens.