Minors pick up nine-point win over Armagh

Ulster Minor Football Championship round 3

Cavan 1-16

Armagh 1-7

Paul Fitzpatrick at the Athletic Grounds

Cavan picked up their second successive win in the Ulster Minor Championship with this nine-point victory over Armagh.

Cavan were much the better team throughout the game but there were shades of the seniors’ performance against the same opposition a week earlier as their shooting let them down and left this game in the balance much longer than it should have been.

In all other aspects, the Cavan boys were outstanding but seven first-half wides and two shots dropped short allowed Armagh to stay in the game. And they added another four and three respectively and spurned two goal chances in the second, which could have made for a nervy finish, with only four points between the teams with 10 minutes to go.

Once sub Odhran Madden rolled home a goal, the shackles were off and Cavan kicked some fine points to win by nine, a margin which flattered the home side who were out-played by a physically-strong, pacy and tigerish Cavan outfit.

The Orchard’s forays forward were rare but generally, when they attacked, they made it count. Entering first-half injury time, Cavan were ahead by 0-7 to 1-0 and feasibly could have had a 10-point cushion but the hosts rattled off three points in as many minutes – a 45, a free and one from play – to implausibly go in just a point down.

Cavan owned the ball in the opening stages. Pressing high on the Armagh kick-out, they forced the home goalkeeper to go long where the Blues’ advantage in the aerial battle told.

In fact, it took nine minutes for Armagh to even get into the Cavan half but by then, they were only two points in arrears as Cavan, who were aggressive in the tackle and smart in possession, fluffed their lines in front of the posts.

Eanna Ward opened the scoring with a fisted point before Darragh Noonan slotted over off the left after good work from target man Ben O’Hara.

An excellent hand-passing move the length of the field was finished by Noonan and, on 19 minutes, it was a four-point game when Cormac McAviney gathered a ball in space and made no mistake.

The missed opportunities were mounting up, though, and Armagh punished Cavan when Conall McGeough tore in along the end-line and found the bottom corner of the net.

The impressive Ryan Nwaneri fielded well close to goal and punted over Cavan’s fifth point. He found Ben Tully, who stroked over confidently off the left boot and O’Hara and Dylan Edwards combined for the latter to fist over to make it 0-7 to 1-0.

But Armagh finished the half strongly. Martin McKinley, whose place-kicking caught the eye, nailed a 45, Paul Hendron added a free and McGeough landed a belter from play as they went in just one point down.

Their cause wasn’t helped when they lost midfielder Micheál Hughes to a second yellow card on the resumption. Cavan kicked on with two well-taken points in a minute from Joshua Shehu but a 46-metre McKinley free kept Armagh in touch.

Edwards, Jake Whyte (free) raised two more white flags. Cavan were totally dominant on possession but their radar was still off, however, and Noonan spilled the ball with a possible goal on.

Another long-range McKinley free made it 0-11 to 1-5 but despite their wayward shooting, Cavan had so much of the ball, thanks in no small part to a ferocious work-rate, that they kept the scoreboard ticking.

O’Hara scored a nice point, then Fiachra Brady was denied a goal from close range. Shehu and Noonan both slotted over to ease the nerves and when Madden found the net with a cool finish, the result was sewn up.

Jamie Clarke, Caoimhin Magee and Noonan all raised white flags as this talented Cavan side won pulling up.

Cavan: Liam Bell (Knockbride), Philip Shannon (Butlersbridge), Jensen Tynan (Ramor United), Fiachra Brady (Gowna), Luke Allison (Butlersbridge), Aaron Shekleton (Kingscourt Stars), Cormac McAvinney (Kingscourt Stars, 0-1), Éanna Ward (Arva), Ryan Nwaneri (Munterconnaught, 0-1), Joshua Shehu (Cavan Gaels, 0-3), Ben Tully (Cavan Gaels, 0-1), Dylan Edwards (Templeport, 0-2), Jake Whyte (Cootehill Celtic, 0-1f), Ben O’Hara (Ramor United, 0-1), Darragh Noonan (Killygarry, 0-3)

Subs: Odhran Madden (Gowna, 1-0) for B Tully (43), Jamie Clarke (Castlerahan, 0-1) for J Shehu, Arijus Metlovas (Cootehill Celtic) for R Nwaneri (both 52), Caomhin Magee (Kingscourt Stars, 0-1) for B O’Hara (55), Ben Smith (Ballyhaise) for A Shekleton (59)

Armagh: Liam Carroll, Aodhán O’Connor, Daniel Cullen, Daire Young, Paul Hendron (0-1f), Ryan Nugent, Adam Reavey, Aaron Haughey, Micheál Hughes, Martin McKinley (0-3, 2f, 45), Cahal Donnelly, Shea Carr, Eoin Kane, Calum Hughes, Conall McGeough (1-1)

Subs: Fionnbar McKee for A Reavey (23), Ross Marsden for C Donnelly (ht), John Joe Hughes for Diarmaid O’Rourke (39), Fionn Ó Tuathail (0-1) for E Kane (45), Shea Loughran for S Carr (58)