Cavan narrowly beaten by Derry in McKenna Cup opener

Dr McKenna Cup Round 1

Derry 0-15

Cavan 1-10

Paul Fitzpatrick at Kingspan Breffni

As the teams left the field following this entertaining season-opener, the Cavan PRO kindly let the patrons know that the score in the darts was three sets to two.

Tight – just like this one. If anyone was playing the role of Luke Littler, in terms of experience, it was Cavan’s rookie manager Ray Galligan but, pitted against Mickey Harte who started managing teams back when Eric Bristow was an oche newbie, the Breffni boss will have been happy enough with how this went.

Derry were leading by 0-7 to 0-4 at the end of a slow-burner of a first half but Cavan over-hauled them with a goal from sub Gerry Smith – a bullseye finish, no less - seven minutes into the second half and from there to the long whistle, there wasn’t much between them.

Derry kicked a couple of super late points from subs Cahir McMonagle and Shane McGuigan to wrap up a win they just about deserved.

The opening quarter was cagey and defensive; the teams mirrored each other, bringing all 15 back at times, and it led to long passages where not much happened.

As the match wore on, though, they began to take risks and find gaps and the scoring rate increased rapidly, with both sides creating – and spurning – decent goal chances.

Derry eased into a two-point lead with a pair of well-taken Paul Cassidy points before Paddy Lynch got Cavan off the mark for the evening, and year, with a tricky free from the right wing.

Home captain Padraig Faulkner – who took over the armband from manager Ray Galligan, who had led the parade since 2019 – tied the game after a smart pass from the impressive Oisin Kiernan (Castlerahan) on 14 minutes.

Niall Toner (free) and Cassidy both registered before Kiernan hooked over off the left as the game opened up.

Ruairi Forbes, in space, landed Derry’s fifth but Jason McLoughlin got on the end of Cavan’s best move of the half to make it a one-point game again.

The Blues almost snuck in for a goal after a driving run from stand-out Niall Carolan, but his shot was tame and Derry finished the half the stronger with a fisted Ben McCarron effort and a good point from Niall Toner to go in three up.

Derry stretched it out to double scores with a threaded McCarron score but two eye-catching Oisin Brady points either side of Smith’s goal – after tremendous work from Faulkner – saw the hosts lead.

Derry had a couple more goal chances but Cavan goalie Liam Brady was equal to them. A lovely 40-metre Donncha Gilmore point, one from McGuigan which kissed the face of the crossbar and another for Man of the Match Paul Cassidy made it a three-point game but Cavan kept at it and three Paddy Lynch frees saw them within touching distance on the home stretch.

But Derry held on and the Harte regime is off to a winning start.

Cavan: Liam Brady, Oisin Kiernan (Denn), Killian Brady, Cormac McKeogh, Jason McLoughlin (0-1), Niall Carolan, Brían O'Connell, James Galligan, Padriag Faulkner (0-1), Oisin Kiernan (Castlerahan, 0-1), Tiarnan Madden, Ryan Donohoe, Paddy Lynch (0-5f), James Smith, Oisin Brady (0-2)

Subs: Liam Fay for R Donohoe, Gerard Smith (1-0) for K Brady (both ht), Cormac Timoney for B O’Connell, Caoimhin O’Reilly for J Smith (both 55), Peter Smith for N Carolan (59), Jack Tully for T Madden, Mark Magee for J McLoughlin (both 62), Emmanuel Shehu for P Faulkner (69)

Derry: J Cassidy, D Baker (0-1), E McEvoy, C McGrogan, C Doherty, P McGrogan (0-1), P McGurk, D Higgins, D Gilmore (0-1), R Forbes (0-1), D Cassidy, P Cassidy (0-4), B McCarron (0-2), N Loughlin, N Toner (0-2, 1f)

Subs: M Doherty for P McGurk, S McGuigan (0-2, 1f) for B McCarron (both 51), C McKaigue for C McGrogan (55), C McMonagle (0-1) for N Toner (68), R McNicholl for P Cassidy (70)

Ref: J Lewis (Fermanagh)