Cavan stun Mayo with huge win in Castlebar

All-Ireland SFC R1

Cavan 1-17

Mayo 1-14

Paul Fitzpatrick at MacHale Park

With just over 10 minutes to go here, a long ball was aimed in the direction of Aidan O’Shea. His marker, Killian Brady, rose highest to break it and when the ball bounced, three Cavanmen descended on it. That was the story of this All-Ireland SFC clash as Cavan out-hustled a Mayo side who came in as 1/6 favourites – and, if anything, the final scoreline flattered the hosts, for whom O’Shea hit the net in the last play of the game.

Cavan started well against a home side who looked, even at that stage, out of sorts but the Breffnimen were dealt two hammer blows in the first half as young attackers Barry Donnelly and Sean McEvoy, who had both started well, were forced off injured.

That, and five wides, proved costly for the visitors who grew a bit ragged in the second quarter and found themselves 0-7 to 0-4 in arrears at the break, having been level at 0-4 apiece.

Cavan, so passive against Tyrone, had a lot more zip here in the early going and looked to create one-on-ones with hard running. The impressive Cormac O’Reilly opened the scoring with a fisted point and Ciaran Brady doubled the lead on four minutes with a trademark effort but Cavan needed to trouble the scoreboard more in this early period of dominance and three wides didn’t help.

After a five-minute delay while Donnelly was treated, Mayo opened their account with a Ryan O’Donoghue free on 18 minutes. Seconds later, Dara McVeety made it 0-3 to 0-1, again after taking on a defender, but Mayo would score six of the remaining seven points in the run-in to the interval.

A free, for two, from O’Donoghue after a Cavan breach tied the game. Mayo spurned a good goal chance, Cian Reilly denying Darren McHale, as the hosts ominously grew into it and Cavan begin to miss tackles.

Cormac O’Reilly added his second after a good handpassing move but, although they lost Davitt Neary to a black card, Mayo pushed on. Stephen Coen kicked two points, one from two-point range but touched over by Liam Brady, and Mattie Ruane another as Mayo went in three up and looking good.

But it all changed after the break. Two minutes in, Cian Madden found Gerry Smith, who sent a rocket to the roof of the Mayo net and when Cormac O’Reilly and Padraig Faulkner both fired over, Cavan were two ahead with four second-half minutes played.

Mayo pulled back two but were running on fumes as Cavan out-worked them. Two points from Madden and one for Oisin Kiernan kept the scoreboard ticking for the Breffnimen, with the elusive Stephen Coen – who had a career day with 0-5 from play – keeping Mayo in it.

Cavan kicked on again with two massive scores in the 53rd minute, O’Reilly swinging over from the right wing and Kiernan landing a two-pointer from downtown; with normal time up, Ray Galligan’s side were, implausibly, eight to the good following a succession of breakaway points, including a belter from the returning Paddy Lynch.

O’Shea fielded well and goaled on 74 minutes but by then, it mattered little.

Cavan: L Brady, Cian Reilly (0-1), B O’Connell (0-1), N Carolan, K Brady, C Brady (0-1), P Faulkner (0-1), B Donnelly, E Crowe, G Smith (1-0), D McVeety (0-2), O Kiernan (0-3, 2pt), Cormac O’Reilly (0-4), R Donohoe, S McEvoy

Subs: Cian Madden (0-3, 1f) for B Donnelly (14, inj), O Brady for S McEvoy (temp, 24), P Lynch (0-1) for R Donohoe (55), L Fortune for C Brady (68), R O’Neill for Cormac O’Reilly (68), L Molloy for E Crowe (70)

Mayo: C Reape, J Coyne, D McHugh, D Thornton (0-1), S Callinan, D McBrien, E Hession, S Coen (0-4), M Ruane (0-2), D Neary, J Carney, J Flynn, A O’Shea (1-0), D McHale (0-1), R O’Donoghue (0-5, 3f, 2ptf)

Subs: F Kelly for J Carney (55), P Towey for D Neary (58), P Durcan for E Hession (59), F Boland (0-1) for J Flynn (68), F Irwin for D McHale (70)

Ref: P Faloon (Down)