Meath stung by superb Cavan

Cavan 1-16 Meath 0-7

They have watched endlessly over the past two decades as Meath established themselves as one of the super powers in the game. Their neighbour’s success stung more sharply when contrasted with Cavan’s relative lack of success in the same period.

As they usually reside at different ends of the spectrum, they rarely meet. So any victory is to be savoured, especially a victory of this magnitude.

Cavan were superb; the flawless defence matched by a free-flowing attack with Dermot McCabe imperious throughout. However, as good as Cavan were, the poverty of Meath’s football was arguably the most eye-catching aspect of this game.

Although it was a makeshift team, their lack of hunger and zest will give Seán Boylan some sleepless nights before the summer. The inexperience of many of the Meath players showed and alongside a subdued and well-marked Ollie Murphy, they never seemed to have many options moving the ball forward.

“We weren’t able to cope with them on a physical level or with their pace,” said Boylan afterwards. The Meath manager cut an animated figure on the sideline for much of the match. However, midway through the second half he was resigned to his team’s fate as many of his players seemed to be.

“We just weren’t good enough on the day and you’re always going to have days like that in the League. We used a lot of new lads out there. We are trying to build a team maybe some of the more established lads aren’t going too well at the moment. But we are not dead yet,” Boylan remarked with a grin.

Dermot McCabe was at the centre of this victory for Cavan. While it was Jerry Pearison opened the scoring in the first minute with a delightfully chipped point.

It was the awesome presence of McCabe who sustained Cavan’s momentum throughout the game. He followed Pearison’s score with two more points before Meath even managed an attack. The first sight of goal the Royal forwards got was in the tenth minute, but the ball screwed off Adrian Kenny’s foot and sailed wide. The pattern was set for Meath’s day.

You could count on one hand the number of attacks Meath manufactured in the first half. Yet despite their dominance, Cavan were still making simple errors, which meant they didn’t make their advantage tell as it should. However McCabe kept widening the margin with a few wonderfully taken frees. It still pains traditionalists to see a free taken from the hand, but McCabe gave an exhibition in that art yesterday. His 25th-minute free, 40 yards out, which curled and dipped inside the right hand post was a beautiful score. That point made it 0-6 to 0-1 in Cavan’s favour.

And they weren’t about to take their foot off the pedal. Two minutes later Anthony Forde burst from the half back line to finish a well worked move that involved Jason Reilly and Micky Graham. Danny Regan, Meath’s only bright light on a bleak afternoon, was keeping Boylan’s team in touch with his free-taking, but Cavan were playing with supreme confidence.

Graham finished the half with a sublime score, again propelled by McCabe who lodged the ball into Graham’s chest and a nippy forward feinted and slipped his marker before lobbing the ball over.

Mattie Kerrigan the Meath man who coaches Cavan’s footballers was smiling after the game. “I am pleased enough with the performance. Any day you beat Meath is a good day. The chances we created today we put them away and that was the most pleasing part for me.”

Of course, Meath can point to a couple of unlucky bounces of the ball that could have brought them back into the game. Kevin Kelly, from the throw-in of the second half, seized a chance to score a goal for Meath. However, his ball skidded past the post. This summed up the luck in the first half. Mark O’Reilly, in the unfamiliar position of centre-half, saw his goal-bound shot smash against the crossbar. O’Reilly had a right old tussle with Larry Reilly all afternoon. the frustration of the occasion got the better of them and in the 60th-minute he was sent off for a second booking.

By that stage the game was well over. Graham’s 47th-minute goal killed any tension there might have been left in it. McCabe sent a long direct ball into the full forward line. Jason Reilly palmed it on to Graham who cushioned it past the keeper. That made the score 1-12 to 0-6 and with 20 minutes to go some Meath supporters among the 6,000 strong crowd were seen to leave Breffni Park. They missed probably the score of the game a minute later, an excellent point by James Clarke, which he created himself with a sudden burst of pace, chipping the ball into Graham, sprinting for the return and curled the ball over the bar. That was about the highlight of the final 20 minutes save for the occasional cheer that greeted McCabe’s long balls.

Scorers, Cavan: D McCabe 0-9 (0-6 frees), M Graham 1-1, J Reilly, L Reilly, J Carr, A Forde, G Pearison 0-1 each.

Meath: D Regan 0-6 (0-4 frees), E Kelly 0-1.

CAVAN: A Donoghue, C Collins, T Prior, J Jordan, A Forde, P Reilly, M McKeever, D McCabe, P McKenna, P Brady, L Reilly, J Clarke, J Reilly, M Graham, G Pearison. Subs. T Fanning for Clarke (59 mins), S Maher for Graham (68 mins).

MEATH: C Sullivan, C Reynolds, D Fey, N McGauge, T O’Connor, M O’Reilly, H Traynor, N Crawford, C McCarthy, E Kelly, A Kenny, J Cullinane, D Regan, S McCague, O Murphy. Subs. D Curtis for Kenny, P Reynolds for Traynor (both half time), D Gallagher for McCarthy (59 mins), J Sheridan for Cullinane (59 mins).

Referee: Gerry Keinneavy (Roscommon).