Super-sub McCabe swings it for Cavan

Cavan 3-13 Down 2-12

In perhaps the most influential substitution of this year’s championship, former Allstar McCabe had a devastating impact despite boss Eamon Coleman's assertion that he was ‘playing on one leg’.

But what a leg! Down had nothing in reply as McCabe came off the bench at half-time and, amazingly, had a hand in each part of a 3-3 scoring blitz that ultimately won Cavan the game.

Cavan trailed by five points at the break and that margin was out to seven points by the 55th minute when McCabe kicked in to turn the game and force an 11-point swing in the scores by the final whistle.

Coleman said: “We knew there was 20 minutes of football in Dermot McCabe today and he proved us right. It was a big gamble to put him on because he's still not right after the injury but it certainly paid off. He was awesome.”

Ironically, Down were cruising at half-time and despite falling behind 0-6 to 0-4 after 29 minutes were pulled back into the game by those two Benny Coulter goals.

Cavan's full-back line was visibly struggling under the high ball to Coulter and at 2-6 to 0-7 up to the break things looked good for the Mourne. Coleman responded by shaking things up and bringing on three subs for Cavan, one of which was McCabe at the interval for Ger Pierson. Two Cavan points brought the margin down to three before Coulter, Aidan O'Prey (0-2), and Daniel Hughes opened up a seven-point margin for Down at 2-10 to 0-9.

Cavan skipper Larry Reilly saw red for his second yellow card, a clumsy tackle on Dan Gordon. It looked all over for 14-man Cavan.

Unsurprisingly, with Coleman in charge the whole thing galvanised Cavan and McCabe won a free that Micheal Lyng, 0-5 overall, stuck over.

McCabe then collected a long Peter Reilly ball and stuck it in the net.

Despite a couple of Down points from Dan Hughes and Greg McCartan Cavan were back level at 2-12 apiece by the 67th minute.

Their heads were up now and Jason Reilly fisted over from McCabe's knockdown to move a point ahead at the death. But there was even more to come and with McCabe once again breaking the ball down Reilly took it around Mickey McVeigh in the Down goal and slotted home to the net soccer-style.

DOWN: M McVeigh; G Grant, A Molloy, A Scullion; J Clarke, M Cole, S Farrell; G McCartan (0-3; 0-3f), D Gordon (0-1); E McCartan, R Sexton, S Ward; B Coulter (2-2), A O'Prey (0-3), D Hughes (0-2; 0-1f).

Subs: R Murtagh (0-1) for Ward 20, A Rogers for Sexton 53, J Lavery for E McCartan 70.

CAVAN: E Elliot; E Reilly, D Rabbit, P Brady; A Forde, T Crowe (0-1), A Gaynor; P McKenna (0-1), K Crotty; L Reilly, M Lyng (0-5; 0-5f), M McKeever (0-3; 0-2f); G Pierson, J Reilly (1-3), S Johnston.

Subs: D. McCabe (1-0), P. Reilly (1-0) and C. Collins for Pierson, Johnston & E Reilly (all half-time), R. Donohoe for Brady 55, S. Brady for McKeever 72.

Referee: S McCormack (Meath).