Gowna start slow but finish with a flourish for first Cavan title in 20 years

Killgarry's second-ever appearance in a county decider ends in defeat as favourites romp home

TO THE VICTORS: Gowna players celebrate with the Oliver Plunkett Cup after the Cavan County Senior Club Football Championship Final between Gowna and Killygarry at Kingspan Breffni in Cavan. Pic: Ben McShane/Sportsfile

Gowna 2-13 Killygarry 1-9 

The script held firm at Kingspan Breffni with odds-on favourites Gowna claiming their first Cavan SFC title since 2002.

Pitted against a club making only its second ever appearance in the blue riband decider, the Longford-border side put behind them a tentative opening 25 minutes to win pulling up.

Gowna’s game was of the slow-to-the-boil variety but they used two timely and excellently-taken goals as the scaffold to construct a victory that was as deserved as it was ultimately convincing.

Bidding to win the Oliver Plunkett Cup for the first time, Killygarry had a nightmare start; being hit with a real sucker punch after just five minutes when Gowna midfielder Ryan Donohoe plundered an opportunist goal after initially spilling the ball on the edge of the small square.

Donohoe’s soccer-style major gave the red and green brigade a leg-up they hardly needed. Killygarry circled the wagons though and Martin Reilly’s excellently lobbed goal on 24 minutes – after he intercepted Ronan Bannon’s kick-out - hoisted the underdogs onto level terms, 1-3 apiece.

Under lights and played in front of a bumper crowd, it was all-action stuff but Gowna went on to stamp their authority over the course of the last three-quarters of the game.

The long-time leaders finished the first half with a flourish and unanswered points from Robbie Fitzpatrick, TJ Fitzpatrick and Conor Brady left Killygarry trailing by three points at the interval.

Killygarry laboured in playing their game of catch-up against the physically stronger and more battle-hardened opponents and while they continued to nip away at Gowna’s heels, they never managed to draw blood.

Killygarry weren’t without hope going into the final quarter and another Oisín Brady free marked his side’s first score since Reilly’s goal and left just three points (1-10 to 1-7) between the teams.

But with the slanting rain and gusting wind cloaking the arena, things got even more miserable for Killygarry with goalscorer Donohoe and man-of-the-match Cian Madden firing over splendid points in quick succession.

Killygarry desperately needed a goal to pull the fat from the fire but, instead, the eventual winners went on to rub salt into their gaping wound by bagging a second major to put the issue beyond doubt.

As the chasing team pushed forward in an effort to get themselves out of jail, Gowna produced a clinical counter-attacking move which ended with Cian Madden and Daire Madden setting up county star Oisín Pierson for a magnificent goal five minutes from time.

Scorers for Gowna: R Donohoe (1-3, 2f); Cian Madden (0-5, 4f); O Pierson (1-0); Conor Brady (0-2); T Madden (0-1, 1f), R Fitzpatrick (0-1) TJ Fitzpatrick (0-1).

Scorers for Killygarry: O Brady (0-4, 4f); M Reilly (1-0); C Smith (0-2); M McKenna (0-1), D Walsh (0-1), K Lovett (0-1). 

Gowna: R Bannon; Cormac Brady, R Brady, R McGahern; F Brady, Conor Brady, T Madden; R Fitzpatrick, R Donohoe; TJ Fitzpatrick, M McKeever, Cian Madden (0-5, 4f); A Brady, Conor Madden, Conor Casey.

Subs: O Pierson for A Brady (44); D Madden for C Casey (48); S Hartin for T Madden (62); R Keogh for M McKeever (64).

Killygarry: P Galligan; C Connolly, C Bates, D Dunne; D McKenna, C Reilly, D Kennedy; M McKenna (0-1), D Walsh (0-1); R Sheridan, M Reilly (1-0), M McDermott; D Lovett, O Brady (0-4, 4f,) C Smith (0-2).

Subs: K Lovett (0-1) for D McKenna (44); B Mooney for R Sheridan (48); A Lovett for C Connolly; D Talbot for M McDermott (53); E Gallen for D Walsh (59).

Ref: James Clarke (Killinkere)