Monaghan impress in derby win over profligate Cavan

The visitors carved out victory with their fine finishing and better shot selection

Oisin Kiernan of Cavan looks for support. Pic: ©INPHO/Andrew Paton

Allianz NFL Division 2: Cavan 0-20 Monaghan 2-22 

Monaghan impressed on the road with a clincial display in a delightful derby duel at Kingspan Breffni.

The visitors carved out an impressive victory with their fine finishing and better shot selection major stand-out traits on a night in which the quick toe-tap caught the eye of the purist.

Cavan were up for the fight on what was a wild evening for the showcasing of the new rules but they laboured to tie down a Monaghan team bolstered by a Conor McCarthy penalty conversion after just two minutes.

McCarthy’s superb spot kick proved all-important in giving the Oriel County a 1-10 to 0-12 interval advantage into the teeth of a forceful win.

Both sides showed an appetite for the spoils and eschewed the erstwhile tedious business of shuffling the ball side-ways and, instead, continuously rifled the ball direct and fast up the field.

The exchanges were evenly fought throughout the game and the sticky underfoot conditions didn’t prevent both sides putting on a very entertaining tie which hung in the balance right to the bitter end.

Cavan bravely fought their game of catch-up but with the likes of Ryan McAnespie and newbie Gavin McPhillips in particularly fine form Monaghan rammed home their advantage with a second goal from the in-form Banningan just three minutes into the second half.

The in-form Dara McVeety led a Cavan fightback with the blues hitting four points without reply to cut Monaghan’s lead to a very manageable six points (0-18 to 2-18) with seven minutes of normal time left to play.

Cavan were profligate in the extreme on the night and might well have plundered a hat-trick of goals and at least a couple of handful of points on another evening.

However, for all their gutsy, adventurous play, the hosts played a poor second fiddle in the part of the field that mattered most and that was ultimately their downfall on a night in which the new rules were warmly received by the bumper crowd on a bitterly cold night under lights.

Cavan scorers: G O’Rourke 0-1 (f); P Faulkner 0-1; O Kiernan 0-1, K Clarke 0-1, E Crowe 0-1, L Molloy 0-1 (f),TD Donohoe 0-1, f, C Brady 0-1, D McVeety 0-5, S McEvoy 0-5 (1 2pf, 2f), C Madden 0-2.

Monaghan scorers: R Beggan 0-6, (2 2pf (f); C McCarthy 1-2 (1p); B McBennett 0-3, M Bannigan 0-4, (2pf); R McAnespie 0-1, D Garland 1-4 (2pf); S Mooney 0-1, J McCarron 0-1, (f).

CAVAN: G O’Rourke : N Carolan , B O’Connell , J McLoughlin ; P Faulkner , D McVeety , O Kiernan ; K Clarke , E Crowe ; C Brady , G Smith, L Molloy ; R O’Neill , J Smith , S McEvoy.

Subs: R Donohoe for E Crowe (h-t); TE Donohoe for R O’Neill (h-t); C Madden for G Smith (46); T Madden for L Molloy (54); C Reilly for P Faulkner (69).

MONAGHAN: R Beggan ; R Wylie, K Lavelle , D Byrne ; R O’Toole , G McPhillips , C McCarthy ; B McBennett , M McCarville ; R McAnespie , M Bannigan , C McNulty ; D Garland, M Hamill , S Mooney.

Subs: S Jones for S Mooney (42); B McCaul for C McNulty (54); J McCarron for B McBennett (60); J Irwin for G McPhillips (64); C Lennon for R O’Toole (69).

Ref: L Devenney (Mayo).