Donegal defeat Cavan to leave all four teams deadlocked

ALL LEVEL ON POINTS:Donegal's Michael Langan  against Cavan's Padraig Faulkner. Pic: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile

All-Ireland SFC Group 1: Cavan 1-13 (1-1-11) Donegal 3-26 (3-1-24)

They say there’s no place like home, but the way things are in Group one of the All-Ireland SFC, teams are happy enough on the road.

For the fourth time in four, it was the visitors who picked up the points to leave Donegal, Cavan, Tyrone and Mayo all gridlocked on two points before the last series of fixtures takes the quartet on their travels to the neutral venues.

Donegal hadn’t it all their own way for spells to begin with, put things together to post a 19-point victory at Breffni Park, with goals from Finnbarr Roarty, Conor O’Donnell and Coalan McColgan. Now, Donegal are on a collision course with Mayo, whilst Cavan and Tyrone will both want to pick themselves up against one another.

A swirly wind wasn’t overly helpful for Donegal in the first half but an altercation between manager Jim McGuinness and Cavan boss Raymond Galligan sparked it up. They carried that wave into a strong finish of the opening half and git the high gears in the second.

Donegal went to Breffni Park as the only side in the group without a point, following Mayo’s 2-17 to 1-14 victory against Tyrone in Omagh on Saturday night.

As against Tyrone, Donegal goalkeeper Shaun Patton, who twisted his ankle in the Ulster final victory over Armagh, did the warm-up. But as against Tyrone, it was Gavin Mulreany who got the nod with Conor O’Donnell and Caolan McColgan also late changes, in place of Daire Ó Baoill and Oisin Gallen.

Cavan exited the Ulster SFC at the quarter-final stage, 1-24 to 0-20 against Tyrone. A 2-17 to 1-14 success in Castlebar and two weeks' preparation, compared to Donegal’s one meant there was an air of optimism around Breffni Park.

Whatever jitters Donegal might’ve possessed would’ve been ramped up a bit when Brian O’Connell squeezed home a 16th minute goal. Peadar Mogan got a block on Cormac O’Reilly’s shot and it looked to be spinning wide only for the Cavan full-back to squeeze it in at the back post.

It made the score 1-2 to 0-5, with Donegal having made a decent start, with a couple of Shane O’Donnell points and an effortless Michael Murphy two-pointer, albeit with whatever advantage there was to be had from the swirling breeze that rolled up from Cavan town.

Cavan were keeping in touch through Cian Madden and O’Reilly, while Donegal were edging ahead with Caolan McColgan, Murphy and Conor O’Donnell.

Seven minutes before the break, with Donegal 0-9 to 1-5 up, a lovely Ryan McHugh pass got Finnbarr Roarty in on goal, only for Liam Brady in the Cavan goal to save. Murphy slotted over the 45, his second of the half, bringing his total to five.

Donegal passed up on a second goal chance when Michael Langan was played in by Shane O’Donnell but the shot was straight at Brady and Cavan survived again.

The temperature rose sharply just before half-time when McGuinness made his way over to his opposite number, Galligan, to remonstrate after Dara McVeety, in the Donegal manager’s opinion, went down too easily. Full of voice, both ended up in referee’s Fergal Kelly book.

The row did spark the crowd into life, with Donegal’s travelling support to be heard in full voice and their decibel level went even higher when, after the hooter and in the last play of the half, Roarty made no mistake when he was given a second goal chance.

Donegal moved it and moved it fast with Shane O’Donnell, Murphy, then McBrearty, laying off to Roarty, who planted past Liam Brady for a goal, which made for a lead of 1-12 to 1-5.

Although Cavan had the wind, Donegal teams are never shy about moving it ball in hand and could take Oisin Gallen off the bench, to score three points. In all, 13 Donegal players got on the scoreboard as four wides early in the third quarter hit Cavan’s hopes.

Conor O’Donnell, like Roarty, almost got a goal before he actually did, when he palmed over a Mogan centre but the Carndonagh man placed a splendid second goal on 62 minutes to move Donegal 2-22 to 1-11 ahead.

By then, eight minutes before, Murphy had left to a standing ovation. And like the first half, Donegal managed a goal when the hooter had gone. Caolan McColgan, with Cavan fans headed towards the exit, smashed high into the net with Shane O’Donnell providing the assist.

Scorers for Cavan: C. Madden (0-4, 2f); B. O’Connell (1-0); D. McVeety (0-3, 2m); C. O’Reilly (0-2); G. Smith, K. Clarke, L. Brady and J. Smith (0-1 apiece).

Scorers for Donegal: M. Murphy (0-7, 2m, 2 '45, 1f); C. O’Donnell (1-4);, C. McColgan (1-1); F. Roarty (1-0); S. O’Donnell, O. Gallen and C. Thompson (2f) (0-3 apiece); P. Mogan, C. Moore, R. McHugh, J. Brennan and P. McBrearty(1f) (0-1 apiece)

DONEGAL: G. Mulreany; F. Roarty, B. McCole, P. Mogan; R. McHugh, E. B. Gallagher, C. McColgan; H. McFadden, M. Langan; C. Moore, C. Thompson, S. O’Donnell; P. McBrearty, M. Murphy, C. O’Donnell. 

Subs: O. Gallen for P. McBrearty (half-time), D. Ó Baoill for M. Murphy (54'), A. Doherty for E. B. Gallagher (64'), S. McMenamin for F. Roarty (57'), J. Brennan for P. Mogan (63').

CAVAN: L. Brady; N. Carolan, B. O’Connell, C. Reilly; P. Faulkner, C. Brady, K. Brady; E. Crowe, O. Kiernan; G. Smith, D. McVeety, C. Madden; S. McEvoy, R. Donohoe, C. O’Reilly. 

Subs: P. Lynch and J. Smith for R. Donohoe and S. McEvoy (half-time), O. Brady for C. O’Reilly (50'), K. Clarke for C. Madden (53'), L. Fortune for K. Brady (57').

Referee: Fergal Kelly