Sport

Cavan overturn favourites to end 37-year wait

Cavan 0-12 Armagh 1-6: CAVAN ENDED a 37-year Ulster minor football championship famine when they completely overturned favourites…

Mon Jul 18 2011 - 01:00

Cavan 0-12 Armagh 1-6:CAVAN ENDED a 37-year Ulster minor football championship famine when they completely overturned favourites Armagh with a scintillating final quarter in Clones yesterday.

Played in difficult conditions with wind and rain throughout, this was a game that produced football that ranged from the sublime to the mundane, with a number of fine individual performances and none more so than Cavan centre back Conor Moynagh.

Cavan got off to a great start and had five points on the board before Armagh registered a score in the 15th minute with a point from a free by Paul McGeown.

From there to the halfway stage Armagh were in the ascendancy, with a goal by McGeown in the 27th minute putting them firmly in the driving seat at half-time as they eased into a 1-6 to 0-5 lead.

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Cavan started the second half with purpose but it was the 14th minute when Cavan’s Michael Argue had the first point to reduce the deficit to three after a scrappy period of play. Substitute Nevin O’Donnell had a marked effect on Cavan’s final-quarter performance and after Dara McVeety had reduced the deficit to one O’Donnell converted a free for a late challenge on man-of-the-match Moynagh to leave just one point between the sides.

With four minutes of normal time remaining Cavan captain Paul Graham fired over the equaliser to set the game up for a nerve-tingling finish.

And it did not disappoint as with one minute of normal time remaining Andrew Graham restored Cavan to the lead and they went on to add points by substitute O’Donnell and Conor Finnegan to record a memorable victory.

Armagh’s frustration was further compounded when they had Ethan Rafferty dismissed on a second yellow card in the final minute.

CAVAN: B O’Mara; B Sankey, K Clarke, C Smith; C Brady, C Moynagh, G Smith (0-1); M Argue (0-1), P Graham (0-1); A Dewart, J Dillon (0-1), K Boucher; A Graham (0-3), C Finnegan (0-2), D McVeety (0-1). Subs: N O’Donnell (0-2, 0-1 free) for Boucher, L Buchanan for Dewart, V Coyle for Dillon.

ARMAGH: D O’Hagan; S Hughes, M Murphy, C Hoey; P Burns, B McCarron, C White (0-1); A Findon, E Rafferty (0-1); C Gough (0-1), C O’Hanlon, M McKenna; C McNally (0-1), P McGeown (1-2, 0-1 free), C Cumiskey. Subs: R McShane for Gough, P Óg Grant for McNally, C Trainor for E Rafferty.

Referee: C O’Hagan (Tyrone).