This must have been the last thing Cavan wanted and even Val Andrews's brave-face reaction doesn't entirely hide the fact. But to be fair to Cavan, Derry are near enough the last draw anyone wants.

It's not that their form has been sparkling this season but they are as hard to beat as ever. And in a way, Cavan wouldn't be Derry's favourite opponents either.

This is the counties' fourth meeting in three years and a couple of those previous encounters have ended in humiliation for Cavan. They have plenty to motivate them going into this game. Resentment at being trimmed is a futile motivation unless a team has the wherewithal to do something about it and Cavan will be confident that they have improved a good bit on those recent matches. Andrews had consolidated their progress in the course of a satisfying league campaign. Widely seen as likely losers on the softer side of the Ulster draw, Cavan defied expectation by reaching the final.

Tyrone's good start seemed to impart a certain complacency to the favourites. Having sat back as if their work was done, Tyrone were hit hard by Cavan's best plays. Andrews has prepared an extremely fit, very fast, young team who combine well at speed. Until, crucially, they get too far forward. Criticism of the team's attack centres on the staggering tally of wides - averaging over 15 a match - but there it has also been remarked that there is a problem of individualism, lack of vision or appreciation of the better placed man and poor shot selection feeding into that inaccuracy.

Notwithstanding this failing the attack is pacy and dangerous and if the caution about the day they stop kicking wides looks a bit fantastic, the overall impact on Derry may still be unsettling. Still they'll have their work cut out because Eamonn Coleman's team has a good bit of class in defence with Seβn Lockhart, Paul McFlynn and Gary Coleman all on board.

Derry's problems are in attack and this has been visible throughout the campaign. Against Laois in the last round they stuttered and underlined their emphasis on Enda Muldoon, who was left in charge as Patrick Bradley had a quiet day. Cavan's defence may not be watertight but their opponents aren't exactly threatening a deluge.

Centrefield is traditionally an area where the current Derry team has looked to make an impact. This has been because of Anthony Tohill's influence but with Dermot McCabe in such fine form this year, Cavan won't be helplessly watching one-way traffic.

The belief that Derry should win is based on the assumption that their opponents will continue to miss a good proportion of the chances their clever interplay creates. Without lighting the skies, Derry have the ability to grind out sufficient scores at one end and close things out at the other end. No flamboyance, just results.