NFL Division 2: Offaly 3-15 Cavan 2-20
Lady luck certainly smiled kindly on Cavan as they won against the head in Tullamore on Sunday, relegating Offaly with three points in the last minute after staring down defeat.
Trailing 3-15 to 2-17 in the 69th minute, Ryan Donohoe put them back in front with a two-pointer, awarded despite furious protests from the Offaly support that it was wide. Substitute Emmanuel Shehu added another late point to seal the win, meaning a point in Derry next weekend will assure Cavan of Division 2 football next season.
The visitors got away with it here as both of their goals were down to Offaly – Oisin Brady’s seventh minute shot and Ryan Donohoe’s 53rd-minute effort floating in over the head of Offaly goalkeeper Conor Melia. Brady’s early green flag gave Cavan a 1-2 to 0-2 lead but was cancelled out three minutes later when Aaron Leavy netted for the hosts.
Playing with a strong first-half wind, Offaly led 1-9 to 1-3 after 21 minutes but fell to pieces as the interval approached, Cavan narrowing the gap to two points by half-time scoring four unanswered points.
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Dermot McCabe’s side were odds-on for the win at this stage but Offaly showed fight after the resumption. A 42nd-minute goal from Diarmuid Egan helped the Faithful to a 2-11 to 1-9 lead which came undone with Donohoe’s goal.
Offaly would again hit the front thanks to a goal from Jack McEvoy in the 66th minute, but the home win wasn’t to be as Donohoe’s two-pointer pushed his side ahead by the minimum for Shehu’s point to seal the deal.
OFFALY: C Melia; S O’Toole-Greene, D Dempsey, C Dunican; C Egan, D Egan (1-0-0), D McDaid; J McEvoy (1-0-0), A Leavy (1-0-0); R Egan, J Hayes (0-0-2), K O’Neill (0-0-2); D Hyland (0-2-3, 1tpf, 1‘45), C Murphy (0-0-1), D Flynn (0-1-1). Subs: S Tierney for Murphy, M Dalton for R Egan (both h-t), N Furlong for Dunican (45 mins), H Plunkett for Flynn (56).
CAVAN: L Brady; B O’Connell, C Brady, J McLoughlin; Ciaran Brady (0-0-2), D McVeety, T Madden (0-1-1); G Smith, R Donohoe (1-2-1); Conor Brady, O Brady (1-0-3), P Corrigan (0-0-1); Ryan Tobin, G McKiernan (0-0-1), P Lynch (0-1-1). Subs: E Shehu (0-0-1) for Corrigan (47 mins), E Clarke (0-0-1) for Tobin (48), C Shekleton for O Brady (54), Ciaran Brady (Corofin) for Smith (60).
Referee: Anthony Nolan (Wicklow).
