Kerry boss Pβid∅ ╙ SΘ travelled the 600-mile round trip to Clones on route from Roscommon to do a little spying on possible opponents in the quarter-finals of the All-Ireland senior football championship. It was, of course, to prove in vain as the Munster champions will face Dublin next.

Apparently, ╙ SΘ had seen enough of an impressive Derry side long before the finish and Cavan had been consigned to also-runs. The Kerry manager was highly impressed by what he saw and vacated his seat on the stand 15 minutes before the end.

His Derry counterpart Eamonn Coleman, who was confined to the stand while serving out his suspension, felt that ╙ SΘ could have left his seat after 20 minutes' play. "We had done enough by then," said Coleman and added: "The match was won and lost midway through the first half.

By that time, Derry captain Anthony Tohill had begun his almost single-handed destruction of an uncertain Cavan side that showed little knowledge of how to breach a well organised defence. Even after Seβn Marty Lockhart had to retire injured at half-time, the Derry defence, buttressed by corner back Gareth Doherty and Gary Coleman, the son of the team boss, proved quite a barricade for the less organised Cavan attack.

Tohill kick-started the Derry success in the early stages by either fielding well under the dropping ball or fisting it clear of Dermot McCabe's reach. The best was yet to come and Tohill was yet to put his great talents on display. The 15,055 spectators were treated to what could perhaps be one of the best goals of the championship.

And it came only 20 seconds into the second half. Pat Bradley laid on the chance, releasing Tohill on the right. The captain careered forward and just when he seemed to have lost possession close in, he fly-kicked to the net, stunning the Cavan goalkeeper Aaron Donohoe.

"He is the best player in the country," Coleman claimed afterwards. The Derry manager guided his team by signals from the stand directed towards a keen recipient in Damien Cassidy, his senior lieutenant on the sideline.

Cavan were plucky but totally inconsistent and Val Andrews, their manager, told them that they had given it their all. They lacked, however, a player of Tohill's influence, the classiest player on the field by a distance.

That early Derry show of authority yielded six points, all by different players, without a single reply from Cavan. Thus a six-point advantage was chalked up within 20 minutes and Cavan had hardly got into first gear by this stage.

Dermot McCabe got Cavan off the mark with a tremendous point off his left foot from fully 50 metres and a few minutes later Cassidy had a major cause to get his substitutes off the bench to warm up.

Cassidy's action followed a tremendous goal by Cavan's centre back Anthony Ford after 22 minutes. Ford came in on the end of a terrific Cavan movement that clearly suggested they were capable of better things subsequently. The Shannon Gaels man took the pass from centre forward Paul Galligan and arrowed a tremendous shot in to the roof of the net to the bewilderment of Derry goalkeeper Owen McCloskey.

That goal roused Cavan to a more determined performance and when they trailed by 0-8 to 1-2 at half-time, the game seemed within reach again for them. Considering that Derry, who were consistent with good passing movements from defence to midfield and into attack had only a three-point lead at the break contradicted the assessment by Derry manager Coleman. However, Coleman would have been more correct to say that the match was over 20 seconds into the second half when Tohill had that magnificent goal.

Yet Cavan, to their credit, never threw in the towel and the best indication of this came throughout the last 15 minutes when Derry were content to funnel back into defence and leave only one or possibly two forwards in the Cavan half of the pitch.

During that period, Cavan attackers such as Larry Reilly, Peter Reilly and Jason Reilly were quite effective in running the ball at the Derry defence. They may have realised that there was no way through, but at least they forced frees which Finbarr Reilly and Peter Reilly converted.

Out of all of this Cavan aggression towards the end, Peter Reilly almost succeeded in crashing home a goal, but his well-directed shot was smothered by Kieran McNally and the chance was lost, but only temporarily, as McNally's block went over the line for a 45. Finbarr Reilly took the resultant kick in the closing minutes and, when the ball was fummbled under the Derry crossbar, Peter Reilly finished home for a surprise goal.

But the score, well contrived though it was, was merely of academic interest at this late stage.