Cavan take points to achieve their goal

Ulster SFC replay/ Cavan 1-15 Antrim 2-3: Cavan easily put Antrim out of the Ulster championship in the replayed quarter-final at Casement Park on Saturday. Their nine-point victory was no more than the visitors deserved.

Antrim never led in the game but a 23rd-minute goal levelled the scores after Cavan made the early running. Centre forward Paul Doherty got on the end of a pinpoint centre from Ciarán Close. Doherty then shot the ball low to the net.

That score should have lifted the home team but they failed to score again before the break at which stage Cavan led by 0-8 to 1-1. Cavan dominated but squandered chances - 10 before the break - prevented them from putting the issue beyond doubt.

Busiest man on the field was the Antrim goalkeeper Patrick Murray who brought off an excellent diving save from a Peter Reilly shot in the 21st minute. The St Gall's player turned the ball round the post for a 45 that produced nothing for Cavan.

Just 40 seconds after the restart Antrim grabbed their second goal. An excellent move from the throw-in ended with Brendan Herron rattling the crossbar, from a Kevin Madden centre, before Doherty came in to fist the rebounded ball home.

That closed the gap to a single point, 0-8 to 2-1, and Antrim's hopes soared but within minutes fell flat again. Finbar O'Reilly pointed for Cavan and Larry Reilly floated over three more scores and the home defence was caught flat-footed.

Now coasting at 0-12 to 2-1 after 45 minutes it looked as if only a miracle would help Antrim's cause. Switches and substitutions were made but the miracle didn't materialise and when Cavan broke through for their goal on 61 minutes the game was effectively over as a contest.

Sub Kevin McGourty was yellow-carded for a foul in midfield. Dermot McCabe dropped the resulting free-kick in front of the Antrim posts 20 metres out and the ball was cleverly fielded behind the defence by Jason O'Reilly, who easily beat Murray to send Cavan into a 1-14 to 2-3 lead.

Cavan managed only one more point as Antrim tossed over three but there was never a hint that a home revival was on the cards in the closing minutes. The visitors coasted to victory that sends them into a semi-final battle with Tyrone.

"It was good to win but except we improve 50 to 60 per cent we could not match Tyrone," said coach Martin McElkennon. "I don't think that Tyrone will be too worried about Cavan at this moment."

CAVAN: J Reilly; M Hannon, D Rabbitt, K Fannin; P Brady, Peter Reilly, M Cahill; D McCabe (0-1, free), P McKenna (0-1); M McKeever, N Walsh, F O'Reilly (0-4, three frees); J 0'Reilly (1-4), Pauric Reilly, L Reilly (0-4). Subs: J Tierney for McKeever (39 mins), P Cahill for Fannin (64 mins), C Galligan (0-1) for M Cahill (68 mins).

ANTRIM: P Murray; K Murray, A McLean, S Devlin; T Scullion, G Adams, S Kelly (0-1); J Quinn, P Logan; C Close, P Doherty (2-0), T O'Neill; K Brady (0-1), M McCann, K Madden. Subs: B Herron for McCann (32), K McGourty (0-1) for O'Neill (half-time), T Convery for K Murray (47 mins), C McGourty for Madden (55 mins), M McCrory for Logan (65 mins).

Referee: P McEnaney (Monaghan).