Cavan work-ethic and cunning bring reward

Cavan ... 3-10 Kildare ... 2-10|The old Cavan cliché, or so we are led to believe, comes down to a common denominator that involves some sort of miserly deed. It's wrong, and should be changed. Instead, it should be about cunning and hard graft. It should be about a stubborn mentality, an unwillingness to admit defeat. It should be about an ability to warm the coldest of hearts on a raw old February day.

Even on such a raw day as yesterday's at Newbridge, the never-say-die attitude of Cavan - playing against a Kildare side who seven days previously had reached the dizzy heights of winning the O'Byrne Cup - was the stuff of inspiration.

Time and time again it looked as if Kildare were about to move up a gear and speed away. Each time Cavan found some new source of energy. Not only did they stay with them, eventually they passed them and garnered two league points. And no one could begrudge them their win.

This was a rollicking league match with its fair share of bite. Referee Mick Collins was forced to flash the yellow card on no fewer than eight occasions and, yet, for the most part, there were periods of surprisingly good football, especially given the sticky pitch and the bitterly cold wind - accompanied at times by sleet - that blew from the town end.

It was not a day to be standing idly by, and the fierce tempo was set from the start. Within 15 seconds of the throw-in, Kildare's full-forward Derek McCormack was kicking the opening point of the game. For the next 15 minutes, however, it was Cavan - with Dermot McCabe getting through an enormous amount of work around the middle of the field and Jason Reilly and James Clarke proving to be chief tormentors in the visiting attack - who dominated.

Indeed, Cavan's superiority was such that they had moved into a five-point lead - 0-7 to 0-2 - after 16 minutes.

It could have been even worse for Kildare. After initially hitting the upright with a goalbound attempt, McCabe reacted quickly to reclaim the ball in front of the Kildare goal only for goalkeeper Enda Murphy to deprive him with a good save.

However, three points in 90 seconds - two from Pauric Brennan, another from John Doyle - brought Kildare back into the game. And when Tadgh Fennin scored his first goal in the 29th minute, giving them the lead for the first time since the opening minute, the home supporters in the 7,000 crowd finally found their voice.

At half-time, Kildare led 1-7 to 0-8 and, with the wind at their backs for the second half, life could hardly have been better.

Such illusions were shattered in the 44th minute, however. A move that belonged to firmer sod and sunnier conditions brought about Cavan's first goal of three in the second half, and put down a firm marker that they were unwilling to lie down.

Mickey Graham, James Clarke and Gerald Pierson were all involved in the move that left the Kildare defenders chasing shadows before the final pass found Jason Reilly and he blasted to the net, curling the ball past Murphy.

That goal was to kick-start the match into one of amazing twists and turns. Within three minutes, Kildare had regained the lead with Fennin's second goal of the game. It was not one of beauty, but it proved that a poacher's instincts are vital as he reacted quickest when Doyle's shot rebounded off the post. When Doyle added another point from a 45, giving them a three-point advantage, it appeared again as if Kildare were ready to break free.

Not so. Cavan, showing tenacity, and using the ball cleverly in finding spaces in attack where Jason Reilly and Larry Reilly were first to the ball ahead of their markers, upped the ante with a well-taken Larry Reilly goal in the 52nd minute.

A couple of tit-for-tat points followed which kept the teams locked together until a rash challenge by Eamonn Callaghan on Graham in the square resulted in a penalty. Peter Reilly made the journey from his place at the heart of the Cavan defence and dispatched to the net with some aplomb.

A goal ahead, Cavan rolled up their shirt sleeves and defended solidly. However, they got the benefit of the doubt from referee Collins in the closing minutes when Pearse McKenna made contact with Dermot Earley just inside the large square. It was the sort of challenge that more often that not results in a penalty (especially for a home team) and the crowd bayed for blood. The referee, though, was deaf to their claims and waved play on. And that effectively was that.

Kildare didn't get a sniff of another goal chance and, although Doyle pointed a free, it was Cavan who finished in a flourish with a well-worked move involving Finbar O'Reilly and Paul Galligan resulting in Graham getting some further reward for a hard day's work with a well-taken point. It was no more than Cavan's work-ethic deserved.

CAVAN: J Reilly; C Collins, T Prior, C Hannon; A Forde (0-1), P Reilly (1-0, penalty), M McKeever; D McCabe (0-3, frees), P McKenna; L Reilly (1-1), J Clarke (0-2), P Brady; G Pierson, J Reilly (1-2), M Graham (0-1). Subs: A Curran for Hannon half-time, P Galligan for Brady 56 mins, F O'Reilly for Pierson 58 mins, K Fannin for Clarke 65 mins.

KILDARE: E Murphy; A McLoughlin, D Hendy, E Callaghan; P Mullarkey, G Ryan, A Rainbow; D Earley, K Brennan; E McCormack, J Doyle (0-6, three frees, one 45), P Murray; P Brenann (0-2, frees), D McCormack (0-2), T Fennin (2-0). Subs: B Lacey for McLoughlin 37 mins; P Hurley for E McCormack 48 mins, R Sweeney for Murray 59 mins, A McHugh for Brennan 66 mins.

Referee: M Collins (Cork).