Ulster SFC First round/Down 1-13 Cavan 1-13: "The one thing that this game proves to me is that I have a good heart," was the instant reaction of Down manager Paddy O'Rourke moments after his wing back John Clarke kicked the equalising point in a disputed fourth minute of injury time.
The decision by Derry referee JJ Cleary to extend the second half by those four minutes for stoppages was hotly disputed by Cavan supporters and neutrals alike.
A charged crowd of 19,417 had just experienced the quintessential roller-coaster game and demand for tickets for the replay at Breffni Park on Sunday week are expected to surpass previous records for an Ulster quarter- final.
An energetic encounter produced drama, excitement and fast-flowing football of a kind that had the crowd on their feet. There was even tension before the throw-in, which had to be delayed by 15 minutes because of traffic congestion.
Fourteen-man Down, their 25-year-old corner back Michael Higgins having been sent off nearing half-time, seemed to be heading for victory when they opened up a four-point gap in the third quarter.
At that juncture 22-year-old student Daniel Hughes was a strong candidate for man of the match. He booted three superb points, two of them inside 30 seconds, from varying angles to push his side into a 1-11 to 0-10 lead.
Then the whole tenor of this absorbing battle changed with a Jason O'Reilly goal that left but a single point between the teams.
Moments later, last year's minor Michael Lyng put his side on level terms with an excellent point and later still produced a lead point by punching over.
It was nail-biting stuff from that point onwards. Lyng blew hot and cold - the young Cavan Gaels player kicked three points from frees and missed as many more - but he finished up with a six-point tally that was crucial in the end.
Cavan manager Eamonn Coleman was disappointed not to have secured victory after taking the late lead. "It really boils down to the single fact that we were too inexperienced to play against a 14-man team," he said.
Coleman's comment was valid, for his team, with Eamonn Reilly moving from corner back to midfield, simply fell down on the matter of using the extra man. Whereas in the first half Pierce McKenna and Cathal Collins supplied early ball to dangerous front runners in Gerald Pearson and Seánie Johnston, the Cavan team as a whole forgot about the importance of the quick delivery to attack when playing with the extra man.
They began to over-elaborate, allowing the Down defence plenty of time to deal with anything thrown at them. Wing forward Ronan Sexton moved back into defence while Cavan never really exploited Eamonn Reilly's role as a third midfielder.
An already thrilling encounter became even more dramatic after Lyng fisted over the lead point on the half-hour in the second half. It was left to another Down hero, Liam Doyle, to lob in a huge free with only a few minutes left for Aidan O'Prey to fist over the equaliser to leave the scores level again at 1-12 each.
When Cavan were awarded a free just outside the Down 45 Lyng wisely opted to place Pearson with a quick pass and the corner forward landed what seemed like the winning point, making it 1-13 to 1-12.
Following a terrific Down move of great resolve, it was left to Clarke to hit the equaliser four minutes into time added on.
The first half had produced flickers of the lightning that was to come and although Down opened the scoring with a pointed free from Doyle, Cavan were determined to stay with the pace while assisted by a very strong wind.
In fact after Johnston and others were off target, Jason O'Reilly gave Cavan the lead and Lyng stretched that to a two-point advantage. Down hit back and had their big moment in the 24th minute when Shane Ward placed dovetailing Brendan Coulter for a great goal that helped Down to hold the advantage at half time, 1-7 to 0-8.
O'Rourke said: "It was very tiring for our fellas playing a man short but what I am really disappointed about is that we did not win the game because we gave a goal away in the second half because of a defensive error."
He singled out Hughes, who takes university exams today, as his man of the match.
DOWN: M McVeigh; M Higgins, A Molloy, A Scullion; J Clarke (0-1), M Cole, S Farrell; B Coulter (1-2), G McCartan; L Doyle (0-4, three frees, one 45), S Ward, R Sexton (0-1); E McCartan (0-1), D Gordon, D Hughes (0-3). Subs: J Lavery for Farrell (59 mins); C McCrickard for G McCartan (61 mins); A O'Prey (0-1) for E McCartan (72 mins).
CAVAN: E Elliott; E Reilly, D Rabbitte, P Brady; A Forde, T Crowe, A Gaynor; P McKenna, C Collins; L Reilly (0-1, free), M Lyng (0-6, 3 frees), M McKeever; G Pearson (0-3), J O'Reilly (1-2), S Johnston (0-1). Subs: K Crotty for Collins (50 mins); P Reilly for Johnston (63 mins).
Referee: JJ Cleary (Derry)
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