ULSTER SFC QUARTER FINAL: Armagh 0-17 Cavan 0-13:ARMAGH ROLLED into Kingspan Breffni Park yesterday under the cloud of a couple of unlikely statistics. They'd never beaten Cavan at the venue and had to go back to the Ulster final of two years ago to locate their last win in summer football.
At the end of a satisfactory afternoon for his team, manager Peter McDonnell, making his championship debut in the post-Joe Kernan era, was able to reflect on a win that purged the above statistics and a performance that was efficient while also suggesting there were a couple of gears left in the team for the upcoming Ulster semi-final against Down.
Cavan had the advantage of a championship match already played but weren't able to exert serious pressure on the visitors for all that their work-rate and determination kept the match within sight for the first half-hour and - for the optimistic amongst their supporters - during a few minutes at the end of the third quarter.
There was an unruffled demeanour in the winners' camp afterwards despite the four-point margin but the final score flattered Cavan a little even if it rewarded their endeavour.
Two aspects of the second half make the point.
Firstly, Armagh had three choice goal chances: Stephen Kernan steered the ball past James Reilly in the Cavan goal only for the bobbling trajectory to be cut off by a goalpost and later in the match the reliable Cavan goalkeeper distinguished himself with two one-on-one blocks from Ronan Clarke and Steven McDonnell.
Secondly, seven of Cavan's eight second-half points came at stages when the match was distinctly beyond them - more than a goal in the margin - so apart from a brief, Seán Johnston-inspired sequence that cut the deficit to two there was never a sense that Armagh were being hunted down.
Cavan manager Donal Keoghan lamented afterwards his team had been negligent in not using the early-ball option offered by the veteran Dermot McCabe, who scored a good point early in the second half, snaffling a crossed ball from Seán Brady and taking his score.
But Francie Bellew competed well on the one contested high ball that made its way between them in front of goal.
The opening 20 minutes was competitive, as Armagh found their stride and were slow to make position and possession count. Cavan were diligent and quick at the back, moving well on to Reilly's kick-outs and running the ball out of defence.
Nonetheless they too were having difficulties finding a sharp edge. Johnston, the biggest menace in their forward lines, wasn't getting either a great supply or much change out of either Finian Moriarty or, mostly, Andy Mallon, who marked him at corner forward.
It was only when he moved to the outside line after half-time the chances and scores began to flow.
Cavan weren't in any position to mount a sustained period of pressure because they were struggling at centrefield where Armagh captain Paul McGrane was un-passable and had good support from Kieran Toner.
The home side hadn't great fortune here. When they tried the match-altering switch from the Antrim match of bringing on Lorcan Mulvey for Michael McDonald, the replacement aggravated a sensitive hamstring and had to leave the field, as the original substitution was reversed.
In a running battle of counter-attacking plays it began to become apparent Cavan would lose once Armagh adjusted their sights. The winners moved the ball cleverly and quickly out the field. Aidan O'Rourke celebrated his championship return by winning hard ball and sending it on its way, with wing backs Ciarán McKeever and Aaron Kernan running the counters.
The established firm of Clarke and McDonnell took a while to click but their practised understanding was well in evidence and promises bad things for Armagh's opponents in the campaign to come.
Kernan's goal chance would have buried the match at 1-11 to 0-6; instead Johnston, now on the wing, engineered three points in as many minutes to reduce the margin to two but Armagh simply re-established control and rattled off three points of their own, from Stephen Kernan - an impressive orchestrator on the 40 - Clarke and energetic debutant Charlie Vernon.
Johnson and McCabe continued to provide resistance but the effect was just to prevent the match disappearing into the distance rather than to excite genuine prospects of a turnaround.
On this evidence Armagh, under new management, are fluid and maybe more open and the Ulster semi-final with neighbouring rivals Down, survivors of the epic extra-time tussle with deposed champions Tyrone, is one which will create considerable interest.
ARMAGH: 1 P Hearty; 2 A Mallon, 3 F Bellew, 4 F Moriarty; 10 A Kernan (0-2, one free), 6 A O'Rourke, 7 C McKeever; 8 P McGrane (0-1), 9 K Toner (0-1); 5 C Vernon (0-1), 11 S Kernan (0-3), 12 M O'Rourke; 15 P McKeever (0-1), 14 R Clarke (0-2), 13 S McDonnell (0-6, one free and one 45). Subs: 28 T Kernan for S Kernan (67 mins); 18 B Mallon for M O'Rourke (70 mins).
CAVAN: 1 J Reilly; 2 M Hannon, 3 P O'Reilly, 7 M Cahill; 6 A Forde, 3 R Dunne, 5 B Watters; 8 M McDonald, 11 M McKeever (0-1); 10 M Reilly (0-1), 14 R Flanagan, 12 C Mackey (0-2); 13 S Johnston (0-6, three frees), 9 D McCabe (0-3, one free), 15 J O'Reilly. Subs: 18 L Mulvey for McDonald (23 mins); 22 S Brady for J O'Reilly (half-time); 27 E O'Reilly for M Reilly (43 mins); 8 M McDonald for Mulvey (46 mins); 24 D Sheridan for Dunne (56 mins).
Referee: D Coldrick(Meath)
Attendance: 22,657.
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