Derry minors pay price for poor second half against Cavan in Ulster Championship

Cavan 1-12, Derry 1-7

It proved a long and fruitless journey for Derry minors as Cavan finished stronger on a wet and miserable Saturday morning in Kingspan Breffni Park.

While Cavan made the return journey twice last year, one must question why these Ulster Minor Championship first round games had to be at noon?

For Derry it was an 80-mile plus journey, taking over two hours by bus. Add in a stop for breakfast, being at the venue at least an hour before throw in for warm up and team talks etc, and this is hardly idea preparation for the biggest match of many of these young players’ careers. It would hardly shake the world order to move the game back even an hour.

The softening blow to the defeat against a very good Cavan team is that Derry are still in the championship, albeit they must now go through the qualifiers.

The Oak Leaf manager, Kieran Glackin, got it right when in a pre match interview he predicted a difficult day for his charges. To score just one point in the second half, and none in the last 23 minutes, must be a worry for the Derry management.

Of their 1-07 total, the forwards contributed just three points from play and one was a two pointer. Midfielder Daithi McCloskey scored 1-01 and defender Daire Hull converted a ’45.

Impressive Cavan full forward Nathan Quigley got the opening score and he continued to torture the Derry defence from there on. In the sixth minute Tony O’Hagan put Derry in front with a two pointer and it was a brisk start from both teams in the difficult conditions as Damian Brady put Cavan ahead but Kian Maynes quickly made it an even game at 0-3 each.

Things were looking up for Glackin’s boys when big midfielder McCloskey bulged the Cavan net in the 12th minute for a 1-3 to 0-3 lead.

Cavan goalie Cian McConnell came out to convert a ’45 but at the mid point of the half Kian Maynes sent over a Derry free for a 1-4 to 0-4 lead.

After half forward Mark Reilly responded with the Cavan major, a Hull ’45 nosed Derry back in front and it got even better when full forward Cathal Scullion tapped over a free to put Derry 1-6 to 1-4 in the lead before home half back Michael Smith got the last score of a scrappy opening half which ended Cavan 1-5, Derry 1-6.

Seven minutes into the second half, when McCloskey put Derry two in front, very few would have believed that Derry were not to score from there on despite making a raft of substitutions.

Indeed, as the half went on the Cavan dominance grew. Derry defended bravely as the overlapping Cavan defenders piled pressure on their defence but it wasn’t until the 43rd minute that the home side got their first score of the half from a Nathan Smith free.

With ten minutes remaining the home keeper McConnell sent over his second ’45 of the game and a minute later Quigley made the score 1-8 to 1-7 and Cavan were on the way to victory.

With the Derry attack unable to get into scoring positions, the die was cast when midfielder Fiachra Graham landed a two pointer to open up a three point lead. Michael Smith and the aptly named Sam Maguire completed the victory.

The positive was this result wasn’t terminal but it's another early start for the minors next week when they make the trip to Enniskillen to take on a Fermanagh team who lost to Tyrone. It is a game they young Oak Leafers are very capable of winning and would return them to the ‘A’ championship.

Cavan scorers: Nathan Quigley (0-4,2f), Mark Reilly (1-0), Fiachra Graham (2pt), Cian McConnell (0-2,45’s), Michael Smith (0-2), Damian Brady and Sam Maguire (0-1) each.

Derry scorers: Daithi McCloskey(1-1), Cian Maynes (0-2,1f), Tony O’Hagan (2pt), Daire Hull 0-1’45), Cathal Scullion (0-1f)

Cavan: Cian McConnell, Damian Brady, Lee Glennon, Andrew Smart, Michael Smith, Harry McMullan, Shea Brady, Sam Maguire, Fiachra Graham, Mark Reilly, Jake Brady, Cathal Smith, Donagh Lynch, Nathan Quigley, Dylan Brouder. Subs John Donohue for C Smith, Senan Smith for D Lynch, Darren Hughes for M Reilly.

Derry: Michael Conlon, Emmett Og McKeever, Joe Cassidy, Tobias Beattie, Daire Hull, Fionn Cartin, Blaine Conwell, Daithi McCloskey, Michael Higgins, Sean O’Kane Cody Rocks, Don Mulholland, Tony O’Hagan, Cathal Scullion, Kian Maynes. Subs Callum Leacock for T O’Hagan, Matthew Diamond for D Hull, Emmeett Spiers for M Higgins, Pascal Kelly for T Beattie.

Referee: Shane Murphy