Power NI Dr. McKenna Cup Semi-Final

Cavan 0-16 Monaghan 1-9                            19/1/14

Monaghan exited the Dr. McKenna Cup with a four-point defeat in an entertaining local derby semi-final against Cavan in Enniskillen on Sunday. Monaghan took an early lead, helped by a Dermot Malone goal, but a stronger Cavan team were on top throughout at midfield and that provided a platform from which eight of their players got on the scoresheet to guide them through. Monaghan tired in the closing stages, but they can still be quite happy with a McKenna Cup campaign which saw them use 28 players, including eight debutants, in the absence of some established stars. Eugene Keating, Turloc Mooney, James McEnroe, Rory Dunne and Philip Tinnelly were to the fore for Cavan, while Malone, Pádraic Keenan and Conor Boyle provided bright sparks for Monaghan.

Monaghan started brightly, taking the lead through a 50-metre free by goalkeeper Rory Beggan after Philip Tinnelly had over-carried, before a Conor Boyle effort fell kindly for Dermot Malone to find the net. Eugene Keating got Cavan off the mark in the eighth minute and David Givney then linked up with Niall McDermott to land a good point. Malone created a goal chance for the marauding Fintan Kelly in the 12^th minute, only for Conor Gilsenan to turn his shot around the post for a ’45 which Beggan converted. Turloc Mooney made an impressive catch from the following kick-out and burst forward to swing over a left-footed point, but a well-worked Monaghan counter-attack involving Vincent Corey and Kieran Duffy created a point for fellow defender Conor Boyle.

Cian Mackey set up Philip Tinnelly to reply for Cavan, who cut the gap to the minimum when Mooney sent over another fine score, following a pass by McDermott. A long ball from Michael Lyng on top of Kevin Tierney led to Keating equalising, before Tinnelly made it four in a row and edged Cavan ahead for the first time. A foul on Christopher McGuinness allowed Jack McCarron to convert a close-range free and end 15 scoreless minutes for Monaghan, but McDermott won and scored a 30-metre free at the other end and Keating added a well-taken score. McGuinness got one back for Monaghan, but they still trailed by 0-9 to 1-5 at half-time.

Keating started the second half the way he had finished the first, landing a nice point from play, but McGuinness converted a 25-metre free for a foul on Malone, who then got on the end of a sublime Paul Finlay pass to clip over a good levelling point. McGuinness and McCarron both had efforts at goal blocked by Cavan defenders, while Lyng regained the advantage for the Breffni men and Tierney added a well-taken score. A 40-metre free by McCarron kept Monaghan in touch, but they then lost Dessie Mone to a black card after an off-the-ball incident.

An excellent catch by Givney led to a good point by McDermott, but Monaghan hit back with an outside-of-the-boot finish by Carey, who had been well-placed by Malone. That proved to be the Farney men’s last score, however, and Cavan clinched a final place with a pair of well-finished points by Man-of-the-Match Keating and a free by sub Martin Dunne, following a trip on Givney which saw Colin Walshe receive a black card. Cavan play Tyrone at the same venue next Saturday, while Monaghan look ahead to Saturday week’s NFL opener against Down.

Cavan: C Gilsenan; R Dunne, J McEnroe, J Hayes; A Clarke (Capt.), M Reilly, K Brady; T Mooney (0-2), D Givney (0-1); C Mackey, M Lyng (0-1), P Tinnelly (0-2); N McDermott (0-2, 1f), E Keating (0-6), K Tierney (0-1).

Subs: N Smith for Tinnelly (48 mins), M Dunne (0-1f) for McDermott (60), N Murray for Tierney (64), D McKiernan for Mooney (66), R Maloney-Derham for Reilly (71).

Monaghan: R Beggan (0-2, 1f, 1 ’45); F Kelly, K Duffy, C Boyle (0-1); D Mone, V Corey (Capt.), C Galligan; G Doogan, P Finlay; P Keenan, S Gollogly, P Donaghy; D Malone (1-1), J McCarron (0-2f), C McGuinness (0-2, 1f).

Subs: D Clerkin for Doogan (H-T), T Kerr for Donaghy (inj., 42), C Walshe for Galligan, R Wylie for Duffy (both 50), K O’Connell for Mone (black card), S Carey (0-1) for Gollogly (both 56), M McElroy for Walshe (black card, 65).

Referee: C Branagan (Down).