Bank of Ireland Dr. McKenna Cup Section A

Cavan 1-13 Monaghan 0-13                            18/1/15

Monaghan exited the Dr. McKenna Cup with a three-point defeat away to Cavan on Sunday. A Monaghan team showing 11 changes including a debut for Dessie Ward, trailed by seven points after playing second-fiddle throughout the first half and despite starting the second period brightly, they were eight points adrift when Cavan full-forward Martin Dunne scored the only goal on 46 minutes. Monaghan finished strongly and that major ended up the only difference between the teams, which proved enough to see Cavan through to the semi-finals. Both teams finished with 13 men, as Monaghan’s Paul Finlay and Drew Wylie and Cavan’s Niall McDermott and Gearóid McKiernan were all dismissed in the last 20 minutes. Next up for Monaghan is the Allianz National Football League Division One opener against Tyrone in Omagh on Saturday week, January 31.

A loose pass in the Monaghan defence allowed Gearóid McKiernan to open his and Cavan’s account in the second minute and points followed from the hosts’ wing-forwards Dara McVeety and Mark McKeever, before Niall McDermott converted a 25-metre free. One of many high catches by McKiernan started a move which ended with Killian Clarke kicking a point and the big midfielder soon added his own second point, before Monaghan finally got off the mark with a 12^th-minute 25-metre free by Stephen Gollogly, after a foul on Dick Clerkin, who added a point from play at the end of a counter-attack started by captain for the day, Fintan Kelly. A fine outside-of-the-boot effort by McVeety resumed Cavan’s early superiority and Martin Dunne pointed a 30-metre free, before Jack Brady added his name to the scoresheet, following good work by Joshua Hayes and McDermott. Gollogly replied with a well-struck 40-metre free, following a foul on Owen Duffy, and Monaghan threatened when Dermot Malone jinked away from a couple of tackles, only to see his attempted pass to Clerkin intercepted, while a long-range Gollogly free was cleared on 25 minutes. McVeety and McKeever combined to set up Chris Conroy for a well-taken point and McDermott added a fine score at the end of a swift counter-attack, before turning provider for McKiernan to open up a nine-point gap. Paul Finlay responded, having been released by a short free from Gollogly, whose 30-metre free (for a foul on Finlay) left Monaghan trailing by seven at half-time: 0-12 to 0-5.

Monaghan started the second half with a brace of pointed frees from Finlay, after fouls on Dessie Mone and Clerkin, but when a Monaghan kick-out went wrong, Martin Dunne was able to lob Enda Duffy for the game’s only goal. Cavan then had McDermott sent off when he received a black card, on top of his earlier yellow, before Shane Carey and Finlay (free) kept Monaghan in with a chance of a comeback. Substitute Paul Meegan added his first point, before a flare-up saw Drew Wylie, Finlay and McKiernan all dismissed, making it 13-a-side. Brady sent over a close-range free for a foul on Martin Reilly when the dust settled, before Meegan landed a fine point. Damien O’Reilly was black-carded for a trip on Gollogly, who went on to win and score a 30-metre free before setting up Meegan for his third point. Monaghan pushed for an equalising goal late on, but sub Ryan McAnespie was denied by Cavan keeper Conor Gilsenan and Meegan had a last-gasp attempt blocked by Rory Dunne.

Cavan: C Gilsenan; J Hayes, R Dunne, J McLoughlin; K Clarke (0-1), R Flanagan, M Reilly; G McKiernan (0-3), D O’Reilly; D McVeety (0-2), C Conroy (0-1), M McKeever (0-1); N McDermott (0-2, 1f), M Dunne (1-1, 0-1f), J Brady (0-2, 1f).
Subs: E Reilly for M Dunne (56 mins), E Hessin for Conroy (65), D Wright for O’Reilly (black card, 67), N Murray for McVeety (69), M Lyng for J Brady (72).

Monaghan: E Duffy; D Ward, D Wylie, John McCarron; D Mone, K Duffy, F Kelly (Capt.), P Finlay (0-4, 3f), N McAdam; O Duffy, S Gollogly (0-4f), S Carey (0-1); C McKenna, D Clerkin (0-1), D Malone.
Subs: P Meegan (0-3) for McKenna, T Connolly for McAdam (both H-T), R McAnespie for Ward (51), D McKenna for Malone (54), K O’Connell for O Duffy (67).

Referee: S Hurson (Tyrone).