Cavan's play-off aspirations lay in tatters last night after defending league champions Derry completely over-ran them with a second-half performance out of the top drawer.
Full forward Enda Muldoon was the architect of the Derry victory setting up the home side's three goals which Dermot Heaney, Patrick Bradley and Dermot Dougan converted.
Indeed, Derry's Jeckyll and Hyde performance was acknowledged by manager Eamonn Coleman afterwards.
"Cavan dominated in the first half and we needed to up our performance. We certainly did that in the second period and it was a great team effort to get a win."
Opposition manager Val Andrews was disappointed that his side let slip a five-point half-time advantage. "I felt we played reasonably well in the first half, but we didn't compete in the second. Derry upped it a gear and played some great football.
"This was a learning experience and showed us the benchmark required for success. We did struggle to contain them, but their more direct approach in the second half asked a lot of questions of us and we hadn't got the answers."
Derry opened the game well, but Cavan went in front when Jason Reilly found space behind the Derry defence to thump the ball to the net past Eoin McCloskey.
Points from Reilly, Dermot McCabe, Mickey Graham and Finbar O'Reilly put Cavan in complete control as they led 1-4 to no score after just 15 minutes.
However Derry began to find their stride and despite still conceding scores they began to find their range up front with Dougan, Bradley, Muldoon and Paul Flynn on the mark.
Cavan, however, responded with McCabe and O'Reilly on the mark as they led 1-8 to 0-6 at the interval. Within four minutes of the re-start, Derry had turned their five-point deficit into a three-point advantage.
Anthony Tohill pointed after just 10 seconds, before Fergal Crossan and Muldoon combined to send Dermot Heaney clear to crash home Derry's first goal.
Seconds later Ronan Rocks pointed, before in the fourth minute a long Paul McFlynn free was palmed by Muldoon into the path of Bradley who drilled a low shot to the net.
Cavan refused to lie down and they fought back with points from O'Reilly frees before McCabe touched home a Mickey Graham pass in the 47th minute to bring the sides level.
From this point, however, Derry dominated and when Dougan thumped home their third goal with eight minutes remaining, Cavan were beaten.
DERRY: E McCloskey; K McKeever, K McCloy, SM Lockhart; F Crossan (0-1), G Coleman, P McFlynn (0-1); A Tohill (0-4), D Heaney (1-0); P Murphy (0-1), D Dougan (1-1), R Rocks (0-2); P Bradley (1-2), E Muldoon (0-4), J McBride. Subs: Jonathan Niblock for McBride (63 mins); Gavin Diamond for Bradley (67).
CAVAN: A Donohow; G Sheridan, E Jackson, T Prior; A Forde, J Doonan, P Reilly; C Clarke, B McCrudden (0-1); P Galligan, D McCabe (1-3), F O'Reilly (0-4); M Graham (0-1), J Reilly (1-2), L Reilly. Subs: J Tierney for L Reilly (54 mins); M Brides for Galligan (60).
Referee: B Gorman (Armagh).
