Monaghan 1-17 Cavan 2-15 (AET)
A more resilient Cavan scored something of a shock, but overall deserved, victory over Monaghan by the minimum margin after extra-time in this low-key and at times untidy affair that was played in difficult conditions in Clones on Saturday.
A point by Cavan goalkeeper Raymond Galligan from a free deep into stoppage time at the end of the second period of extra-time was the score that left Monaghan facing a bleak winter while Cavan move on to the quarter-final of the competition with renewed momentum.
Cavan got off to much the better start and led by 1-2 to 0-1 after eight minutes, the goal by Oisín Pierson at the end of a good build up. By half time though, Monaghan had worked their way into a dominant position, levelling the game after 15 minutes and then going on to lead at the break by 1-11 to 1-4. They, in truth, should have been further ahead at that stage as they carved out three clear-cut goal chances but failed to convert any of them thanks mainly to Cavan goalkeeper Raymond Galligan.
Playing with the advantage of the strong wind in the second half Cavan began to make inroads into Monaghan’s advantage and, by the second half water break, they had reduced the deficit to six points. They then went on to score six unanswered points from the restart until the end of normal time, the levelling score coming in the fifth minute of stoppage time from wingback Gerard Smith, to send the game into extra time.
Chances were at a premium in the opening 10 minutes of extra time but Monaghan finished with points from substitutes Colin Walshe and Andrew Woods to lead by two at the break. However, they had been reduced to 14 players with a red card for substitute Christopher McGuinness.
In the second period of stoppage time a goal by Martin Reilly in the fourth minute put Cavan in front for the first time and, while Monaghan equalised through Shane Carey, Cavan regained the lead through substitute Chris Conroy and that was how it stood until the second minute of stoppage time when goalkeeper Rory Beggan restored Monaghan to the lead with a superb point into the wind from a free.
But the drama wasn’t over as Cavan goalkeeper Galligan kept his nerve, while using the advantage of the wind, to thump over a long-range point which sends Cavan through to a quarter-final meeting with Antrim in Kingspan Breffni next Saturday.
Monaghan: R Beggan (0-1, 0-1f); F Kelly (0-1), C Boyle, R Wylie, R McAnespie (0-1), D Wylie, K O'Connell; D Hughes, D Ward (0-1); K Duffy (0-2), C McCarthy (0-1), M Bannigan (0-2); S O'Hanlon (0-1), K Hughes, C McManus (1-4, 0-2f).
Subs: D Malone for D Wylie (26), S Carey (0-1m) for C McCarthy (61), N Kearns for S O'Hanlon (64), C McGuinness for K Hughes (70). Extra-time subs: C Walshe (0-1) for M Bannigan, A Woods (0-1) for F Kelly (9), C McCarthy for K O'Connell (16).
Cavan: R Galligan (0-1, 0-1f), P Faulkner, K Clarke, J McLoughlin; G Smith (0-1), L Fortune (0-2), C Brady; J Smith (0-1), K Brady; S Smith (0-2), O Kiernan (0-1), M Reilly (1-1); O Pierson (1-0), C O'Reilly, G McKiernan (0-3).
Subs: T Galligan (0-1) for J Smith (H-T), N Murray (0-1m) for O Pierson (40), C Conroy (0-1, 0-1 '45) for C Brady (54), T E Donohoe for C O'Reilly (54), P Graham for K Brady (57). Extra-time subs: E Doughty for N Murray, C Timoney for J McLoughlin (20), N Murray for T E Donohoe (22).
Referee: C Branagan (Down).
