Tyrone edge Cavan in blistering contest at Breffni

Cavan 3-16

Tyrone 1-23

After extra-time

By Niall Gartland

THIS match was borderline bedlam for long stretches, but Tyrone showed more composure coming down the stretch in extra-time to book their place in the last four of the Ulster Championship on a hurling score of 1-23 to 3-16 against Cavan today.

It’s fair to say that Tyrone fans were put through the wringer at times but everyone certainly got their money’s worth in an exhilarating and exhausting game of football.

The Red Hands led by eight points at a stage in the second-half and it looked like they were virtually home and hosed. Cavan had done rightly but the likes of Darragh Canavan and Michael McKernan (who had scored three points from play!) were keeping the scoreboard tipping over and it looked like it could be a comfortable enough final quarter.

That’s not, it’s fair to say, how things panned out. Spurred on by their voracious supporters at a sun-splashed Kingspan Breffni, Cavan drove forward in waves and snatched two goals to haul them right back into the contest.

Tyrone had reason to feel aggrieved – the baffling decision to black card Padraig Hampsey for what was a clear yellow card coincided with Cavan’s revival – but it made for a helter-skelter finale and extra-time was called for when Niall Devlin’s late effort (and he certainly had every right to go for it) drifted wide off the target.

It was anyone’s game at this stage but Tyrone settled themselves and in extra-time they showed a fair amount of composure when they’d already run themselves into the ground. Mattie Donnelly, Hampsey, Joe Oguz, Niall Morgan, they made all the right decisions with their provincial hopes on the line while Cathal McShane deserves credit as well for his late intervention, hounding the Cavan goalkeeper and winning what turned out to be the game-winning free.

Another noteworthy facet of the game was the contribution of Tyrone’s less established players. Six lads started their first ever Ulster championship match, and indeed Liam Gray, who had never played a single minute at senior intercounty level, scored a first-half goal that he won’t forget in a hurry.

So it was a gratifying victory in that sense, but hold on for just one second – there’s only a seven-day turnaround for a mouth-watering Ulster Championship semi-final clash against Jim McGuinness’ Donegal at Celtic Park next Sunday. That’s just the way of it but it’s hardly ideal preparation time, especially given the marathon nature of the game.

Tyrone were a little porous at the back early on, reflected in the concession of an early goal when Cian Madden picked his spot after Conor Brady ghosted in from the end-line.

The Red Hands were playing smart football in attack, however, and they worked some early scores from Canavan and McKernan before landing a three-pointer from debut boy Liam Gray.

That opened up a 1-5 to 1-1 lead but the rest of the half was fairly even and both teams found joy from restarts, playing the ball quickly up the pitch and conjuring a number of scores.

Michael McKernan wasn’t the only defender scoring points and Cavan’s Killian Brady and Brian O’Connell, wearing number three and number four on their jerseys respectively, kept their team ticking along.

Tyrone tightened up in the final ten minutes of the half, though, and they opened up a 1-10 to 1-4 lead at the interval with the Canavan brothers Ruairi and Darragh and Ciaran Daly adding a flurry of scores.

The visitors carried on where they left off at the beginning of the second-half with McKernan and Darragh Canavan again on target, but Cavan had certainly upped the intensity rates and landed some nice scores of their own with their attacking fulcrum Paddy Lynch, who had been well shackled by Hampsey, starting to impose himself on proceedings.

Tyrone looked fairly comfortable though and enjoyed a mini-purple with three points quick succession heading into the final 20 minutes. With eight points between the teams, you’d have been forgiven for thinking that this one was as good as over.

Cavan hadn’t given up the ghost, however, and they took full advantage of a harsh-in-the-extreme black card dished out to Padraig Hampsey following an altercation with his man. During the period he was sidelined, Cavan scored 2-1 without reply – a goal from their imperious half-back Padraig Faulkner, another from Niall Carolan and a point from Oisin Brady.

That reduced the deficit to a single point with 10 minutes of regulation time remaining, and it made for a helter-skelter finale with both sides giving it absolutely everything with a place in the last four up for grabs.

Tyrone nudged into a two-point lead with 68 minutes on the clock following a brace from Darragh Canavan, one from play and one from the dead ball, but they couldn’t quite shrug Cavan off.

Paddy Lynch converted a couple of soft-ish looking frees while Brian O’Connell, who was excellent, flicked over a late point that sent the game into extra-time.

There was a slightly makeshift feel to the team that finished the game out for Tyrone. A few central figures were taken off before the game reached its ultimate conclusion, like the Canavans, Darren McCurry and Brian Kennedy, but there was still a serious amount of leadership on show from the mainstays on the team during extra-time, while the many youngsters also conducted themselves extremely well.

Tyrone edged back in front in the opening period of extra time with scores from Darragh Canavan and Niall Devlin with Cavan mustering one point in response, coming from Tiarnan Madden.

The Red Hands were playing some really good stuff in the circumstances, with Niall Morgan and Mattie Donnelly, who played every single minute of the contest, beacons of composure in particular.

With scores increasingly at a premium, scored another precious point, this time a Tiarnan Quinn free after exceptional work from Cathal McShane. Cavan set up a grandstand finish with another point, but it was too little too late as Tyrone – eventually – sealed their spot in the last four of the Ulster Championship.