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Derry finish strong against wasteful Cavan

Thursday, 12 January 2012

Barry McGoldrick in action.

Derry.................................................0-13
Cavan.................................................0-12
DERRY the Dr McKenna Cup holders began the competition as they did last year with a win over Cavan but the Breffini Blues must be wondering how they returned to South Ulster empty handed. They shot fourteen wides to just three by Derry and the swell of support to being Seanie Johnston back into the panel must be ever greater after this game. The ace free taker was not included in the panel and had he been there it might have been a different result.
The new spirit that John Brennan was evident in the closing stages when an experimental Derry team down to fourteen men and not playing particularly well dug out a result with three late winning points from subs Conleth Gilligan, Mark Lynch and Niall Holly.
In a second-half that was extended by an extra eight minutes due to an injury picked up by Sean Leo McGoldrick it looked bad for the holders when debutant full-back Eugene Scullion was sent off on a second yellow card fifteen minutes into the second period. At that stage Cavan had hit four unanswered points and seemed to be in control with a 0-9 to 0-7 lead but Derry stuck to their task and showing a greater degree of accuracy eventually ore down the young Cavan team to make it six straight wins in the McKenna Cup since John Brennan took over.
At times Brennan was hopping mad on the sideline as Derry particularly in the first fifteen minutes went back to their aimless passing routines where they often ended further back that here they started. Whatever Brennan said at half time saw them go a bit more direct in the second period.
Early season McKenna Cup games will give managers the opportunity to try out new players and in this case Derry experimented widely giving debuts to goalie Stephen Harbinson, full back Eugene Scullion and midfielder Johnny McCambley. Mark Craig, Enda Lynn and Eoghan Brown who had been in previous panels were having a second bite.
Cavan looked as if they had been doing more pre season training as they showed a greater turn of speed but all too often that advantage was undone by rank bad finishing. In the closing stages they hit four shockingly bad wides and failed to take advantage of a couple of handy looking frees.
With Donegal surprised by UUJ under the managership of Derry man Adrain McGuckin the door looks open for Derry to reach the knockout stages again. On Saturday evening at 6pm Derry will play UUJ at Celtic Park and on Sunday week they travel to Ballybofey to play Donegal. Meantime Donegal must win away to Cavan next Sunday if they are to stay in the competition which they won in 2009 and 2010.

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