Ulster SFC semi-final: Cavan beat Armagh in replay to make decider
- Published
Armagh's Jemar Hall contests a high ball with Niall Murray in the Clones replay
Cavan will contest their first Ulster final in 18 years after a brilliant display of total football earned a 0-23 to 0-17 win over Armagh in Clones.
Niall Murray kicked five points and Dara McVeety four as the Breffnimen stormed to a semi-final replay victory.
Armagh trailed by three at half-time and doggedly fought back to within a point three times after the break.
Kieran McGeeney's side paid for an over-reliance on Jamie Clarke and Rian O'Neill, who scored 13 of their total.
The game still hung in the balance with 10 minutes remaining when Clarke scored his seventh point to leave his side trailing 0-16 to 0-17 but Cavan found another gear just when they needed it.
Spectacular scores by McVeety, Conor Moynagh, Gearoid McKiernan and Cian Mackey were celebrated by ever-loudening roars from the Cavan crowd as their side booked a date with Donegal back at St Tiernach's Park on 23 June.
Clinical Cavan hit the front
Armagh may have got the opening score through an O'Neill free but it was Cavan that settled to their task more easily.
The movement of McVeety and Conor Madden was creating problems for the Orchard defence, while Murray was able to dispatch any frees that fell his way.
At the other end, Armagh were overly guilty of looking for goals when points were on offer.
Orchard forward Rian O'Neill attempts to move clear of Cavan's Jason McLoughlin
Aidan Nugent forced an early save from Cavan goalkeeper Raymond Galligan while Clarke fired wide with the goal at his mercy and in the 20th minute Mark Shields raided forward to scoop up a breaking ball but again Galligan saved superbly with his feet.
Cavan were far more clinical with their chances as McKiernan added two bustling scores and either side of a classy Killian Clarke finish - after a free-flowing opening half hour, the Breffnimen led by 0-11 to 0-7 and Armagh looked in trouble.
Clarke finds form
Having been restricted to just one point in the drawn game, Armagh needed more from Jamie Clarke and the enigmatic forward responded with three points in quick succession.
A pair of frees and a beauty of a left-footed shot as he cut in from the right helped to settle the Armagh nerves - and eased their reliance on O'Neill for scores.
Kieran McGeeney's men had arguably been the better side in the opening half - creating 20 scoring chances compared to Cavan's 15 - but with just two names on the scoreboard.
Cavan gently pressed on the accelerator once again at the start of the second half when goalkeeper Galligan came forward to land the second of three long-range frees and hero of the drawn match Cian Mackey was sprung from the bench.
Breffni win the day
The introduction of Stefan Campbell shortly before half-time gave Armagh another option in attack and when the substitute landed the first of his two second-half scores his side were back within a single point despite Cavan's all-action display.
The free-taking of Murray and Galligan kept Cavan ahead but Rory Grugan, Campbell and Clarke reeled off three quick points as Armagh appeared to have set up a grandstand finish with 10 minutes left
Donegal will pose 'huge task' in final - McVeety
Instead, Cavan stomped down on the accelerator once again with a series of spectacular scores - each more outrageous than the last - to drain the belief of their opponents.
As the Cavan players began to celebrate every score, so too did their supporters in the stands.
Mark Shields had a final chance to close the gap but when his shot at goal blazed just over the crossbar Cavan's first Ulster final since 2001 loomed large on the horizon.
McVeety, McKiernan and Conor Rehill added further points in injury-time to add to the party atmosphere and Cavan will hope for similar celebrations back here once again in two weeks' time.
Armagh: B Hughes; M Shields (0-1), P Burns, J Morgan; P Hughes, R Kennedy, A Forker; J Og Burns, N Grimley; A Nugent, C Vernon, J Hall; R O'Neill (0-6), J Clarke (0-7), A Murnin.
Subs: O O'Neill, G McCabe, J McElroy, B Crealey, E Rafferty, S Campbell (0-2), R Grugan (0-1), C O'Neill, N Rowland, J Duffy, A McKay.
Cavan: R Galligan (0-3); J McLoughlin, P Faulkner, C Moynagh (0-2); M Reilly (0-1), K Clarke (0-1), C Rehill (0-1); C Brady, G McKiernan (0-3); O Kiernan, D McVeety (0-4), N Murray (0-5); O Pierson (0-2), T Galligan, C Madden.
Subs: L Brady, J Galligan, K Brady, C Conroy, M Argue, S Murray, C Mackey (0-1), N Clerkin, B Fortune, C O'Reilly, J Brady.