Allianz FL D2: Tyrone overpower Cavan

Allianz Football League Division 2

TYRONE 2-23 CAVAN 1-14

By Francis Mooney at O'Neill's Healy Park

Tyrone’s first win of the Division Two campaign lifted the gloom around O’Neills Healy Park, where just over 2,000 spectators turned up to watch their 12 points hammering of Cavan.

The Breffni men have suffered three losses in their first three games, and face a battle to lift themselves out of the drop zone.

Darragh Canavan sparkled in the second half with a brilliant attacking performance, hitting 0-9 to inspire his side to a morale-boosting success.

Eoin McElholm gave Tyrone an early lead, but a devasting response from Cavan saw them hit 1-2 inside the opening four minutes, Oisin Brady landing a two-point free before Peter Corrigan intercepted a Niall Morgan kick-out to cross for Tiarnan Madden’s palmed finish to the net.

The home side responded with the next three scores, Darragh Canavan on target twice, with Frank Burns also splitting the posts.

But with Cavan men bossing the battle for possession from their own and Tyrone’s kick-outs, they renewed their onslaught, hitting the target through Corrigan and Gerard Smith.

The home side drew level at the end of the opening quarter, Ciaran Daly and Seanie O’Donnell combining to send skipper Brian Kennedy through to drill his shot to the bottom corner of Liam Brady’s net.

But they were nervous at the back, and slow to react to Niall Carolan’s solo-and-go that sent Dara McVeety in to bring the sides level for the third time.

However, the Red Hands were always a threat on the counter-attack, and a sweeping move ended with Kennedy crossing for Mattie Donnelly to punch home their second goal on 32 minutes.

They took a 2-7 to 1-6 lead into the interval, and pushed on as Canavan landed a two-pointer for a five points lead.

Paddy Lynch, off the bench at the interval to add a spark to the Breffni attack, flashed over a couple of scores from play and added a free to lead their fightback.

Now Canavan was making the Tyrone forward line tick, and Cavan needed two blinding saves from Liam Brady to deny McElholm and Seanie O’Donnell.

They garnered points off both incidents to stretch the advantage out to five, but in Lynch, Cavan had a man with an eye for the posts, his fifth point keeping his side in the game.

They could do little, however, to hold together at the back as the home side cut loose, moving the ball quickly and accurately to reel off score after score.

Canavan, Conn Kilpatrick, Joe Oguz, Donnelly, Rory Brennan and Michael McKernan were all on target as 12 players in total got their names on the score-sheet.

There was another golden goal chance as well as O’Donell crossed from the right, but McElholm and Ciaran Daly got in each other’s way when it looked certain that one of them would finish to an empty net.

Scorers for Tyrone: M Donnelly 1-1, B Kennedy 1-0, D Canavan 0-9 (1tp, 1f), E McElholm 0-4, F Burns 0-2, S O’Donnell, C Kilpatrick, B Cullen, M McKernan, R Cassidy, J Oguz, R Brennan 0-1 each.

Scorers for Cavan: T Madden 1-0, P Lynch 0-5 (2f), G McKiernan, O Brady (1tpf) 0-3 each, D McVeety, P Corrigan, G Smith 0-1 each.

Tyrone: N Morgan; C Quinn, M Rafferty, J Clarke; R Cassidy, M McKernan, B Cullen; B Kennedy, C Daly; E McElholm, C Kilpatrick, F Burns; D Canavan, M Donnelly, S O’Donnell. Subs: J Oguz for Cassidy (50), R Brennan for Burns (53), C O’Neill for Rafferty (63), P Teague for Daly (63), E Jordan for McElholm (67)

Cavan: L Brady; J McLoughlin, J Meade, Cormac Brady; O Brady, N Carolan, G Smith; Ciaran Brady, Conor Brady; Ciaran Brady (Arva), T Madden, Peter Corrigan; R Donohoe, G McKiernan, D McVeety. Subs: P Lynch for Donohue (h-t), B O’Connell for Cormac Brady (h-t), F Shehu for Madden (56), R Brady for Corrigan (56), C McGovern for Lynch (70)

Referee: B Tiernan (Dublin).