CAVAN’S PADDY
Cavan 3-12 Monaghan 1-12 ULSTER SFC PRELIM RD Galligan hails talisman as Monaghan are left stunned by Cavan in Clones
ROOKIE Cavan boss Raymond Galligan hailed “immense” Paddy Lynch, who fired 1-9 in yesterday’s upset Ulster preliminary-round triumph over fierce rivals Monaghan at Clones.
Galligan — in his first Championship game in charge — lived every ball with his side and spent the entire first half organising their defensive shape and urging them to break forward in numbers.
Lynch hit all five of Cavan’s first half points, some of them huge frees into the breeze, and was their only scorer before the break, as he kept them in touch.
Their defensive organisation and patience would paid off in spades with goals from All Star Padraig Faulkner — a huge presence — the excellent Gerry Smith and Lynch paving the way to victory in a real thriller.
“Paddy is having a phenomenal season for us,” said Galligan. “He is a marked man every day he goes out and knowing how good he is on the frees, it is a great settler for us because there was nothing easy for him today with that wind.
“He was immense. I think he finished with 1-9. He is just continuing his upward mode in terms of performances.”
Blocked
Lynch dropped one effort short and had another blocked, which wasn’t really on, but otherwise was immaculate in his shooting, finishing with 10 scores from 12 efforts.
Cavan had plenty of other heroes though, with unheralded names like defenders Brian O’Connell and Niall Carolan, putting in huge shifts for them.
Galligan will be delighted with their scoring stats too, as Cavan had just eight misses across the entire game, while Monaghan had 10.
The other key factor in their victory was that when Faulkner and Smith raided in on goal in the 62nd and 76th minutes, they could have fisted points but didn’t, and blasted to the net past Rory Beggan.
Beggan, who wasn’t named during the week, started and converted two long range placed balls out of four as well as pointing from play in a three point haul.
The Scotstown man is still hoping an NFL American football contract will come his way after Down goalie Charlie Smyth signed on for three years with the New Orleans Saints.
“He’s a special sort of keeper, isn’t he?,” said Monaghan boss Vinny Corey afterwards.
“He (Beggan) was excellent today. Any doubt that he should have started, I think he allayed that.
“I thought he was outstanding. If you have a player like that at your disposal, you’re going to use him.
“It’s one of those situations. We haven’t had it before. We’re just going to have to manage it week by week. It could change.”
Blow
Corey said it was “devastating” to see talismanic midfielder Darren Hughes stretchered off in the 48th minute after a seven minute delay for treatment in a huge blow.
For Cavan it was a case of putting a poor finish to their Division 2 campaign behind them, where they were trounced by Armagh and beaten by Fermanagh.
With Tyrone up next in a fortnight at Breffni Park, Galligan added: “The outside noise is always only a defeat away. We know that going into the next game.”
A game broke out on 62 minutes when Faulkner turned Kevin Loughran and smashed to the roof of the net off Cian Reilly’s foot pass inside to send Cavan into a two point lead.
It was the first time they’d led in the game.
Then Sean Jones was turned over on 67 minutes but Karl O’Connell got back to prevent
Tiarnan Madden goaling again.
It was pandemonium, end to end stuff, with Ryan Wylie turned over a second time by an increasingly dogged Cavan defence as Monaghan had to force the issue to get back into the game.
But in the resultant break Oisin Brady’s long range effort was driven into the side netting from 40 metres out as the Cavan faithful rose to their feet, believing he’d scored a goal.
That would have given the visitors a six point lead.
And they were made to pay dearly in the next play, when the hugely impressive Karl