Irish News Cavan v Tyrone

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Tyrone set for semis
22/01/2007
Dr McKenna Cup Section B: Cavan 0-10 Tyrone 0-14 
From Paul McConville in Breffni Park 

TYRONE's victory over Cavan on Saturday night looks like it could ensure a diplomatic soft landing for the Red Hands in the row over the use of university players.

Even if Mickey Harte's side are docked the two points they gained in the win over Derry – the game in which the used the university quartet at the centre of the controversy – they would still have four points from their three games and a better scoring average than Cavan, so ensuring a place in the McKenna Cup semi-finals.

But Harte, already confident they can escape any punishment, will have been more encouraged by how his team first built up a lead against a dogged Cavan side and then fought off a fight back from the Breffnimen, to pull away in the closing stages.

Nine different Tyrone players got on the score sheet, a sign that the absence of Stephen O'Neill is a situation they are more able to cope with should it happen any time this year.

The Tyrone tally included a fine three-point haul from Brackaville's Paul Rouse who confirmed his growing reputation, slotting over from a number of tricky angles.

But it was one of the few Tyrone forwards who didn't get among the scoring that caused much of the damage. Ger Cavlan made his first

appearance of the year and was the heartbeat of the Red Hands' attacking unit, picking out passes and exploiting the space around Cavan's half-back area.

That Cavan pulled back to within a point four minutes into the second half was largely due to Dermot McCabe and Ger Pierson. McCabe started the game at midfield, but when Cavan 0-6 0-1 behind after 30 minutes, he was switched to full-forward where his presence won easy frees for Pierson.

However, when Tyrone found that other gear and Cavan left space further down the field, the home side were unable to repeat the trick, despite trying substitute Nicholas Walsh in that target man role in the dying stages.

Points from Sean Cavanagh (free), Aidan McCarron, Christopher Colhoun and Kelvin Hughes saw Tyrone race into a 0-4 to 0-0 lead after just 11 minutes, before Pierson finally replied with a pointed free on 18 minutes.

The Breffnimen enjoyed much of the possession in the remainder of the half, but sloppy passing and erratic shooting let them down.

Declan Treanor and Aidan McCarran (free) stretched the Tyrone lead before Pierson fired over another free on 32 minutes and Sean Brady picked out McCabe for a neatly taken point a minute later.

Rory Gallagher, making his first start for his adopted county, struggled to get into the game and was replaced at the interval by Eamonn Reilly.

Two more frees from Pierson brought Cavan back to within a single point on 39 minutes before Sean Cavanagh responded with a trademark score, bursting on to a pass from Cormac McGinley to fire over from 30 metres out.

Pierson reduced it to the minimum again on 44 minutes, but it would be two minutes from the end of normal time before the home side would split the posts again.

Ryan McMenamin's raid down the right produced a fisted point for the Tyrone defender who then set up Rouse for the first of his three points.

Rouse angled over his second and third scores after Colm Donnelly had helped himself to point, following an unchallenged run. Cavlan then set up Colhoun and Ryan Mellon to round of the Red Hands' scoring.

Jonathan Crowe capped an encouraging performance with a point for Cavan on 68 minutes before substitutes Jason Reilly (two) and Cian Mackey fired over injury-time points for the

home side.



Matchstats

Cavan: E Elliot; A Forde, K Fannin, M Cahill; J Crowe (0-1), M McKeever, P Brady; L Mulvey, D McCabe (0-1); M Reilly, S Brady, M Cunningham; L Reilly, G Pierson (0-5 frees), R Gallagher

Substitutes: E Reilly for Gallagher, (ht), N Walsh for S Brady (50), J Reilly (0-2, 0-1 free) for L Reilly (53), C Mackey (0-1) for M Reilly (53), M McDonnell for Mulvey (66)

Tyrone: J Devine; P McGurk, C McRory, R McMenamin (0-1); D Harte, P Quinn, M Penrose; Kelvin Hughes (0-1), S Cavanagh (0-2, 0-1 free); D Treanor (0-1), G Cavlan, A McCarran

(0-2, 0-1 free); N Gormley, P Rouse (0-3), C Calhoun (0-2)

Substitutes: C McGinley for McRory (33), D Carlin for McGurk (33), C Donnelly (0-1) for Kelvin Hughes (42), R Mellon

(0-1) for McCarron (58), Kevin Hughes for Penrose (64)

Referee: S McGonagle (Donegal)