RAYMOND GALLIGAN highlighted his side’s desire to win breaking ball around the middle of the field in the last ten minutes.
They were the key ingredient in a famous two-point win against Roscommon at King and Moffatt Dr. Hyde Park.
The Cavan manager saw his side overturn a four-point deficit early in the second half to finish strongly and record their fourth win on the bounce.
Consequently, his side remain in the promotion picture even though they have an inferior scoring difference to both Meath and Roscommon ahead of next weekend’s final round of games.
Speaking after the game, he said: “It was a very balanced game.
“We just got our hands on those breaking balls around the middle of the field in the last ten minutes just when the game seemed to be going away from us.
“We won those possessions to feed our forward line when we were a point down because there was little in the game the whole way through.
“It was a matter of who was going to win those contests down the home stretch. We were lucky to have great lads in there to get the breaking ball,” he reflected.
Cavan found themselves 0-11 to 0-9 behind at the break, as a couple of two-pointers from Conor Cox and Conor Hand (free) proved to be the decisive scores for the hosts during the opening 35 minutes.
The Rossies stretched their advantage to 0-14 to 0-10 after 39 minutes but a brace of two-pointers in quick succession from Dara McVeety and Gearóid McKiernan (free).
They wrestled back the initiative for the Breffni men before late points from McVeety and substitute Seán McEvoy completed the comeback.
The Cavan boss said: “I haven’t worked out the permutations. I have been looking forward instead of behind me for the last few days.
“I felt it was important that we didn’t get ahead of ourselves. The full focus was on Roscommon, and we had to be mindful how it might pan out in a worst case scenario.
“It’s about focusing on ourselves this week.”
Cavan 0-22 (0-2-18)
Roscommon 0-20 (0-2-16)
Cavan: G O’Rourke; N Carolan, B O’Connell, C Reilly; P Faulkner, C Brady, L Fortune; J Smith 0-1, G Smith; O Brady, B Donnelly 0-1, D McVeety 0-4 (1tp); C Madden 0-3 (0-2f), G McKiernan 0-6 (1 tpf 0-4f), C O’Reilly 0-4. Subs: S McEvoy 0-3 for O Brady 13, R O’Neill for McVeety temp 26-28, E Crowe for Fortune 49, T E Donohoe for O’Reilly 55, R O’Neill for Smith 57.
Roscommon: C Carroll; R Fallon, J McManus, N Higgins; S Cunnane, D Murray, R Dolan; E Smith 0-2, E Nolan; C Murtagh 0-3 (0-1f), U Harney 0-1, C Hand 0-4 (1 tpf, 0-1’45); B O’Carroll, C McKeon 0-3, C Cox 0-4 (1tp, 0-2f). Subs: S Killoran for Harney temp 10-23, C Neary for Dolan 35, D Murtagh 0-3 (0-2f) for Cox 48, K Doyle for Harney 48, D Cregg for McKeon 63, D Ruane for Cunnane 68.
Referee: S Hurson (Tyrone).
