Down deliver against Cavan to reach Tailteann Cup semi-finals

Down toppled competition favourites Cavan to march on to the Tailteann Cup semi-finals with a deserved victory.

When the sides met at the same venue in last year's Tailteann Cup, Cavan won by nine points and the Breffni men franked that form with a seven-point victory in round five of the National League this year.

But there was no doubting who the better team were here as a fired-up Down out-foxed a Cavan side who were flat on the day and never led in the match.

From play, Conor Laverty's side registered 1-11 to Cavan’s 0-08 and carved out several other goal chances, with Niall Kane’s fine save from Oisin Brady in the first half putting a stop to Cavan’s only real sniff of a green flag.

With a fairly strong wind at their backs, Down edged the exchanges in the first half and took a 0-09 to 0-07 lead in with them at the break.

Down were rigid in their defensive set-up – Cavan looked for the mark a lot as a way to prise open the padlock but – but the Mourne men were impressive when they had the ball, varying their running game with the delivery of long, direct ball towards Pat Havern and Odhran Murdock.

Havern opened the scoring with a close-range free before Cavan levelled with an Brady mark.

Havern had a similar effort at the other end after fielding spectacularly and although Brady converted another free, after a mark was brought up, Down reeled off three in succession via the outstanding trio of Rory Mason, Liam Kerr and Havern.

Cavan full-back Padraig Faulkner stopped the bleeding. Ryan Johnston waltzed through unhindered for Down’s sixth point but a 40-metre Brady mark and a close-range free after the referee spotted a foul off the ball made it a one-point game again.

Havern and Gearoid McKiernan traded frees but Down were