Donegal eased past Cavan in Sunday’s bad-tempered Ulster SFC quarter-final, setting up a semi-final meeting with Tyrone as they won 2-14 to 1-8.
Star man Michael Murphy was sent off early on for the side managed by Jim McGuiness, but Cavan were down to 14 men even earlier when Ray Cullivan saw red. The Tir Chonaill men adapted better to the player cull and goals from Paddy McBrearty and Rory Kavanagh helped them overrun the hosts at Kingspan Breffni Park.
Michael Brennan’s last gasp goal was far too late for Cavan.
McBrearty was a late addition to the Donegal team in place of Michael Hegarty and his goal put a gap between the sides that a young Cavan never looked like they might close.
Seanie Johnston and Murphy traded early frees before a daft kung-fu kick from Cullivan on Kevin Cassidy saw the Cavan man rightly sent off on seven minutes.
Murphy soon followed him to the line though. The 2009 Young Footballer of the Year was more unlucky as referee Marty Duffy opted to dismiss him for an off-the-ball shoulder on Cavan’s Damien Reilly.
Soon the 14 man-aside affair began to go very much the way of the visitors, with minor star McBrearty holding off Dane O’Dowd before kicking the ball to the back of the Breffni net.
That was in the 20th minute and by half-time Donegal were 1-6 to 0-3 ahead, with Colm McFadden, Cassidy and McBrearty all on the mark.
Kevin Rafferty and McFadden added further scores against Cavan soon after the resumption and the Boys in Blue were out in the cold when Kavanagh netted a second Donegal goal. The forward took advantage of a miserable defensive effort to slam to James Reilly’s net and ensure there was no way back for Cavan.
Dermot Molloy knocked over a few points as Cavan did not let their heads drop, and they bagged a stoppage-time goal despite Johnston hitting a weak penalty. Paul Durcan’s save fell for Brennan, who put it away.
However, Cavan must now prepare for a qualifier game against neighbours Longford, while Donegal look forward to the surely tougher task of trying to repeat their league victory over Mickey Harte’s Tyrone.