Ulster Senior Football Championship, quarter-final
Antrim 0-10 Cavan 1-20
ANTRIM'S dreams of scoring a first Ulster Senior Football Championship win since 2014 turned into a bit of a nightmare at Corrigan Park on Saturday as Cavan ultimately romped to a 13-point victory.
The Saffrons just didn't ever really get going in this game bar a 10-minute spell before the break when they got to within one after a very slow start to the game.
They did get level early in the second half, but Cavan would take full control and the chances they had passed up early in the game were now being converted as Antrim's task got even tougher with Michael McCann picking up a second yellow that was a prelude to the floodgates opening.
Ryan Murray did have a decent afternoon with three points, but there were just too many mistakes made across the board with Cavan having no such issues as they took advantage.
The Breffnimen were tigerish in defence, quick to win the breaks and found their men much easier and had nine different scorers including man-of-the-match Paddy Lynch who enjoyed a dream Championship debut, kicking eight points and laying on the goal for Gearoid McKiernan.
Many felt this game would be a close-run thing prior to throw-in, but Antrim just didn't seem up to the pace and their performance fell a long way short of what was required.
"We knew we were going to be in for a battle," said assistant manager Stephen O'Neill.
"Cavan were Ulster champions two years ago and have been on the road for a long time with strong, physical men and we just had no answers today.
"We were happy to be within a point (at half-time) but the number of chances Cavan missed in that first half, we'd have been disappointed that way.
"We just looked very nervy, had a lot of silly turnovers, giving the ball away cheaply and a good team will punish you."
Kevin Small is challenged by man-of-the-match Paddy Lynch 
There had been a little bit of controversy last month when it seemed this game would have been moved out of Belfast, but the venue made no odds to Cavan.
"It was actually a motivation factor for us," said manager Mickey Graham.
"We were looking forward to coming up here after everything that was made about it. In fairness, the players and management had nothing to do with that.
"We just said that we are going up there to put in a performance and it doesn't matter where we play.
"Their appetite was questioned during the League and we did stutter a lot of the way through, but it was all geared towards today."
Gerard Smith would kick Cavan into a fifth-minute lead after two early chances came and went, while Antrim goalkeeper Mick Byrne then was not tested by James Smith whose effort was an easy gather, but Byrne then made a point-blank save from Cormac O'Reilly.
James Smith did finally add to the Cavan tally and a Gearoid McKiernan free had them three up on 19 minutes as Antrim started to find a way to create opportunities, but they too were wasteful with their efforts.
The home side finally got on the board in the 24th minute as Ryan Murray pointed brilliantly out on the left. Cavan would respond and then again when Dermott McAleese pointed, but Antrim were now looking a lot better and out-scored the visitors by four to two in the closing stages of the half with Murray launching over another beauty from the left to pull the Saffrons to within one at the break with Cavan leading 0-7 to 0-6.
When Conor Murray tied the game from a free two minutes after the restart, for a moment we thought we were in for a real battle in the second half, but Cavan quickly put those notions to rest with Gerard Smith and Lynch landing quickfire braces and while Kevin Small pulled one back, things would quickly unravel for the hosts with Cavan rattling off three-in-a-row including a trademark long free from goalkeeper Raymond Galligan, while Antrim were down to 14 with Michael McCann picking up a second yellow on 52 minutes.
Marc Jordan bursts past Gerard Smith 
Six points was the margin on 59 minutes when any faint hopes Antrim still harboured were well and truly killed off as from a sideline, Martin Reilly found Lynch who this turn turned provider to put Gearoid McKiernan in to blash home.
Ryan Murray did respond with his third point of the afternoon for Antrim, but Cavan kept the foot on the pedal in the closing stages with fie late points.
Lynch kicked his eighth of the afternoon, while Martin Reilly got in on the act with two of his own and defenders Paddy Faulkner and Jason McLoughlin also chipped in to seal a dominant Cavan performance and place in the semi-final, while Antrim will now aim to regroup for the Tailteann Cup.
"We had a reasonable League," added O'Neill.
"We were battling to get up, but this is just a disappointing end to the Championship. We just have to regroup and focus now on the Tailteann Cup.
"The season's not over so hopefully we can give a good account of ourselves there because that (today) was not a good account of the quality of the players. We'll take a break now and get back at it."
ANTRIM: M Byrne; E McCabe, P Healy, D McAleese (0-1); P McAleer (0-1), J Laverty, M Jordan; K Small (0-1), M McCann (0-1); R Murray (0-3), C Stewart (0-1), R McCann; O Eastwood, C Murray (0-1 free), T McCann
Subs: J Gribbin (0-1) for R McCann (13), P McBride for O Eastwood (HT), D Lynch for T McCann (HT), B McCormick for J Laverty (64), P McCormick for E McCabe (64)
CAVAN: R Galligan (0-1 free); J McLoughlin (0-1), P Faulkner (0-1), K Brady; L Fortune, K Clarke, Conor Brady; T Galligan, J Smith (0-1); G Smith (0-3), G McKiernan (1-2, 0-1 free), C Moynagh; Cormac O'Reilly (0-1), P Lynch (0-8, 5 frees, 1 mark), C Madden
Subs: C Conroy for K Brady (55), M Reilly (0-2) for Cormac O'Reilly (57), Caoimhin O'Reilly for C Madden (65), Ciaran Brady for Conor Brady (67), R O'Neill for P Lynch (70)
REFEREE: Jerome Henry (Mayo)
