In what was a very good championship encounter, the two teams really went for it. It was an entertaining game played by two committed sides.
Diarmuid Murtagh got the scoring underway with a pointed free inside the first minute. Cormac O’Reilly levelled for Cavan. Twice in the opening minutes Roscommon were ahead by two but Cavan drew the game in the 13th minute through James Smith.
Roscommon were ahead by three in the 18th minute when Daire Cregg fired over. Ryan Donohoe kicked over an excellent point for Cavan one minute later. In the 20th minute Roscommon raised the green flag when Murtagh chipped the ball over Gary O’Rourke.
Cavan created two goal chances after that but good defending from Robbie Dolan and a Conor Carroll save denied them. O’Rourke pointed over the resulting ‘45. Roscommon were always able to keep ahead of Cavan. They opened up a five-point lead in the 33rd minute but a point from Gerard Smith cut the gap to four going in at the break – 1-11 to 0-10.
Oisín Brady (free) and O’Reilly scored early second half points for Cavan before Cavan extended the lead to six points in the 42nd minute. Cavan substitute Darragh Lovett made a big difference after he was introduced. He could hve had a goal in the 51st minute but put it over for a point.
It was end to end stuff. Luke Fortune set up Lovett in the 52nd minute to find the back of the net to cut the deficit to just one point.
Roscommon then broke with Enda Smith grabbing a goal to put four between the sides. Lovett had another goal chance for Cavan shortly after but he put his effort wide.
Murtagh and Cox kept the scoreboard ticking over and the lead was six points in the 62nd minute. Substitute Andrew Glennon stretched that lead to seven in the 66th minute.
Cavan substitute Conor Madden kicked over the last point of the game in the 68th minute.
Scorers – Roscommon: D Murtagh 1-6 (2fs), E Smith 1-1, C Cox (1f,1m), D Cregg (1m) 0-4 each, Harney 1-1, Cunnane, D Smith, C Lennon, A Glennon 0-1 each. Cavan: G Smith 0-6, D Lovett 1-3 (0-1m), C O’Reilly 0-4, O Brady 0-2 (2f), O Kiernan, J Smith, G O’Rourke (‘45), Cian Madden, Conor Madden 0-1 each.
Roscommon: C Carroll; N Higgins, B Stack, R Dolan; D Murray, R Fallon, E McCormack; E Smith, U Harney; D Ruane, D Murtagh, S Cunnane; D Cregg, C Cox, D Smith. Subs: D Lovett for O’Neill (ht), R Dalton for Ruane (37), Lennon for Harney (47), A Glennon for D Smith (57), N Daly for R Dolan (65), A McDermott for Murtagh (67).
Cavan: G O’Rourke; L Fortune, B O’Connell, C Reilly; P Faulkner, N Carolan, O Kiernan; C Brady, R Donohoe; R O’Neill, C Madden, G Smith; O Brady, J Smyth, C O’Reilly. Subs: T Madden for Donohoe (24), D McVeety for Kiernan (48), Conor Madden for C Madden (53), O Kiernan for Faulkner (60).
Referee: David Gough (Meath).
