Cavan were always in control as they claimed a facile 2-16 to 0-14 win over a disappointing Armagh side at Breffni Park.

It wasn't quite the 17-point margin of victory recorded when these sides met at the same venue in March but there was only ever going to be one winner here as the Orchard County's limitations were cruelly exposed by a well-drilled home team. Eight different Cavan players scored, with just three Armagh men on target in a largely one-sided contest.

Dara McVeety and Martin Reilly (penalty) netted in the 25^th and 45^th minutes respectively as the hosts built on their successful national football league campaign to seal a semi-final clash with Tyrone, who put them to the sword in the Division Two final at Croke Park last month.

The comfortable winners led by five point at half time, 1-9 to 0-7, with McVeety netting ten minute from the interval and Seanie Johnston - who finished the day with seven points - clipping over a series of lovely scores.

Johnston fired over the opening score on two minutes much to the obvious chagrin of the Armagh defence but Stefan Campbell (top scorer in the match) curled over an old-fashioned free from the deck to tie up the scores on five. A wonderful left-footed strike from midfielder Ethan Rafferty had the Orchard ahead for the first and only time and a Campbell free rebounded off the right upright before Rafferty steered over a free from the hands to make it 0-3 to 0-1 after ten minutes.

A brace of routine Johnston frees had the Breffni County level again by the 14^th minute and three points in as many minutes from goalkeeper Raymond Galligan ('45'), Johnston and the outstanding Gearoid McKiernan helped Terry Hyland's well-drilled charges soar three ahead.

Rafferty (free) delivered the visitors' first score in ten minutes amid a flurry of yellow cards. Daylight appeared between the sides in the 25^th minute when McVeety poked the ball to the bottom right corner of the Armagh net from close range after a mix-up in the away defence left them cruelly exposed.

McKiernan smashed over excellent points off either boot either side of that score - 1-8 to 0-4 after 26 minutes! Rafferty and Johnston swapped frees and the former butchered one of the easiest frees ever missed at Cavan HQ before Tony Kernan thumped over a fine Armagh point from the left wing on the stroke of half time.

In first-half injury time, Campbell drilled over a '45' following a misjudgement from Galligan to reduce the arrears to five at the short whistle.

Kernan fired over his side's third successive score within 20 seconds of the restart but Johnston replied quickly with a simple free from the hands. Campbell pointed off his left boot on the turn but David Givney lashed over an eleventh Cavan point before Reilly expertly rolled a penalty past Paul Courtney - a late addition to the visitors' starting XV - to the bottom right corner of the Armagh net in the 45^th minute (following a foul on Cian Mackey) to finish the game as a contest - 2-11 to 0-9.

Kieran McGeeney's men rallied a little with three unanswered Campbell points but substitute Jack Brady announced his arrival with a fabulous point to give the Division One side a six-point cushion going into the last 15 minutes.

Armagh were handed a potential lifeline 13 minutes from the end when awarded a soft penalty but Campbell kicked the ball straight at Galligan - a shot that the Cavan 'keeper couldn't have got out of the way of if he'd tried! It was a five-point swing as Johnston bagged his fourth and Brady his second within two minutes of that miss - 2-14 to 0-12.

Campbell (free) arrowed over his seventh with a disappointing match long over as any sort of contest; centre back Conor Moynagh popped over the winners' 15^th point a minute from the end of normal time. Campell (free) and McVeety traded late points as Cavan eased to the winning post.

Cavan - R Galligan (0-1'45); P Faulkner, K Clarke, R Dunne; F Flanagan, C Moynagh (0-1), N Murray; T Corr, C Mackey; D McVeety (1-1), G McKiernan (0-3), M Reilly (1-0pen); D Givney (0-1), M Argue, S Johnston (0-7, 4f). Subs: C Brady for N Murray, E Keating for M Argue, J Brady (0-2) for E Keating (BC), K Brady for P Faulkner, G Smith for S Johnston, L Buchanan for G McKiernan.

Armagh - P Courtney; J Morgan, C Vernon, M Shields; A Mallon, A Forker, C McKeever; B Donaghy, E Rafferty (0-4, 3f); R Grugan, T Kernan (0-2), C O'Hanlon; C Watters, S Campbell (0-8, 3f, 2'45), G McParland. Subs: A Findon for C O'Hanlon, M McKenna for C Watters, S Connell for C Vernon, J McElroy for E Rafferty, S Heffron for J McElroy (BC).

Referee - E Kinsella.

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