Cavan 2-16
Wicklow 1-5

Cavan had minimal fuss as they brought down the curtain on Wicklow's season with a 14-point victory at Aughrim this evening to move into Round 2 of the All-Ireland SFC qualifiers.

Martin Reilly (penalty) and Ciaran Brady supplied the goals for the Breffni men as they went in at the break with an unassailable 2-8 to 0-1 lead, with the hosts' sole point over the opening 35 minutes coming via midfielder Rory Finn 10 minutes from the interval.

The frees of goalkeeper Mark Jackson helped bump up the Garden County's tally in the third quarter and they eventually got a goal through their big man on the square James Stafford with the game well beyond their reach.

A month on from their Ulster SFC preliminary round defeat to Donegal in Ballybofey, Cavan flew out of the traps for this one through early points from talisman Gearoid McKiernan (2), Brady, Oisin Kiernan and Caomhin O'Reilly before Killian Clarke was brought down in the Wicklow square and Killygarry man Reilly dispatched the penalty with expertise on 20 minutes.

Stafford had seen a goal chance was saved by James Farrelly moments beforehand as Seanie Johnston's free erased Finn's superb effort at the other end to keep the margin at eight.

Brady and Johnston added more points prior to the former ripping through Wicklow's centre and blasting beyond Jackson for three points, leaving the half-time margin at 13.

There was no coming back for John Evans' men after that as the Kerry native's counterpart could afford to empty his bench come the final quarter, which saw Cian Mackey come on to notch two points while Jack Wharton and Donal Monahan got their championship debuts as Cavan eased comfortably through to Monday's draw.

Cavan - J Farrelly; K Brady, P Faulkner, E Flanagan; C Brady (1-3), C Moynagh, M Reilly (1-0, 1 pen); S McCormack, K Clarke; B Magee, G McKiernan (0-5, 1 free), O Kiernan (0-1); C O'Reilly (0-2, 2f), D McVeety (0-1), S Johnston (0-2, 1f). Subs: C Bradley for B Magee (45mins), C Mackey (0-2, 1f) for S Johnston (51), J Wharton for C Moynagh (56), N Clerkin for C O'Reilly (59), D Monahan for E Flanagan (61), A Cole for D McVeety (63).

Wicklow - M Jackson (0-3, 2f, 1 '45); E Murtagh, R O'Brien, P Merrigan; J Crowe, D Healy, S Kearon; R Finn (0-1), J Stafford (1-0); T Smyth, J Snell, D Hayden (0-1, 1f); S Furlong, J McGrath, M Kenny. Subs: K Murphy for J Crowe (34mins), D Fitzgerald for J McGrath (HT), C Magee for S Kearon (42), D Keane for S Furlong (47, BC), B Kennedy for T Smyth (56), PJ O'Keeffe for K Murphy (56).

Ref: J Henry (Mayo)

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