Castlerahan 1-11
Cavan Gaels 0-9

Castlerahan are back in the Cavan senior football championship final for the fifth year running after seeing off Cavan Gaels tonight at Kingspan Breffni.

In an impressive display from the defending champions, Oisin O’Connell’s 48th minute goal proved the decisive score at a time when the Gaels looked like clawing back their three-point interval deficit.

The points of Karl Cosgrove and talisman Cian Mackey were enough to see Donal Keogan’s men over the line in the dozen minutes that remained in regulation, as they now march towards a derby final date with Ramor United in a fortnight’s time.

The Gaels, who saw manager Ronan Clarke depart them at the beginning of the month, made a decent start to this highly intense last four clash by landing the first two points inside five minutes through a pair of Martin Dunne frees.

However, it didn’t take long for the holders to hit the front as Paul ‘Lukie’ Smith, Enda Flanagan and Cosgrove sailed over points that saw their side into the ascendency come the 11th minute.

Dunne shot another brace of frees to steer the Cavan town side back in front, but that would be as good as it got for the remainder of the half from their perspective.

O’Connell levelled matters at 0-4 each come the 20-minute mark and a sweetly struck ‘45’ from Oisin Kiernan put Castlerahan into a lead they’d never surrender five minutes later.

Old reliables Mackey and Ronan Flanagan left it at 0-7 to 0-4 for the break before former Cavan captain Flanagan hit the opening point of the restart to draw a mighty roar from the Ballyjamesduff contingent in attendance.

Vinny Coyle and Daniel Graham halved the Gaels’ deficit back to a pair but Keogan’s charges weren’t about to slip and 1-1 from speedster O’Connell in the space of five minutes had them back on their way to a fifth final in as many seasons.  

O’Connell was as cool as ice with his finish to the Gaels net and while a pair of Declan Meehan points in response looked to keep the men from Terry Coyle Park within touching distance, Mackey broke free at the other end on the hour to ensure a sweet victory for the men in maroon whom lost out to this opposition in the final two years ago, as well as in 2011.

Castlerahan now face neighbours Ramor, whom upset favourites Crosserlough last night, in a repeat of the Breffni County’s 2016 senior decider on October 13th.

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