Cavan-Antrim Ulster SFC semi-final Match Pick...

Ulster GAA Football Senior Championship Semi-final
Clones: Antrim v Cavan, Saturday 7pm
Referee: John Bannon

Come Saturday night, either Cavan or Antrim will have qualified for a rare final appearance. It's Antrim's first appearance at this stage since 2003 and their stunning victory over Donegal in the quarter-final was their first in Ulster since that win at the same stage over Cavan in 2003.

Cavan got to the Ulster final in 2001 when they were narrowly beaten by Tyrone whereas Antrim will be looking to bridge the 39-year gap since they last appeared in the provincial final. Cavan and Antrim will feel fully worthy of a place in Clones on Saturday evening after two excellent, hard-fought wins over Fermanagh and Donegal respectively.

The winner of this encounter will the opportunity to have a crack against the All-Ireland champions Tyrone in the Ulster final.


Cavan have had a slight edge on Antrim in recent times, beating them in the preliminary round last year and also recording a quarter-final replay win in 2005. However, matches between the two counties are always close.

Antrim boss Liam Bradley makes two changes from the win over Donegal, with Under-21 goalkeeper Peter Graham will come in, as expected, for the injured Sean McGreevy, who came off early in the victory over Donegal with a groin injury and was ably replaced by Graham. Kevin O'Boyle also takes his place from the start at corner-back in place of Dermot McCann after impressing when coming off the bench against Donegal. The McCann brothers Tomas and Michael should show form as they did against Donegal. There are plenty of other game performers in the Saffrons' line-up but creating chances could be a problem.

Antrim Team:
P Graham; C Brady, A McClean, K O'Boyle; T Scullion, J Crozier, J Loughrey; M McCann, A Gallagher; T O'Neill, K Brady, N McKeever; P Cunningham, S Burke, T McCann.

Cavan football manager Tommy Carr has named an unchanged starting XV for this match.
Despite having Micheál Lyng and handball champion Paul Brady available for selection now, Carr has decided they must settle for a place on the bench. Ciarán Gilligan will again anchor the midfield alongside Nicholas Walsh, while Martin Reilly will be partnered by Seánie Johnston and Seán Cullivan in the full-forward line.

Cavan Team:
J Reilly; M Hannon, D Sheridan, M Brides; J McCutcheon, E Keating, P O'Reilly; N Walsh, C Galligan; S Brady, R Flanagan, C Mackey; M Reilly, R Cullivan, S Johnston.


I think Cavan's form over Antrim in recent times should be just enough for them to progress to the Ulster SFC final.

Winner: Cavan

___