Lee Cullen twists and turns out of the grasp of Fergal Flanagan.
Cavan 1-12
Fermanagh 0-11
A disastrous back pass from midfielder Eoin Donnelly six minutes from time gifted Cavan a fortuitous goal and it was a score which effectively sealed this opening day fixture for the home side.
In the end Cavan who had come into the game as very warm favourites claimed a four point success and over the course of the seventy plus minutes the Breiffni side were worthy of their victory but it had all become something of a struggle for them.
Fermanagh may have departed the venue still chasing a first win for new manager Peter McGrath, but the Erne side can certainly take a lot of positives from their performance.
And they can look to what lies ahead with a fair measure of confidence that wins can be chiselled out over the remainder of the campaign.
The Fermanagh team on duty for Sunday was decidedly blunted up front by the absence of the attacking spearhead of the Quigley and elsewhere there was a lacing of debutants at this level of the game, the Cullen brothers, Tiarnan Daly and Conal Jones.
Out of the reckoning too were experienced Barry Mulrone and Brian Cox so again the side on duty had a makeshift look about it and there was no questioning the pre match view that they were going to have a real hard battle on their hands against a Cavan squad who are on the rise.
But Fermanagh managed to put in a commendable effort so much so that as the game moved into the final quarter there was the whiff of a surprise result in the offing.
The team had faced into a stiff breeze in the opening half and had rode their fortune to some degree as Cavan who had a lot of attacking possession didn’t make particularly consistent use of it.
At the turnover the gap between the sides was six points on a scoreboard of 0-10 to 0-4 and with the wind now to assist them Fermanagh were by no means out of the hunt.
Over the course of the half they did make significant inroads into the deficit and when Ryan Jones smoothly tossed over a fine point ten minutes from time to make it a mere two points gap the alarm bell ringing in the Cavan camp was all too evident.
But Fermanagh had suffered a setback with the departure of centre back Ryan McCluskey on a black card and this robbed the defence of a key figure over the run in to the finish.
Still there was the chance of getting something from the contest but that chance was killed off by the goal and Cavan comfortably enough came through in the end.
For Fermanagh defender John Woods had a fine match and his adventurous raiding up the park was to create a number of opportunities.
Ryan Jones had a good second half and Tomás Corrigan took responsibility for the place kicking in the absence of the Quigley brothers and he was to shoot an admirable tally of seven points in all, one placed kick in the opening half especially memorable.
And elsewhere in the lineout there were a number of diligent contributions, substitute Eamon Maguire chipping in with two neat scores late on and the Cullen brothers serving notice that they can hold their own.
So despite the defeat there was a distinct air of optimism circling around the Fermanagh support as they exited the ground, a definite change from the grim pessimism that enveloped them back in July following the Qualifier debacle.
Cavan were never to be behind last Sunday, they notched their first score inside a matter of seconds midfielder David Givney knocking over a shot but inaccuracy soon surfaced and they had a number of wides over the next few minutes as they pressed Fermanagh back.
Fermanagh did level with a Tomás Corrigan free but the Erne attacks were to be sporadic and Cavan with a firm grip around the middle of the park gradually pulled out in front.
Corner forward Eugene Keating very much the talisman for the home side and he was to regularly hit the target as Fermanagh were unable to curtail him.
But the Erne side doggedly stuck at the job and they had some success with Corrigan shooting three more scores prior to the break.
Over the second half Fermanagh were to play some enterprising football and as the half progressed they did eat into the deficit as Cavan lost their way to some extent.
With Corrigan slipping over the placed kicks and scores from play supplied by Eamon Maguire, Lee Cullen and Ryan Jones an unlikely result was shaping up until the catastrophic error had a goal on a plate to Cavan’s wing back Fergal Flanagan.
Teams:
Fermanagh
Chris Snow; John Woods; Che Cullen; Marty O’ Brien; Declan McCusker; Ryan McCluskey; Tiarnan Daly; Eoin Donnelly; Richard O’Callaghan; Lee Cullen; Ryan Jones; Conal Jones; Paul McCusker; Niall Cassidy; Tomás Corrigan; Subs; Stephen McElrone for N Cassidy(black card); Eamon Maguire for C Jones; Eddie Courtney for R Mc Cluskey (black card); Ronan Ormsby for P McCusker; Tommy McElroy for R O’Callaghan;
Cavan
Conor Gilsenan; Joshua Hayes; Rory Dunne; Killian Brady; James McEnroe; Alan Clarke; Fergal Flanagan; David Givney; Turloc Mooney; Cian Mackey; Michael Lyng; Martin Reilly; Niall McDermott; Kevin Tierney; Eugene Keating; Subs; Killian Clarke for T Mooney; Niall Smith for J McEnroe; Martin Dunne for C Mackey; Michael Argue for K Tierney; Niall Murray for M Reilly.
Referee; Eddie Kinsella ; Laois.