Cavan 0-13 Armagh 0-17

Armagh reached the Ulster SFC semi-final with a first ever Championship win at Breffni Park.

And it was the experienced members of the Orchard side that helped them carve out a deserved victory.
 
A towering midfield performance from Paul McGrane and a solid return to action by full-back Francie Bellew, allied to a six points tally from Steven McDonnell, broke the resolve of the Breffni men.
 
Armagh led by four points at the break, and despite a spirited challenge from the home side in the second half, the sides were still separated by four at the final whistle.
 
Armagh built upon the solid midfield platform provided by McGrane and Kieran Toner, with Martin O'Rourke winning an enormous amount of breaking ball, and eased into a three point lead through Stephen and Aaron Kernan, Ronan Clarke and McGrane.
 
Cavan dangerman Seanie Johnston was blotted out of the game by Andy Mallon, while Dermot McCabe's deployment at full-forward failed to have the desired effect.
 
In a bid to reverse the Orchard midfield dominance, Breffni boss Donal Keogan introduced Lorcan Mulvey and brought McCabe out to the central area.
 
Cian Mackey, Martin Reilly and Mark McKeever had all hit the target from play by that stage, but the switches failed to turn the tide, and Armagh dominance continued through the second quarter, with Stephen McDonnell landing three points, one of them from a '45'.
 
A Johnston free and another Mackey effort kept Cavan in touch, but at the halfway stage they trailed by 0-09 to 0-05.
 
Armagh continued to call the shots after the restart, and a golden goal chance was spurned by Stephen Kernan, who somehow managed to strike a post with the net at his mercy, after exchanging passes with Clarke.
 
But Johnston finally managed to get the space to fist his first score from play, and with 10 minutes played in the second half, just three points separated the sides.
 
Cavan goalkeeper James Reilly, who had already denied Clarke, produced another superb stop to thwart McDonnell and keep the Breffni men very much in the game as the contest entered its final quarter.
 
But Armagh were able to break away for important scores from Toner, Aaron Kernan, and McDonnell, with his sixth as the visitors earned a place in the Ulster semi-final. 
 
Cavan: J Reilly, M Hannon, R Dunne, P O'Reilly, B Watters, A Forde, M Cahill, M McDonald, D McCabe (0-03, 2f), M Reilly (0-01), M McKeever (0-01), C Mackey (0-02), S Johnston (0-06, 3f), R Flanagan, J O'Reilly.
Subs: L Mulvey for McDonald, S Brady for J O'Reilly, E O'Reilly for M Reilly, McDonald for Mulvey
 
Armagh: P Hearty, A Mallon, F Bellew, F Moriarty, C Vernon (0-01), A O'Rourke, C McKeever, P McGrane (0-01), K Toner (0-01), A Kernan (0-02, 1f), S Kernan (0-03), M O'Rourke, S McDonnell (0-06, 1f, 1 '45'), R Clarke (0-02), P McKeever (0-01).
Subs: T Kernan for S Kernan,B Mallon for M O'Rourke.
 
Referee: D Coldrick (Meath).