By Niall Gartland

THERE’S a feeling of optimism in Cavan as they gear up for Saturday’s Division Two encounter against Cork in Pairc Ui Chaoimh.

They’ve won one and lost one after two games, but performances have been stellar and they’ll be favourites to get the better of a Cork side already in dire straits with nothing to show for their efforts thus far.

Cavan’s most recent clash, against Donegal, was always going to be a stern test of their credentials, and while they lost by a point, the performance certainly wasn’t lacking. Niall Carolan continues to look like the real deal and Padraig Faulker was outstanding at the back while other key names like Ciaran Brady and Dara McVeey posed a lot of problems with their driving runs at the heart of the Donegal defence.

If there was one area of concern, it’s the fact that their inside forward line struggled to make an impact on the day. Yes Paddy Lynch scored five frees but none of the full-forward line scored from play so that’s an obvious source for improvement.

It didn’t help matters in an attacking sense that Oisin Brady and Oisin Kiernan, well capable of lofting over long-range points, were unavailable, but they’d still like to see a bit more gusto from their targetman Lynch, who has it in his locker to wreak havoc when he’s on the top of his game. On the plus side, Caoimhin O’Reilly made a really positive impression when sprung from the bench, kicking a wonderpoint.

Another issue of sorts was Cavan’s kick-out retention as they struggled to gain possession from their own re-starts against Donegal but on the whole it was another positive performance where they showed plenty of pride in the jersey.

Cork have looked very lacklustre to date but they’re a wounded animal and simply need to win this game. If Cavan don’t get complacent, they should pick up the victory all the same.