DERRY defended as if their lives depended on it in the last few minutes to secure a one-point win over Cavan in Saturday night’s Alianz National Footbal League Division Two clash at Breffni Park.
Cailean O’Boyle palmed into the net right at the start of the second half to give Derry the lead.
Cavan fought back and, and with their tails lifted buoyed by a Michael Aruge goal, edged into a 1-9 to 1-8 lead through a Ciam Mackey point.
Three points by Mark Lynch and one from Shane Heavron proved enough to see Derry achieve the narrow victory to make it two wins out of two of Damian Barton’s men.
Derry beat Fermanagh on the opening weekend at Celtic Park are top of Division Two with the maximum four points.
But for Cavan it was a second defeat of the campaign.
Cavan held a slender 0-6 to 0-5 half time lead.
Derry should have been in front but Ryan Bell failed to score a penalty hitting it down the throat of Cavan keeper Raymond Galligan.
Eugene Keating and Gearoid McKernan landed two points each for Cavan whose other scores in the first half came from Dara McVeety, Paul O’Connor and Tomas Corr.
Glen clubman Ciaran McFaul scored twice for Derry and their other points before the break were provided by corner half-back Mark Craig, a James Kielt free and Emmett Bradley.
Having trailed at the interval, O’Boyle’s goal and another score by Kielt quickly had the Oak Leafers three points up.
Cavan, desperate to get off the mark in the league on their own ground, fought back and levelled with substitute Argue hammered the ball into the net.
It was nip and tuck right up to the end, with Derry blocking a string of Cavan attempts to score in stoppage time.
But Derry clung on for a well deserved one point lead.