All-Ireland SFC Round 2B: Cavan 0-16 Dublin 1-24Eventually it turned out uneventfully. Dublin, trailing two championship defeats without silver lining, came to Breffni Park and cruised home against a Cavan side that competed feistily, still being within a score by the 56th minute, but ultimately ran out of steam.Ger Brennan, sidelined by suspension for 12 weeks until Sunday, took charge of his first championship match as Dublin manager, having been exiled to the stands for the Leinster championship and first All-Ireland round.He was happy to be still in the game for Monday’s All-Ireland draw and noted the improved defensive performance after conceding four goals to Louth the last time out.There was also a good scoring impact off the bench with six points kicked between the impressive Colm Basquel, Ross McGarry and Seán Guiden.By then Cavan were wilting. Manager Dermot McCabe lamented afterwards that his team had sacrificed a decent half-time lead to wasteful shooting and instead trailed by one, 0-13 to 0-12.They had hit seven wides and it undermined the momentum they had built by competing on equal terms for the opening 35 minutes. The tendency to porous defending was occasionally exhibited by the visitors and Cavan made inroads and kept up on the scoreboard.Gerard Smith powered into space and kicked two points but also a wide. Emmanuel Shehu, a bundle of energy, got another and in successive minutes, the 21st and 22nd, first Conor Brady and then Paddy Lynch nailed two-pointers for them to lead by two, 0-9 to 0-7.This was just what the home team needed, reward for their pressure and the gradual lifting of any inhibitions they might have had about facing a county they had never previously beaten in the championship.Cavan’s Emmanuel Shehu and Cormac Costello of Dublin in action. Photograph: Ryan Byrne/Inpho Maybe it was ominous that almost immediately Con O’Callaghan kicked Dublin’s only two-pointer of the day to draw level but there was very little in the contest. This was partly due to Dublin’s enduring ability to murder goal chances, but in general they didn’t kick a wide in the first half, proving economical in the matter of point scoring at least.O’Callaghan looked to have a great chance of a goal in the 17th minute but opted to play the ball into the square and was dispossessed by Brian O’Connell’s interception. In the end Niall Scully took a point when the ball went loose again but the pattern was repeated throughout the match, a final pass ignored, a shot blocked over the bar, a ball not controlled properly as it ran in the square, a point conservatively taken rather than an attempt at goal.The second half started as competitively as the first but gradually Dublin pulled away. Basquel had come on in the 20th minute as replacement for Cormac Costello, after the latter’s attempts to run off a dead leg had ended with no relief.O’Callaghan’s total of 1-9 was a sizeable deposit in the winning margin and he remains the team’s most dangerous forward, but he isn’t quite firing on all cylinders yet after a wretched couple of years with injury. Half of the starting team have lined out for All-Ireland finals but the other half are still finding their feet.Scully is one of the former group and he has risen to the leadership challenge, his acuity on the ball and accurate kick-passing an important part of the team’s weaponry. He was left frustrated after a good defensive turnover, when in acres of space on the wing he watched Peadar Ó Cofaigh Byrne’s kicked pass from the back travel over his head like a migratory bird.Scully himself mislaid a hand-pass shortly afterwards – a rare lapse – but it was all part of an at times untidy team display, which Brennan will look to improve before next week and whatever Monday’s draw brings.Referee Liam Devenney had an odd match, overlooking some gothic fouls and earning the displeasure of the home crowd when penalising goalkeeper Liam Brady for a delay in taking a kick-out. The pressure ultimately fell on Dublin’s Evan Comerford, whose every restart was barracked until he got the kick away.On then foul front, the referee evened things up by outraging the Cavan support with a couple of second-half decisions but nothing of decisive influence as the home side watched the match drift beyond them.Cavan manager Dermot McCabe shakes hands with Dublin boss Ger Brennan after the game. Photograph: Ryan Byrne/Inpho McCabe acknowledged the good turnout for the match, 14,486, which created an atmospheric contest.“We’re extremely grateful for the support that came here for Cavan and we did give them something to shout about, but we’re just disappointed that we didn’t give them the last 15 minutes that they deserved.“I suppose we’ve had new lads come in – new lads that have started with us over the course of the championship. I’m sure we’re up near eight or nine debutants as regards that.”His players looked to have tired in the last quarter. Even their inaccuracies, which began as poor shot selection or execution for wides began to tire and the last three misses were kicks dropped short.In a way the final margin flattered Dublin a bit. Basquel was taken down for a penalty in the 66th minute and O’Callaghan converted well for a 1-23 to 0-16 lead.Brennan afterwards acknowledged the impact of his replacements.“The subs that came in today kept the energy levels high and added value when they came in. So that’s probably a positive, we probably haven’t had that impact from the bench in some of our games recently. so that’s a positive in itself.”CAVAN: L Brady; J Tynan, B O’Connell, N Carolan; G Smith (0-0-3), J McLoughlin, T Madden (0-0-2, 1f); Conor Brady (0-1-0), P Meade; Ciarán Brady (capt), B Donnelly, E Shehu (0-0-3); R Donohue, P Lynch (0-1-3, 1f), D Lovett (0-0-1).Subs: O Brady for P Donnelly (43 mins); D McVeety for R Donohoe (52); Cormac Brady for J Tynan (61); C Madden for D Lovett (64); R Tobin for J McLoughlin (65).DUBLIN: E Comerford; S MacMahon, T Clancy, D Byrne; C McMorrow (0-0-1), N Doran, L Gannon (0-0-2); B Howard, P Ó Cofaigh-Byrne; G McEneaney, N Scully (0-0-1), C Kilkenny; P Small (0-0-3), C O’Callaghan (capt) (1-1-7, 1-0 pen, 2f), C Costello (0-0-2, 1f). Subs: C Basquel (0-0-2) for C Costello (inj, 20 mins); R McGarry (0-0-3) for G McEneaney (40); E Kennedy for B Howard (49); S Guiden (0-0-1) for P Small (63); T Deering for L Gannon (67). Referee: L Devenney (Mayo).