Tailteann Cup: Cavan thump Offaly to reach last eight but Down face preliminary tie after Meath loss

Substitute Daithi McGowan celebrates after his late point helped Meath to victory against Down

Cavan secured direct passage to the Tailteann Cup quarter-finals by hammering Offaly but Down face a preliminary tie after losing to Meath.

Brandon Boylan's two goals helped Cavan thump 13-man Offaly 2-25 to 2-9, with the Faithful County having Dylan Hyland and Jack McEvoy sent off.

Down rued 16 wides as they were edged out 1-11 to 1-9 at Parnell Park.

Odhran Murdock hit Down's second-half but they now face a preliminary quarter-final following their defeat.

Both Down and Meath went into the game with two wins from their opening two Group Two games but the Royal County's win means they are guaranteed a home quarter-final.

Down's next match will see them host either a side who finished third in their group or New York.

Conor Laverty's Down knew a draw would be enough to seal a home quarter-final after two victories against Tipperary and Waterford.

Down will have home advantage in the preliminary quarter-finals after finishing second behind Meath in Group Two

The Mourne County were facing a Meath side who had also secured two morale-boosting victories after a disappointing sixth place finish in Division Two saw them miss out on qualification to the All-Ireland series.

It was nip and tuck for the majority of the game, with the teams exchanging early points, before Jordan Morris tucked home a penalty on 11 minutes to put Meath ahead.

They added two more points after a bright opening to move into a three-point lead, before the Mournemen grew into the game in the latter stages of the first period.

Pat Havern scored four points with Niall Kane converting a '45 to draw Down level just before the break before a converted mark from Matthew Costello left the Royals 1-4 to 0-6 ahead at the break.

Down regained the lead on 48 minutes after a lively start to the second half. as Odhran Murdock took advantage of some poor defending with a powerful run and finish to take his side to 1-7.

However, substitute Daithi McGowan made an immediate impact for the Royals, hauling Meath level, before the impressive Jordan Morris put them back in front.

Havern brought Down back on level terms for the fifth time in the game with a free, and Laverty's men thought goalkeeper Niall Kane had secured the draw late in the game as he denied Cathal Hickey a goal from close range.

Down were unable to hold off the pressure in injury time, however, as McGowan converted a '45 to again put Meath ahead, with Donal Lenihan scoring a late free to ensure victory for Colm O'Rourke's side.

Brandon Boylan hit both Cavan's goals in their dominant win over Offaly in Longford

At Pearse Park in Longford, Cavan recovered from conceding a sloppy goal early on to lead 1-11 to 1-4 by half-time.

Offaly's sixth-minute goal came after Cavan full-back Cian Reilly misjudged a long ball which allowed Anton Sullivan to hammer past Raymond Galligan.

However Cavan responded with an unanswered 1-5 which included Boylan's first goal after Ciaran Brady set up an fast attack by winning possession in midfield.

Cavan produced a refreshing brand of direct football and had 13 men on the scoresheet.

Trailing by seven at half-time, Offaly needed a fast start to the second half but they couldn't get any closer than six down after 44 minutes.

The margin was 11 by the 58th minute after the Faithful County had been reduced to 13 men, with Hyland and McEvoy both receiving straight red cards when an initial outbreak of hostilities with Cavan's Paddy Lynch had led to a melee.

Boylan hammered in his second goal just after the hour mark, with Offaly's immaterial late major coming when the Cavan defence again failed to deal with another high ball as Joe Maher fired past Galligan.