Win over Yeats County is far from poetry in motion
MEATH SLIGO 0-14 1-9
NEARING the end of this All-Ireland Round 2 qualifier a colleague in the press box relayed the story of a scribe who was covering an intercounty tie a number of years ago.
The journalist in question was struggling for an opening to describe what was a lifeless, dour, uneventful and quite boring encounter. However after much soul searching he eventually came up with a ‘gem’ of an opening paragraph - This was muck!
Well the same could be said about the first ever championship meeting between Meath and Sligo at Pairc Tailteann last Saturday evening. The Royals eventually overcame the challenge of the Yeats County but the performance could hardly be described as poetry in motion.
Meath seemed to adopt a lets not lose attitude as they played with 14 players behind the ball at times. Sligo were only slightly more adventurous and it made for a horrid spectacle for the 7,212 paying customers.
The visitors were a trifle unfortunate not to have taken the match to extra-time with substitute James Toher saving Meath’s blushes following a goal line clearance from David Kelly in the final minute of added time as Sligo went in search of an equalising goal.
Kelly eventually blasted the ball over the bar in a crowded goalmouth, much to Meath’s relief. It was that close but Meath’s losing sequence in the qualifiers eventually came to an end as referee Noel Mooney blew the final whistle moments later. The home side were attempting to end a losing streak that stretched back to 2011.
Hopes that Sligo would feel the full force of a Meath backlash following the humiliating defeat to Kildare in the Leinster semi-final never materialised. Indeed it was a rather meek and nervy showing from Andy McEntee’s charges throughout. And even with wind advantage throughout the second half they seemed reluctant to come out of their shell.
Worrying from a Meath viewpoint was their failure to create one decent goal chance throughout, especially disappointing as Antrim put three goals past Sligo in Round One of the qualifiers.
They did outscore the visitors four points to one in the final 10 minutes and this proved the difference between victory and defeat.
However the overall performance gave little confidence that Meath stay in the championship will be an extended one.
There was two late changes to the Meath line up, with James McEntee and Brian Power replacing Donnacha Tobin and James Toher. Eamon Wallace and the injured Bryan McMahon were also non-starters from the first 15 against Kildare.
Power was involved in a schmozzle before the throw-in which earned himself a yellow card and he was walking a tightrope there after and didn’t appear for the second half.
Sligo led through an Adrian Marren pointed free on two minutes and they went on to enjoy a 1- 6 to 0-6 lead at the break. The sides were level in five different occasions in that opening half with Meath ahead by two points at one stage early on.
James McEntee opened Meath’s account and Donal Lenihan (free) and Ronan Jones added further points before Marren replied from a ‘45 and then a free to tie the sides after 13 minutes. Jones was forced out of the action with an injury on 15 minutes and was replaced by James Toher.
Marren’s last contribution to the scoring arrived on 17 minutes when he pointed a free to regain his sides lead. Wing back Shane McEntee cancelled that out before a scary moment in the Meath goalmouth ended with an effort from full forward Pat Hughes was deflected over the bar after Paddy O’Rourke failed to claim a long delivery.
Successive points from captain Graham Reilly and Lenihan (free) regained the lead for Meath before the home side had their opening wide after James Toher missed the target from a free on 28 minutes.
Niall Murphy’s point again left the sides level before Sligo had another goal chance after John Kelly breezed past Pauric Harnan but he shot weakly at Paddy O’Rourke.
However the goal that Sligo threatened finally arrived on the half-hour mark as Gerard O’Kelly-Lynch burst through and succeeded in bundling the ball over the goal line past a number of despairing defenders.
With the breeze at their back in the second half Meath might have been expected to kick on and quickly cancel out the Sligo advantage.
However their cautious approach ensured that they spent most of the half chasing the game despite Sligo limitations.
They were on level terms after Sean Tobin’s point on 53 minutes but Sligo were back in front, 1-8 to 0-10, following a fine long range effort from Neil Ewing.
The introduction of Mickey Newman for his first competitive action of the year following an ankle injury livened up matters and the Kilmainham man was only in the action three minutes when he nailed a free following a foul on Ruairi O Coileain.
Another Newman free pointed Meath in front and Graham Reilly and Tobin then squandered chances to stretch that lead. The game was in the third minute of added time when Tobin converted a ‘45 to ease Meath nerves.
Tobin then added another point before Sligo went agonisingly close to a match-saving goal in the last action of the game. They were forced to settle for a point leaving a somewhat relieved home side with another outing at least to look forward to.
MEATH: Paddy O’Rourke; Donal Keogan, Conor McGill, Mickey Burke; Pauric Harnan, Brian Power, Shane McEntee 0-1; Bryan Menton, Ronan Jones 0-1; James McEntee 0-1, Cillian O’Sullivan 0-1, Graham Reilly 0-2; Ruairi O Coileain, Sean Tobin 0-3 (1 ‘45), Donal Lenihan 0-3 (2f). Subs: James Toher for Jones (15), Brian Conlon for Power (h-t), Thomas O’Reilly for J McEntee (57), Mickey Newman 0-2f, for Lenihan (61), Donnacha Tobin for Harnan (65), Eamon Wallace for O’Sullivan (75).
SLIGO: Aidan Devaney; Ross Donavan, Charlie Harrison, Keelan Cawley; Gerard O’Kelly-Lynch 1-1, Brendan Egan, Neil Ewing 0-1; Adrian McIntyre, Patrick O’Connor; John Kelly, Mark Breheny, Niall Murphy 0-1; Stephen Coen, Pat Hughes 0-1, Adrian Marren 0-4 (3f, 1 ‘45). Subs: Noel Gaughan for Harrison (47), Kyle Cawley for Kelly (48), Kevin McDonnell for Breheny (54), David Kelly 0-1 for Egan (BC 58), Stephen Gilmartin for McIntyre (67), Christopher Davey for O’Connor 72.
REFEREE: N Mooney (Cavan).