History proves Meath are right to be wary of Longford assignment
MEATH versus Longford with the smell of an upset in the air in the Leinster Football Championship. We’ve been here before.
In the summer of 1982, the Meath Chronicle carried a drawing of a coffin on its front page with ‘Meath Football Team’ printed on the lid.
The reason? The backlash to a 0-12 to 0-11 defeat by Longford in Tullamore was well underway.
In modern times, Longford have used the qualifiers to burnish their reputation as a giant-killing act, humbling the likes of Mayo, Monaghan, Down and Derry.
In 2016, Denis Connerton’s squad even had the distinction of being the only one to inflict a defeat on Jim Gavin’s Dublin, taking down the All-Ireland champions in the O’Byrne Cup – and the visitors to Pearse Park had a starting teamsheet littered with medal winners.
For all the nervousness in Meath about this afternoon’s Leinster quarter-final, things are a world removed from the low ebb of 36 years ago. In ‘The Boylan Years’, Mick Downes recalled the level of disarray.
The same player would captain the team to a first trophy under Sean Boylan when the fall-out to the Longford defeat saw Mick O’Brien step down.
‘Meath’s stock was low at the time,’ he recalled. ‘They were beaten by Wexford and Longford in successive Leinster Championship matches. In the lead-up to the Longford match, training was poor, and it was seldom that there would have been 15 players present. There was a total lack of interest. All that you associate with Meath football now just wasn’t there. Part of the problem was that there were too many chiefs and not enough Indians. There were at least seven people on the selection team – I know the County Board chairman and secretary were part of that – but the set-up was in disarray.
‘I remember Longford in ’82 in particular. It was played in Tullamore and Longford deservedly won it. After that, Mick resigned. Nobody was willing to take on the mantle of the Meath management. As far as I can recall, Gerry McEntee was nominated as manager. His medical career was just taking off at that stage and he was just too busy.’
Funny how the wheel turns. McEntee, after playing a key role in Meath’s double-winning All-Ireland success in 1987-88, is now part of the management team, working alongside his brother, Andy, the manager.
‘It sent shock waves through Meath football,’ admitted Downes. ‘Things were at a very, very low ebb. Meath people take their football extremely seriously. It was embarrassing for all to be involved. But you forget about these things. You get back quickly into club football. I guess what everyone was wondering was who was going to take over?’
If there was a silver lining, it was the appointment of Dunboyne herbalist Boylan who would oversee a remarkable era where the county won four All-Irelands.
The way things fell, Downes ended up as captain when Meath won a first trophy under Boylan, beating none other than Longford in the O’Byrne Cup final in 1983.
No doubt conscious of history, Andy McEntee has made no bones about this tricky first-round fixture.
‘They have a really good record down there beating some very notable teams so I’m sure they are relishing the thought of having us down there. We are under no illusions as to how tough it is going to be.’
The prize for the winners is the daunting prospect of a meeting with Dublin if, as expected, they come through their own quarterfinal against Wicklow and stay on course for an eighth successive Leinster crown.
‘If you are a Longford or a Meath player and you don’t want to get the opportunity to play Dublin in Croke Park then you are in the wrong place,’ said McEntee. ‘I’m not speaking on behalf of Longford here but going back to the attitude that is out there that I don’t understand.
‘If you are playing in any sport, you want to test yourself against the best in the biggest arena you can possibly play in then that’s Dublin in Croke Park so I’m sure Longford are looking at it the same as we are.
‘That’s the prize for either team — I consider it a decent prize,’ added McEntee.