Only a win will do for the Royals in Wexford
THE mathematics are straightforward for holders Meath as they travel to the unfamiliar surroundings of O’Kennedy Park in New Ross to take on Wexford in their final Group 3 Bord na Mona O’Byrne Cup tie on Saturday afternoon (2.0).
Anything less than a victory will not be enough for the Royals to secure a last-four spot and at least another competitive outing prior to the opening-round NFL Division 2 tie at home to Tipperary on the last Sunday in January.
After an impressive 3-11 to 0-6 victory over Laois in their first O’Byrne Cup fixture before Christmas, the Royals fielded a very experimental side for the visit of Longford in their second match and were beaten by the minimum, 1-5 to 0-9.
Wexford, on the other hand, started with a win against the team not in their group, Louth, and followed that up with a 2-13 to 1-11 victory over Laois in Enniscorthy.
Robert Franey and Niall Hughes were the goalscorers for Paul McLoughlin’s side, who will operate out of Division 4 in the forthcoming league campaign.
The Meath team to take the field on Saturday is likely to be much closer to the one that registered a rare win over Dublin in the Sean Cox fundraiser, than that which lost to Longford.
Newcomer Ronan Ryan (Summerhill) has performed solidly in recent outings and if he has recovered from the knock picked up against Dublin he will likely be given a further opportunity to nail down a corner back slot.
The return of Mickey Newman to the panel has added options in attack and the Kilmainham clubman will probably get another run to help improve his fitness.
Simonstown Gaels’ Niall Kane has slotted in nicely at wing back, while Na Fianna’s Ethan Devine is another player worth persisting with.
Even with a number of newcomers in the team, Meath will need to be winning this one if they are to mount a serious push for promotion in the league.