Meath…4-13
Wicklow…1-12
It was a case of job done for Meath as their eye for goal emphasised the gulf in class between the sides in this Leinster SFC quarter final at a damp Pairc Tailteann this afternoon.
The home side started as they meant to go on for as Curraha clubman Jack O’Connor marked his Championship debut by bursting through the middle and shaking the net after nine seconds in the first play of the game. The Garden County did muster a brief flurry of points thereafter but then the ‘Ha’s other representative James McEntee got on the end of a misdirected point attempt and scooped the ball to the net.
Again, Wicklow tacked on a few more points, but Meath finished the half the stronger and a wonderful trademark curling effort from midfielder Bryan Menton left the score 2-05 to 0-07 at the change of ends. This corner would openly admit to be being extremely superstitious, accordingly, seeing Meath attacking into the Navan O’Mahony’s end of the ground after the break is always a positive.
By the third quarter, Meath had ended the match as a contest when a third ‘major’ from substitute Mathew Costello left three clear goals between the sides, 3-08 to 0-08. O’Connor’s early strike was recorded as the fastest in Championship history at just nine seconds, but Ratoath’s Jack Flynn wasn’t much longer on when replicating McEntee’s earlier effort to nicely round off a fine shooting display.
Nobody will or should be pulling up any trees yet. If for no other reason than the nature of the goal conceded in the dying embers of the game isn’t the type of habit you’d want to be getting into. Still, scoring 4-13 whilst having plenty to work on is never a bad way to be.
Meath: H. Hogan; R. Clarke, C. McGill, E. Harkin; J. McEntee (1-0), D. Keogan, C. Hickey; B. Menton (0-4), R. Jones; J. Scully, C. O’Sullivan, J. O’Connor (1-3); J. Morris (0-4), T. O’Reilly (0-2), J. Wallace. Subs – R. Ryan for Hickey, M. Costello (1-0) for Wallace, J. Flynn (1-0) for Jones, J. Muldoon for Harkin, S. Walsh Scully.
Referee: Paul Faloon (An Dun)