MEATH…1-19
LONGFORD…3-10
My late father would have called it a performance that was like the Curate’s Egg – good in spots. But the Meath Minors were good in enough spots to keep themselves ticking over as they saw off the challenge of a plucky home side in Clonguish on Thursday night to advance to the knockout stages of the Leinster MFC.
The game took on a very definite pattern, where Meath would get a spurt of scores only for Longford to hit back with a goal and put the eventual outcome back into the melting pot once again. Robbie Johnson and Niall Lawless and Stephen Cahill had got the scoring under way before Nathan Reilly grabbed the game by the scruff of the neck, allowing Joe Cowley’s side lead by 0-06 to 0-00 early on and by 0-09 to 1-05 at the turnaround with Cormac Mulligan spiking the ball to the Meath net, volleyball-esque.
Immediately after the restart, the local’s talisman James Flynn followed up a shot brilliantly saved by Kian Campbell before netting to give Longford the lead for the first time. It didn’t last long though as Simonstown youngster Reilly hit four points on the spin to leave it Meath 0-13, Longford 2-05.
Thereafter, Meath’s bench made what was ultimately the telling contribution as scores from Sean Delaney (three), Lewis Ryan and an Adam McEvoy goal seemed to have finally killed off a very plucky Longford challenge, though the home side did notch a third goal very late on, though the three point final margin was more than a little flattering to the hosts.
For their part, Meath now look forward to, if yours truly was reading the draw properly, playing the winners of the clash between Offaly and Wicklow in a Leinster quarter final.
SCORERS – N. Reilly (0-8, 2F), A. McEvoy (1-0), S. Delaney (0-3, 1x2PT), R. Johnson and S. Cahill (0-2 each), D. Byrne, C. Murray and L. Ryan (0-1 each).
MEATH – K. Campbell; C. O’Connor, C. O’Sullivan, G. Callaghan; T. Foley, E. McBrearty, N. Lawless; D. Byrne, C. Gallagher; W. Byrne, C. Murphy, R. Johnson; C. Murray, S. Cahill, N. Reilly.
SUBS – A. McEvoy for Murray, S. Delaney for Byrne, J. Foley for Johnson, L. Ryan for T. Foley, L. Casey for Lawless.
Referee: Seamus Farrelly (Dublin).
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