MEATH… 2-15
KILDARE… 1-20
All anybody wants and should be entitled to is fair play. Meath got nowhere near that from the officials in this Leinster U-20 FC semi final at Cedral St Conleth’s Park. How these referee appointments are arrived at is another topic entirely, but all anbody wants is for the rules to be applied consistently. It’s not much to ask.
Yet, besides the fact that the Kildare penalty was as soft as melted butter, in the first half the Carlow whistler rightly pinged a Meath player for not releasing the ball and advanced it 50 metres. Correct call, absolutely no problem with that.
However, in the very early stages of the second half, a Kildare player committed the same transgression in not returning the ball to John Harkin for a Meath line ball. Not only was the ball not brought forward, the decision wasn’t even upgraded to a free.
Even discounting all the above though, Cathal O’Bric’s side will wonder how this one got away on them. They flew into action straight away and had 1-04 chalked up before Niall Cronin’s young thoroughbreds got going. With Colin Scanlon netting again and Ben Corkery, Harkin and Cormac O’Donoghue clipping over the points.
The sides did go point for point in the second quarter and, even though the advanced Kildare free left the locals up by 0-12 to 1-07 at the break.
The highly impressive Jimmy Lynch edged the lead out another bit, but even at 1-08 to 0-14, there was still no sense the Royals were in bother. That was most definitely the case seconds later when the impish Cormac O’Donoghue cut through the Kildare defence and buried the leather.
Inches. In their favour at that stage. Seconds later though, the scales tipped the other way. When what was textbook defending was deemed nefarious by the man in the middle, even though one of the backs was hit off the ball.
Anyway, in fairness to Lynch, he duly buried the spot kick and with him, Colm Moran and Ronan Kelly buzzing around the place, the Lilywhites appeared to always have enough to stay beyond the grasp of O’Bric’s boys.
It wasn’t for the want of trying though, as Harkin, Stephen Cahill, Cian Commons and Cormac Smith pointed, but a few frees going one way instead of the other saw a valiant battling effort ran aground.
A gutting defeat, for a lot of reasons. There’s no reason why some or many of these lads can’t go on to wear green and gold at the highest level. Provided, that is, the senior setup doesn’t become a closed shop. That would be counterproductive and a great pity.
Scorers – J. Harkin (0-6), C. Scanlon and C. O’Donoghue (1-1 each), C. Commons (0-4), C. Smith, S. Cahill and B. Corkery (0-1 each).
Meath – F. Moore; C. Yore, S. Jordan, S. Callaghan; C. Smith, C. Scanlon, K. O’Brien; M. McIvor, P. Hennessy; E. McCrudden, J. Harkln, S. Cahill; B. Corkery, C. Commons, C. O’Donoghue.
Subs – A. Ducie for McIvor, S. Delaney for McCrudden, P. Crawley for Corkery, C. O’Hare for O’Brien, E. Kelly for Scanlon.
Referee – James Foley (Carlow)
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