Minor footballers well beaten by Meath in first round clash

Meath 4-10, Westmeath 0-10

While two injury-time goals from Meath sub Robert Johnson may have distorted the scoreline somewhat, there is no denying that the home team deserved their win against an under-performing Westmeath outfit in the first game for both in the Leinster minor football championship played in unpleasant conditions in Navan last Saturday afternoon.

Aided by the wind in the first half, the Royal County youngsters were full value for their ten-point lead at the break, and despite a spirited effort by the visitors in the third quarter they were never able to really eat into the winners’ advantage at any stage, albeit Lady Luck deserted David Geoghegan’s charges on a number of occasions as they tried to fight their way back into contention, with their marquee player Will Scahill particularly unlucky more than once.

Westmeath owned the ball for the opening two minutes, but Meath were patient and their first attack in the third minute yielded a very well-taken goal from Adam McEvoy. A similar pattern ensued prior to the home team’s opening point from the boot of Stephen Cahill in the fifth minute.

The aforementioned Scahill kicked the game’s first wide some two minutes later before Joe Cowley’s troops quickly extended their lead to nine points, courtesy of a quality two-pointer from the excellent Nathan Reilly and three points from frees by towering midfielder Charlie Gallagher (a one- and a two-pointer respectively).

Great work by Scahill presented Dean Kelly with a difficult goal chance in the 13th minute, but the Milltownpass lad’s angled shot just missed the target. The two skippers soon traded points – Scahill (a routine free – the award seemed soft) and Eoghan McBrearty (after Meath had won a throw-in). Scahill, who always looked a quality footballer in possession, doubled his tally from frees in the 25th minute, but an outstanding and quickfire brace of points from Reilly stretched the advantage for the young men in green and gold. The losers chalked up three wides from scoreable positions before the break, leaving them with a mountain to climb when trailing by 1-9 to 0-2 at half-time.

Fine goalkeeping by John Paul and equally good defending by Tomás Brennan prevented Reilly and Johnson respectively from finding the net directly from the throw-in to the second half. Scahill’s run of bad luck then started, his effort from a two-point free coming back off the upright, before he kicked a great one-pointer from play.

Fine play by Sean Whittaker teed up Finn Higgins for a point, and Scahill was denied a two-pointer from a free by the outstretched fingers of Kian Campbell and a white flag was the outcome. Another two-point attempt by the young Shandonagh maestro came back off the post in the 39th minute.

Meath made the most of their undoubted good fortune by pouncing for a nerve-settling goal in the 45th minute, Reilly doing very well to scuttle the ball over the line under pressure. A laboured point from sub Rory McCaul ensued at the other end, but there was no way back for the lads in maroon and white at this juncture.

Goalkeeper Paul did well to prevent Cahill from finding the net at the expense of an unconverted ‘45’ before Scahill was black-carded in the 55th minute. Reilly converted a routine free some four minutes later.

An unfortunate injury to Meath sub Luke Kenny significantly delayed the resumption of play, ironically allowing Scahill to play during the closing stages when it looked like his on-field time was over.

Westmeath scored their only two-pointers of the afternoon in added-time – Whittaker from a free and Sean Keegan from play – but sandwiched between these their opponents netted twice. Both goals were scored by Johnson – a converted penalty, after Murphy had been fouled, and a coolly-taken second from play moments later.

Scorers – Meath: N Reilly 1-5 (1 2pt, 1f), R Johnson (2-0, 1-0 pen), C Gallagher 0-3 (1 2ptf, 1f), A McEvoy 1-0, S Cahill, E McBrearty 0-1 each. Westmeath: W Scahill 0-4 (3f), S Keegan (2pt), S Whittaker (2ptf) 0-2 each, R McCaul, F Higgins 0-1 each.

Meath: Kian Campbell; Charlie O'Connor, Conall O'Sullivan, Glen Callaghan; Tadhg Foley, Eoghan McBrearty, Niall Lawless; Declan Byrne, Charlie Gallagher; Will Byrne, Cillian Murphy, Jeff Foley; Adam McEvoy, Stephen Cahill, Nathan Reilly. Subs used: Robert Johnson for J Foley (h-t), Max Condon for T Foley (39), Sean Smyth for Johnson (blood, 45-50), Sean Smyth for Byrne (51), Luke Kenny for McEvoy (56), Sean Delaney for Kenny (inj., 60).

Westmeath: John Paul; Tomás Brennan, Eoin Donohue, Seán Byrne; Conor Casey, Oisín McCauley, Sean Keegan; Cian Fleming, Dillon Burke; Aaron Connaire, Will Scahill, Finn Higgins; Jack Duignan, Dean Kelly, Sean Whittaker. Subs used: Conor Cleary for Connaire (inj., 39), Rory McCaul for Fleming (43), Ross Tully for McCauley (blood, 49-51), Ross Tully for Casey (56), Sean Graham for Kelly (60), William Geraghty for Duignan (60).

Ref: Dan Stynes (Dublin).