Colm O’Rourke’s team appeared to be on the cusp of reaching the final after an impressive second-half scoring spree. They netted 1-7 without any response, resulting in an eight-point lead with just over 15 minutes remaining.
However, Antrim managed to claw their way back into the game with a goal from Patrick McBride. McBride capitalized on a rebounded point attempt, narrowing the gap to a mere two points. The tension began to rise for Meath as their opponents reduced the deficit to a minimum on two occasions.
Fortunately, two points from Mathew Costello and a score from Jordan Morris, who ended the match with an impressive tally of 1-4, all from open play, restored stability to the Meath side.
Former Meath manager Andy McEntee’s Antrim initially dominated proceedings, establishing a 0-5 to 0-2 lead after just 11 minutes. Antrim’s counter-attacks caused significant problems for Meath.
However, Meath soon equalized through a well-executed goal from Aaron Lynch. The goal epitomized the first half, with a series of events involving interceptions, spilled possession, and an eventual finish by Lynch.
Dominic McEnhill and Jordan Morris traded scores, and then Mathew Costello gave Meath the lead for the first time in the game after 22 minutes.
Yet, amid a half rife with errors, Meath conceded a penalty. Ruairi McCann’s presence near the goalmouth caused havoc, resulting in Harry O’Higgins fouling him inside the box. McEnhill successfully converted the penalty, putting Antrim ahead 1-6 to 1-4. Lynch’s mark and a point from O’Connor leveled the scores, and Meath even had a good chance to score a goal, but Michael Byrne made an impressive save to deny Costello.
Byrne had the final say of the first half, converting a ’45 to give Antrim a slim 1-7 to 1-6 advantage going into halftime.
At the start of the second half, Antrim secured the first point, but Meath quickly took control. Morris showcased excellent footwork to score Meath’s second goal, leaving the Royals comfortably ahead at 2-13 to 1-8 by the 55th minute.
Antrim staged a comeback, scoring 1-4 of their own without reply to narrow the gap to just one point. However, they couldn’t draw level, and Meath held on for the victory, marking a somber day for GAA in the county following the tragic passing of Denis Kealy in a road accident.
Scorers for Meath included J Morris with 1-4, A Lynch with 1-2 (including a penalty), and M Costello with 0-4 (including a free). Other contributors were J Flynn, J O’Connor, C Gray, J McEntee, and C Hickey with a point each. Antrim’s scorers consisted of D McEnhill with 1-3 (including a penalty and two frees), P McBride with 1-1, A Loughran with 0-3, M Byrne (including a free and ’45), and D McAleese with 0-2 each, and R McCann (St Mary’s), R McCann (Creggan), and O Eastwood with a point each.
The Meath team comprised of S Brennan, A O’Neill, R Ryan, H O’Higgins, D Keogan, P Harnan, S Coffey, J Flynn, C Gray, C Hickey, J McEntee, J O’Connor, J Morris, M Costello, and A Lynch. Substitutions included C Caulfield for O’Higgins at halftime, D Lenihan for McEntee at the 51st minute, C O’Sullivan for Lynch at the 53rd minute, D McGowan for O’Connor at the 55th minute, and R Jones for Hickey at the 65th minute.
Antrim’s lineup featured M Byrne, P McCormick, P Healy, E McCabe, D McAleese, D Lynch, M Jordan, J Finnegan, C Hynds, P McBride, A Loughran, R McCann (Creggan), R Boyle, R McCann (St Mary’s), and D McEnhill. Substitutes included G Walsh for Healy in the 17th minute, E Quinn for Finnegan in the 51st minute, C Johnston for R McCann (Creggan), C McLarnon for McBride in the 63rd minute, and O Eastwood for Loughran in the 70th minute.
The match was officiated by B Judge from Sligo.
Denial of responsibility! VigourTimes is an automatic aggregator of Global media. In each content, the hyperlink to the primary source is specified. All trademarks belong to their rightful owners, and all materials to their authors. For any complaint, please reach us at – [email protected]. We will take necessary action within 24 hours.
