Minor Football Leinster Quarter-finals/Meath 2-8 Kildare 0-11: Goals in the second and fourth quarters helped Meath to a surprise win over Kildare in Navan on Saturday.Helped by a strong breeze in the first half, the home side took a while to gain control, but then scored 1-4 without reply in the 15 minutes before half-time.
Wing forward Ciarán Kelly scored five points in the first period and Conor Staunton netted after 26 minutes. Shane O'Rourke, son of the former Meath ace Colm, provided the opening for that score with a well-placed centre.
Meath were cheered off at half-time as if the win were in the bag, but they had some anxious moments in the second period.
With Alan Smith, Mark O'Sullivan and Ciarán Kelly showing well, Kildare posted six unanswered points to cut the deficit to two. But 10 minutes from the end Meath's Chris Carney darted in from the left and struck a brilliant goal.
MEATH: J Ginnity; S Sheppard, M Dowling, C O'Connor; B Smith, D Reynolds, P Howard; R O'Connor, C Carney (1-0); C Kelly (0-5), W Milner, D Devereaux; C Staunton (1-0), S O'Rourke (0-1), B Hanlon (0-1). Subs: P Brady for Sheppard; A Nestor for Hanlon; A Farrell (0-1) for Smith; D Reilly for Milner.
KILDARE: N McConnell; D McInerney, N Higgins, M McDonald; D Brennan, H McGrillen, S Murphy; G White, K Brennan; M Bradley, A Smith (0-3), C Kelly (0-3); B Mullally, M O'Sullivan (0-4), J Cocoman. Subs: C Sullivan for Murphy; J Fogarty (0-1) for Bradley; D Killeen for Cocoman.
Referee: Seán Carroll (Westmeath).
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