Sport

Giles strikes late for Meath

Meath 0-13 Sligo 1-9 Trevor Giles secured victory for battling Meath with a last-gasp point at Markievicz Park yesterday

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Mon Mar 03 2003 - 00:00

Meath 0-13 Sligo 1-9 Trevor Giles secured victory for battling Meath with a last-gasp point at Markievicz Park yesterday. The Skryne man made no mistake from a free deep into stoppage time after Ollie Murphy had squared the match in the 67th minute.

Meath's never-say-die spirit came good in the second half after Sligo had dominated for most of the opening 35 minutes.

Karol O'Neill blasted the ball to the Meath net in the 27th minute after Seán Davey's effort came back off a post to put Sligo 1-7 to 0-5 ahead at half-time.

Murphy opened the scoring with a point in the second minute but Sligo settled after Garry McGowan scored their first point in the seventh minute. Meath failed to score between the 23rd and 35th minutes, during which time the home side bagged a goal and two points.

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Sligo were dealt a hammer blow on the stroke of half-time when full forward Gary Maye was sent off after being booked in the 17th minute.

Murphy reduced the deficit with a point at the start of the second half but Sligo continued to dictate play with a couple of Mark Brehony points putting them ahead by 1-9 to 0-6 in the 41st minute.

Sligo's goal had a let-off after 46 minutes as Meath stepped up a gear. Desperate goal-line clearances by a beleaguered Sligo defence somehow kept Murphy and full forward Shane McKeigue from planting the ball in the net.

The introduction of three substitutions in the space of seven minutes spurred Meath into action and Sligo failed to score after Brehony's point.

Meath began to run riot with Murphy and Giles coming more into the action and as a result Sligo were forced into errors. The concession of a late free-kick in front of goal, which Giles gleefully accepted, broke Sligo's resistance.

Meath manager Seán Boylan was "very relieved" to have won. "Both teams played some marvellous football in the opening half and coming towards the end of the game we would have been happy to have shared the points."

MEATH: C Sullivan; M O'Reilly, D Fay, N McKeigue; P Reynolds, H Traynor, C Reynolds; N Crawford (0-1), J Cullinane; N Kelly, T Giles (0-3, 2 frees), D Curtis; D Regan (0-4, 1 free), S McKeigue (0-1), O Murphy (0-3). Subs: T O'Connor for Fay (31 mins); R McGee for Kelly (half-time); C McCarthy (0-1) for Cullinane (48 mins); A Kenny for P Reynolds (53 mins); C Murphy for C Reynolds (55 mins).

SLIGO: J Curran; N McGuire, N Carew, B Phillips; P Doohan (0-1), M Langan, D Durkin; P Durcan, E O'Hara (0-1); K O'Neill (1-0), K Quinn, S Davey (0-1); M Brehony (0-3, 1 free), G Maye (0-1, free), G McGowan (0-2, 1 free), Subs: P Gallagher for D Durkin (38 mins); J McPartland for O'Neill (57 mins); N Clancy for P Durcan (65 mins); P Taylor for Davey (68 mins); D Sloyane for Brehony (71mins).

Referee: M McGrath (Donegal).