Meath 2-07 Armagh 2-07 Anyone who feels that the National League does not matter should have been at Navan's Pairc Tailteann for an enthralling clash which was fought with all the intensity of a championship encounter.
While both sides had chances to snatch both points at the end, a share of them was probably the fairest outcome to a match in which both sides played better against the stiff and cold breeze than with it.
All of the four goals were scored against the wind and Armagh looked to be well on the way to victory when leading by five points after 26 minutes.
However, Meath dug very deep and fought back to lead by the minimum on a couple of occasions in the second half.
As well as some misses in the closing stages, Meath were left to rue kicking six wides before Armagh had their first shot outside the uprights. The big home support was stunned by goals from the visitors after 14 and 17 minutes.
Diarmaid Marsden was involved in both scores. For the first the centre forward supplied the last in a string of passes and Martin O'Rourke blasted to the net to leave the board reading 1-1 to 0-1 after Joe Sheridan and Paddy McKeever had slotted over frees.
Then Marsden was left unattended in front of the posts and he gave David Gallagher no chance after being placed with an accurate cross from the left by Stephen McDonnell. Indeed Marsden could have netted again before the break when the scores were 2-3 to 0-6, but for a smart advance by the Meath goalkeeper.
The task for the home side looked to be a big one but with Trevor Giles in outstanding form in the unfamiliar right half-back berth and midfielder Nigel Crawford also influential, they stuck to their guns and got a boost when Charles McCarthy booted in a goal with a ground shot following good work down the right by Niall Kelly in the seventh minute after the restart.
Points from McDonnell and Oisin McConville each side of that goal suggested that Armagh might be about to take control again. But then McCarthy was in the picture again, passing to Joe Sheridan, who fired a rocket of a shot past Paul Hearty.
The latter score arrived 11 minutes into the second half and there were only three scores after that. McConville and Sheridan swopped points before the end of the third quarter and while the scores dried out the excitement certainly did not go away.
Armagh earned the draw when Paddy McKeever drove a '45' over the bar on 62 minutes and another dozen minutes of frenetic action, during which McConville was stretchered off following a collision, failed to yield any further return. McDonnell missed what looked an easy free and then Sheridan was wide from play.
Of the two, Armagh have the better chance of reaching the last four even though facing a tricky assignment in Limerick. Meath, who travel to Sligo, need a few results to go in their favour.
MEATH: D Gallagher; N McKeigue, D Fay, M O'Reilly; R Giles (0-1), T O'Connor, S Kenny; A Moyles, N Crawford; N Kelly, E Kelly (0-1), D Byrne (0-1); B Farrell, C McCarthy (1-0), J Sheridan (1-4, 2 frees, 1 45). Subs: C Murphy for McKeigue (50 mins); Murphy for Farrell (53).
ARMAGH: P Hearty; E McNulty, J McNulty, P McCormack; K. Hughes, T McEntee, A McCann; P Loughran, P McGrane; P McKeever (0-2, free and 45), D Marsden (1-0), O McConville (0-3, 1 free); S McDonnell (0-2), M O'Rourke (1-0). Subs: F Bellew for E McNulty (20); A O'Rourke for McCann (52); S Kernan for McConville (57); R Henderson for Toal (61).
Referee: A Mangan (Kerry).
