Meath 0-11 Galway 0-10:SO POOR were the two sides at Páirc Tailteann on Saturday evening the argument could be put forward that neither side deserved to advance to the third round of the qualifiers.
After Galway held the lead twice in the closing stages, a point from Stephen Bray proved a winner as Meath advanced to the last 16. Then in the last of the four added minutes Cormac Bane had a great opportunity to steal the win only for Brendan Murphy to block.
Bane could have taken the option of putting the ball over the bar and sending the tie to extra-time but Galway manager Tomás Ó Flatharta said the corner-forward took the right option in going for the goal.
That closing act brought the curtain down on a deplorable second period in which both sets of forwards were guilty of dire finishing. After dominating the first-half exchanges, Meath should have had more than four points (0-8 to 0-4) to spare at the break.
Galway suffered a blow when Michael Meehan was forced to retire with a dislocated shoulder after 23 minutes.
The home side had seven different scorers in the first half, with Bray putting over two points. After showing some flashes of attacking brilliance in the first half, Meath took half an hour to get on target after switching ends.
They can thank some stern defending for getting over this hurdle as Kevin Reilly’s return improved the Royals’ rearguard.
Despite the mediocrity of the second half, Séamus McEnaney was taking pluses from the game. “We created plenty of scoring chances and if some of them had been converted at the start of the second half, we could have run out easy winners,” he said.
Meath supporters in the 15,000 crowd saw their side outplayed for spells in the second period. Five successive scores had Galway ahead on 62 minutes, with the impressive Gareth Bradshaw levelling and Matthew Clancy edging them ahead.
Substitute Graham Reilly ended Meath’s long barren spell, Johnny Duane edged the visitors back in front before another replacement, Brian Farrell, levelled matters for the fifth time. A Bray shot from the left proved to be the winner before Murphy came to the rescue with the late late stop.
MEATH: B Murphy; G O’Brien (0-1), K Reilly, C O’Connor; C Lenehan, S McAnarney (0-1), C King; S O’Rourke (0-1), B Meade (0-1); P Gilsenan, J Sheridan (0-1), S Kenny; S Bray (0-3), P O’Rourke, C Ward (0-1, free). Subs: G Reilly (0-1) for Gilsenan (40 mins), B Farrell (0-1) for P O’Rourke (45 mins), M Ward for C Ward (54 mins), E Reilly for King, N Crawford for Meade (both 64 mins).
GALWAY: A Faherty; J Duane (0-1), F Hanley, C Forde; G Bradshaw (0-1), D Blake, G Sice; J Bergin, F Ó Curraoin; T Flynn, M Hehir, M Clancy (0-1); M Meehan, P Joyce (0-4, 0-1 free), C Bane (0-3, 0-1 free). Subs: F Breathnach for Meehan (23 mins), P Conroy for Bergin (53 mins), E Concannon for Hehir (55 mins), M Boyle for Clancy (70 mins).
Referee: M Collins (Cork).
