Drama at Pairc Tailteann

Following Meath minor footballers provides a good stress test for the heart. Anyone who was at Pairc Tailteann on Saturday for this latest instalment in the Leinster MFC will agree with that assertion as the Royal County reserved their place in the provincial decider with a sensational victory against a multi-talented Longford side. There is nothing like leaving it late to complete a rescue mission if you want to make a dramatic impact. Meath"s latest batch of emerging footballers appear to have honed that skill into a fine art and on Saturday they gave a master class in how to apply that trait successfully. Mark Battersby opened Meath"s account from a free inside 25 seconds, but any thoughts that this was going to be easy were exploded in the third minute when Longford rocked the Royals with a goal. Impressive midfielder Padraig Gill ran through practically unchallenged and rifled to the net past a static Padraig Curran. Just the start the Longford boys needed as they made a brave bid for a place in the Leinster final for the first time since 2002 when they shocked a fancied Meath side at Croke Park by 3-8 to 3-5. Gill"s goal gave the sizeable contingent of Longford supporters in the estimated crowd of 2,000 plenty to cheer about and left the home faithful in a state of disbelief. Time to get worried and only three minutes on the clock? Going into this game, the majority of Meath supporters would have been expecting Pat Coyle"s team to negotiate Longford, especially after their heroic extra-time exploits in the quarter-final which sent Dublin crashing through the exit gate at Parnell Park. When David Ryan won possession from a throw-in under the stand the Skryne player released Darragh Smyth and the Bective teenager claimed a fine point. Soon after Battersby finished to the net after a Longford defender lost possession, but that only offered the home supporters some brief respite. Longford"s Michael Quinn ruled with a reign of terror, in football terms, every time he got the ball. Although selected at full-forward, he was the driving force for his team and consistently launched lethal Longford attacks from deep positions. Twice he was denied a certain goal when Curran saved the initial shot and then the rebound which fell invitingly for JJ Matthews to fist over. By the interval on Saturday, the teams were tied at 1-6 apiece as the sides traded score-for-score and the tempo increased. Any mistake was punished and players on each were guilty of simple errors. All that action really whetted the appetites of the supporters because there was plenty to admire about both teams during the opening 30 minutes. The Meath selectors withdrew Jake Regan at half-time, probably because the Navan O"Mahonys player squandered two close-in frees near the interval. That was good news for Summerhill"s Sean Dalton, but it made no difference to Longford who owned the ball during the third-quarter and presented the hosts with a big character test. Quinn embarked on one of his trademark runs from the throw-in and combined with Shane Mahon to create a point chance for Gill inside 50 seconds. A minute later Quinn sliced through the Meath rearguard again and this time combined with Kevin Diffley who set up JJ Matthews for a fantastic goal. Only two second-half minutes elapsed and Longford were ahead by 2-7 to 1-6. The deficit increased when Gill split the posts in the fifth minute, but, amazingly, that was Longford"s last score until Quinn completed their tally 20 minutes later. Time to panic for Meath and it looked like that"s what was about to happen as both Smyth and Damien Carroll collected yellow cards from Westmeath referee Paul Daly. But Meath battened down the hatches and stopped conceding scores. The instructions to keep cool and stay focused were sent in from the sideline as Michael Newman went to midfield for Ryan and substitute Harrison Silke joined the full-forward line. Carroll moved to centre-forward and Meath began to wrestle back the initiative. They needed a score, any type of a score, and it eventually arrived in the 16th minute from a Mark Collins free. Meath had survived that third-quarter blank on the scoreboard and when Battersby finished to the net with 10 minutes remaining, it was the perfect antidote. Donncha Tobin started the move and Battersby was in the right place to capitalise on the opening. A minute later Carroll drew the sides level with a fine point from play, but Quinn"s solo point got Longford"s bid back on track and, more importantly, gave them a narrow lead. Meath needed another swift response and it duly arrived in the form of a goal. Quick-thinking can be as important as scores and there was definitely an element of that about Meath"s third goal. The referee penalised Longford for an infringement, Meath took the free quickly from where the ball landed. Silke found Carroll who bulged the net. Fever pitch hardly describes the reaction of the home supporters. Then Smyth pounced on a loose ball and gave Newman a point chance and in three minutes of injury-time, Carroll dispossessed a Longford defender and claimed the insurance point. SCORERS Meath - M Battersby 2-2, 0-1 free; D Carroll 1-2; M Collins 0-3, two frees; D Smyth, J Regan, M Newman 0-1 each. Longford - P Gill 1-3; JJ Matthews 1-1; P Molloy 0-2, one free; M Quinn 0-2, one free; J Carroll, 0-1. THE TEAMS Meath - Padraig Curran (Dunboyne); Stephen O"Brien (Ratoath), Sean Curran (Donaghmore / Ashbourne); Ciaran Lenehan (Skryne); William Carry (Round Towers), Tommy Johnson (St Martin"s), Donncha Tobin (Blackhall Gaels); David Ryan (Skryne), Damien Carroll (Ballinabrackey); Darragh Smyth (Bective), Michael Newman (Round Towers), Mark Collins (Duleek / Bellewstown); Jake Regan (Navan O"Mahonys), Andrew Tormey (Donaghmore / Ashbourne), Mark Battersby (St Vincent"s / Curraha). Subs - Sean Dalton (Summerhill) for Regan half-time; Harrison Silke (Na Fianna) for Ryan 36 mins; Enda Nulty (Round Towers) for O"Brien 48m; John Kelly (Blackhall Gaels) for Tobin 57m; Brian McGrane (Walterstown) for Carry 59m. Longford - A Gray; P Devine, F Battrim, A Quinn; R Barnes, L Doherty, CP Smith; P Gill, K Diffley; J Carroll, P Mulooley, S Mahon; JJ Matthews, M Quinn, CE Smith. Subs - F Ryan for CP Smith 36 mins; C Brady for Devine 50m; R Kennedy for CE Smith 51m; C Keegan for Mahon 54m. REFEREE Paul Daly (Westmeath)