Overdue victory arrives

It has taken some time to arrive, but Meath finally delivered a complete performance at Pairc Tailteann as they recaptured some great form to overcome Laois in atrocious conditions during Saturday night"s NFL Div 2 encounter. Against Cork they were toothless, aimless and to a certain extent clueless. There was improvement against Fermanagh, but a poor first-half display left them deflated. However, on Saturday night they added determination and a splash of panache to their previous efforts and were rewarded with a positive result that will ease relegation worries and lift the spirits of supporters. During the opening 10 minutes Meath were everything we have come to expect them to be. They moved the ball at pace, were decisive in their tackles, dominant around midfield and resolute at the back. Some of the attacking moves were majestic and were rewarded with scores. After the break conditions deteriorated as Meath had to play into the teeth of a gale force wind and driving rain, but instead of capitulating they showed another side of their growing stature as they defended doggedly and with discipline. Although Meath failed to score in the second-half, that was not too surprising considering the strength of the wind against them, but they also managed to hold Laois scoreless from play and that was a remarkable achievement. The second-half wasn"t the greatest period of football ever played at Pairc Tailteann, but from a morale-boosting perspective it was exactly the type of display that Meath needed. After two games very few players could walk from the field with their heads held high, but on Saturday night every Meath player can be proud of their efforts. The inspiration came from a couple of sources with both Seamus Kenny and Anthony Moyles in magnificent form. Moyles was impregnable at full-back and the solid rock foundation upon which victory was built while Kenny popped up everywhere to be involved in almost every move and give one of his finest performances in a green and gold jersey. Mark Ward literally ran himself to a standstill at midfield and along with the excellence and experience of Nigel Crawford they kept the influential Padraig Clancy on the fringes. It really was a complete team performance. From goalkeeper to corner-forward every player worked with a hunger and determination not seen since the first-half of last year"s Leinster SFC defeat by Wexford. Maybe the players have been stung by criticism from the supporters, but they reacted positively. Manager Eamonn O"Brien said he was looking for improved performances and he certainly got that as Stephen Bray, Shane McAnarney and Eoghan Harrington epitomised that increased level of tempo and commitment. It really was a rousing display from Meath and one they will look to build on. Getting the early scores was crucial. Only two points came from frees with all the other scores resulting from outstanding movements. Cian Ward got the ball rolling with a simple 13-metre free after three minutes and by the 10th minute that lead was 1-4 to 0-0. Mark Ward added to Cian Ward"s opening point on six minutes and two minutes later Brian Meade showed tremendous bravery when he got on the end of McAnarney"s superb centre to beat Michael Nolan to the punch and fist the only goal of the game. Seconds later a superb crossfield pass from Bray set up McAnarney for his point and in the 10th minute a move which involved Niall McKeigue, Kenny, Mark Ward and Bray concluded with Cian Ward making it 1-4 to 0-0. After that early blitz Laois settled and held Meath at bay for six minutes before another excellent move which involved Moyles, Mark Ward and Cian Ward ended with Stephen Bray lofting over. It was exhibition stuff and when Stephen Bray made it 1-6 to 0-0 after taking a quick pass from Shane McKeigue it seemed like curtains for Laois. The only negative aspect of Meath"s performance is that they went the next 14 minutes without scoring. MJ Tierney was dispossessed brilliantly by Harrington before a poor refereeing decision gifted Laois their opening point as Tierney converted a 20-metre free. Meath almost got a fortunate second goal when Crawford"s long punt forward almost deceived Nolan. The Laois netminder could only claw the ball to Bray and he set up Meade for a simple point. Laois did have a few chances to add to their sole point. Peter McNulty was denied by an outstanding block from Cormac McGuinness and Donie Brennan struck the upright with a close range effort, but other chances were few and far between as Meath defended expertly. A Cian Ward free on the stroke of half-time was signalled wide by the umpire, but the referee correctly over-rulled his official and awarded the score to ensure Meath held a deserved 1-8 to 0-1 interval advantage. If Meath thought that all the hard work was done, they were mistaken as the deluge that fell at half-time ensured that Laois would have every chance of over-turning a 10-point deficit with the benefit of the strong wind. It was a rearguard battle for Meath, but they won hands down courtesy of outstanding displays from Moyles, Harrington, McGuinness, Derek Flood and the hard work of Bray, Cian Ward and the brilliant Caoimhin King. Meath had to play 'keep ball" and they did so impressively, restricting Laois to scores from frees. Chris O"Connor"s foul on Brennan earned him a black book and allowed Tierney mount an attempted recovery. However Meath held their visitors at bay and when it took them 13 minutes to tag on further frees from Tierney and Chris Bergin the signs were bright that Meath would hold on. Keeping their goal intact was crucial. King should have pointed at the start of the final quarter, but he drove wide. At the other end David Gallagher smothered Billy Sheehan"s goal chance and Flood cleared off the line. It was Meath"s evening. Tierney pointed two more frees either side of a disappointing Bray wide and while Laois went in search of a goal they could find no way through the outstanding Meath defence. The final whistle brought huge relief for the players, manager and supporters who will now travel to Wexford next Sunday with a new found spring in their step. SCORERS Meath - B Meade 1-1; C Ward 0-3, two frees; S Bray 0-2; M Ward 0-1; S McAnarney 0-1. Laois - MJ Tierney 0-5, all frees; C Bergin 0-1, free. TEAMS Meath - David Gallagher; Niall McKeigue, Anthony Moyles, Eoin Harrington; Shane McAnarney, Cormac McGuinness, Derek Flood; Mark Ward, Nigel Crawford; Seamus Kenny, Caoimhin King, Brian Meade; Stephen Bray, Shane McKeigue, Cian Ward. Subs - Chris O"Connor for N McKeigue 30 mins, Brian Sheridan for Meade half-time; Peadar Byrne for S McKeigue 38m, Rory Maguire for M Ward 61m. Laois - Michael Nolan; Paul Begley, Cathal Ryan, Rory Stapleton; Peter O"Leary, Darren Rooney, Padraig McMahon; Padraig Clancy, Kevin Meaney; Peter McNulty, Billy Sheehan, Michael John Tierney; Donie Brennan, Ross Munnelly, Chris Bergin. Subs - Brian McDonald for Brennan 55 mins, Darren Strong for Sheehan 58m, Niall Donogher for Bergin 68m. REFEREE Jimmy McKee (Armagh).