Controversy rages as Antrim deny Meath with late winner

There was controversy at the end of the NHL Div 2A encounter between Meath and Antrim at Trim today with the Ulster side winning 3-13 to 2-15. 

Meath looked to have snatched a draw from the jaws of defeat when Jack Regan fired to the net from a free to level the scores at 3-12 to 2-15. 

However Antrim hit back with James McNaughton slotting over a point immediately afterwards to win the game. 

However, Meath manager Nick Fitzgerald and players were left fuming as Sean Ryan from Tipperary had indicated that Regan's free would be the last act of the drama. 

"The referee told me it would be the last puck of the game," Regan confirmed afterwards. 

 

Further intrigue was added by the fact that only one minute of injury time was indicated by the fourth official to be played at the end of full-time. Meath got their equaliser in the second minute before McNaughton struck with the winning score seconds later.  

"One minute (of injury time) was called which I questoned by the fourth official and the linesman because I felt there was more time to be played but he called one (minute). He give us a 21 yard free outside the one minute and told our players 'this is the last play' and he let it go on to another play and Antrim got the winning score," commented an clearly angry Nick Fitzgerald afterwards. 

The Meath manager added that "maybe that's fairly typical of how the GAA view counties like Meath." 

During the course of the game the sides were level a number of times with Antrim leading 3-5 to 0-13. The Saffrons scored their first goal after just 20 seconds through McNaugton with Eoin O'Neill and Ciaran Clarke also hitting the target. 

In the second-half Damien Healy fired home a superb goal for a battling Royal County side and with the help of further points from Padraig O'Hanrahan and Michael O'Grady they stayed in touch. Regan's powerfully struck free caused Meath supporters to jump with joy but that quickly turned to despair as McNaughton fired over the winning point. 

Read further quotes from manager Nick Fitzgerald, match analysis and photographs from game in this week's issue of the Meath Chronicle