Facile victory for minors

The scoreline reflects the game. Meath advanced to the quarter-finals of the Leinster MFC with a facile victory against Kilkenny at Pairc Tailteann on Saturday. Meath had a goal on the scoreboard inside 20 seconds when Donal Landy finished to the net from Conor Devereux's pass. Liam Tolan added a second goal in the sixth minute while Kilkenny accumulated three yellow cards in the same period. Farrell McManus, who started the move that produced the first goal, found the net in the ninth minute which helped his side to a 3-5 to 0-0 first-quarter lead. Kilkenny didn't get out of their own half until the 18th minute and that resulted in a wide. Devereux carved out an opening for a goal close to the interval, but Shane Barry claimed the credit when he helped the ball across the line for the first of his two goals on the way to a 5-9 to 0-0 interval lead. The second-half followed a similar pattern with one of the half-time substitutes, Cian O'Brien, claiming some very good points. The only negative aspect for manager Davy Dalton was a tally of 10 first-half wides, but of even more concern might be the fact that this game provided no real test ahead of a sterner clash next month. Fergus Toolan added the overdue sixth goal. Meath's points came from Landy and Paddy Fox (four each), James Conlon and Devereux (three each), Daniel Queeney, Barry, Bryan McMahon, O'Brien, Seamus Mattimoe and Toolan (two each). "We kept our concentration, there was no showboating, I suppose if we were playing Kilkenny in the hurling it might have been something similar," Meath manager Davy Dalton told the Meath Chronicle. "You can only play what's in front of you and from that perspective we have no complaints. "We have to prepare now for the next game, we will prepare exactly how we prepared today and at least the players have some championship experience now," he added. Regarding the 10 wides in the first-half, a statistic Meath addressed after the break as they reeled of 17 unanswered points, the manager suggested that better choices were made in the second-half. "We discussed that at half-time and asked the players to make better use of the ball, to give it to someone in a better position if possible." "We replaced Liam Tolan as a precaution as he had a dead leg and we took off some of the other players to facilitate club commitments, we had that luxury today, but it will be different the next day," he added. Meath will face Offaly in the next round at Pairc Tailteann on Saturday, 22nd May. Kilkenny now go into the qualifying group where they will meet Carlow or Louth at the beginning of next month. Meath - Conor McHugh (Oldcastle); Alastar Doyle (Dunshaughlin), Conor McGill (Ratoath), Alan Forde (Navan O'Mahonys); Fergus Toolan (Dunshaughlin 1-2), Brian Moore (Duleek / Bellewstown), Eoin Lynch (Longwood); Farrell McManus (Ratoath 1-0), Conor Sheridan (Simonstown Gaels); Paddy Fox (Skryne 0-4), Daniel Queeney (Na Fianna 0-2 one free), Shane Barry (Simonstown Gaels 2-2); Donal Landy (St Patrick's 1-4), Conor Devereux (Dunshaughlin 0-3), Liam Tolan (Skryne 1-0). Subs - Bryan McMahon (Ratoath 0-2 one free) for Tolan 12 mins, Cian O'Brien (Ratoath 0-2) for Queeney, Seamus Mattimoe (Gaeil Cholmcille 0-2) for Landy, James Conlon (Seneschalstown 0-3) for Devereux (all half-time). Kilkenny - P Boeye; S Walsh, C Walsh, B Doherty; W O'Connor, S McDonald, C Foley; S Aylward, G Teehan; A O'Dwyer, D Farrell, G Malone; T Aylward, M Holohan, E Guilfoyle. Subs - JJ Corrigan for Boeye 20 mins, C Bolger for Guilfoyle 26m, L Blanchfield for Foley 44m, J Nugent for Farrell 47m, T Whitely for Bolger 54m Referee - Joe Murray (Dublin)