Final spot secured

At one stage in the opening-half of Saturday"s Nicky Rackard Cup semi-final at Pairc Tailteann it looked like it was going to be a stroll in the sunshine for red-hot favourites Meath. After 21 minutes they led by 0-9 to 0-3 and were dominant in most sectors. They went in at the break with a 0-13 to 0-5 interval lead and even though they faced into a sturdy breeze in the second-half there was no need for them to be concerned. Armagh were willing and able, if limited. Even when the Ulster side found the net eight minutes into the second-half there was no real need for the home supporters to be concerned. Then it all started to go awry for Meath and in the end it was the players in the green and gold who were most relieved to hear the final whistle. So how did a situation develop whereby Meath who looked to be in cruise control, suddenly lose momentum and struggle to make it across the line? You could point to the bizarre dismissal of Stephen Clynch after 51 minutes. As usual the Kilmessan player was in superb form and he looked as confused as everybody else after the game as to why he was shown a straight red. The word from the referee"s room was that Clynch had seen red for striking - it looked an extremely harsh decision. Just before he was dismissed Clynch had clashed with an Armagh player who went down as if he had been hit by the proverbial bus. Yet, he got up almost immediately afterwards without needing any treatment. There was a delay of perhaps 30 seconds from that incident to the time that the red card was produced by Galway referee Alan Kelly, much to the surprise of many spectators. However, even before Clynch walked Meath were not playing with the type of fluency they had displayed for most of the opening-half. There was a lack of sparkle and conviction about their play as if the hot temperatures drained away composure. Armagh also possessed a number of players with real pace such as Declan Coulter and Cathal Carvill who caused plenty of problems for the Meath defence, especially after the break when they had the breeze to aid them. Then there was the 10 wides Meath shot in the opening-half, as good chances were spurned. They could have proved costly. The visitors were given a real boost when they grabbed the only goal of the game on 43 minutes. Armagh"s Paul Breen was deemed to have been fouled in the square as he sought a way through a crowded Meath defence. Coulter stepped to take the penalty, Paul Fagan stopped the effort and as he was about to clear Carvill blocked him down and the ball trickled into the net. Throughout the second-half Armagh continued to whittle down Meath"s advantage. They were just unable to find that extra gear required. Both Carvill and Coulter spurned good opportunities near the end that could have made Meath really sweat in the tense, closing minutes when some of the occupants of the press box began to see the dreaded and unbelievable prospect of extra-time loom up on the horizon. The Meath defence worked with a sustained intensity in the closing stages that kept Armagh at bay and that was a big factor in helping T J Reilly"s side make it across the line. The positives from a Meath perspective was the high-quality performance of a number of players who stepped up to the plate when they were needed most. There was Paul Fagan at centre-half-back while Martin Horan and Michael Foley did well in the corners. One skilful hook by Martin Horan on his marker Fiachra Bradley prevented what was almost certainly a goal in the opening half. David Kirby was a surprise choice at left-half-back however, he grew into the role and made some important contributions, particularly in the tight stages. Meath"s tactics were, for a large section of the game, straightforward and effective. They pumped the ball long from deep with Clynch employed in front of the defence sweeping up possession. He did that extremely well. Philip Garvey may have some work to do to meet the physical demands of the game at this level however, he performed admirably in the central sector and stood tall after Clynch was dismissed. Neil Hackett marked his return to action with eight points from placed balls although he missed one or two chances that he would doubtless have popped over if he was on a sustained run of games. Joey Keena was one of the candidates for man-of-the-match as he engineered six points from play. He had to work extremely hard for all of them, but once given a chance to punish the Orange County he invariably delivered. In the other corner Kevin Fagan was sharp and alert in the opening stages of the game and clipped over two points with confidence and ease. He didn"t feature as much in the second-half although by then the supply of ball to him had become sporadic. Nicky Horan bagged two points and was unfortunate not to get a late goal with the ball scrambled clear by the Armagh netminder. Mick Cole came on to get a late point that went a long way to lifting a rapidly developing siege. Meath did have a 'goal" disallowed on 57 minutes when Garvey hoisted the ball in and Kevin Fagan got a touch to the net. The umpire waved the green flag however, the referee overruled him from over 45 metres out. An excellent score from Keena in the closing stages helped Meath survive the storm and stay in fornt as they ensured themselves a place in the final in Croke Park. SCORERS Meath - N Hackett 0-8, six frees, two '65s"; J Keena 0-6; K Fagan 0-2; N Horan 0-2; S Clynch 0-1; P Garvey 0-1; M Cole 0-1. Armagh - C Carvill 1-2; P Breen 0-4, three frees; G Enright 0-2, one free; D Coulter 0-2; R Gaffney 0-1; P McCormack 0-1; B McCann 0-1; J Corvan 0-1. THE TEAMS Meath - Stephen Quinn; Michael Foley, Conor Burke, Martin Horan; James Boyle, Paul Fagan, David Kirby; Stehen Clynch, Philip Garvey; Peter Durnin, Neil Hackett, Ger O"Neill; Joey Keena, Nicky Horan, Kevin Fagan. Subs - Padraig Keogh for O"Neill 52 mins, Mick Cole for Durnin 59m, Derek Muldoon for N Horan 71m. Armagh - Joseph Burke; Barry McCormack, Paddy McArdle, Paul Gaffney; Nathan Curry, Paul McCormack, Francis McMullen; Barney McCann, Ger Enright; Kieran McKeernan, Cathal Carvill, Ryan Gaffney; Paul Breen, Declan Coulter, Fiachra Bradley. Subs - John Corvan for Bradley 43 mins, Donal Carvill for Breen 65m. REFEREE Alan Kelly (Galway).