Dolan late miss lets Meath off hook

Meath 2-13, Westmeath 2-13

Only Dessie Dolan knows what was going through his mind as he stepped forward to take the free that would have released Westmeath from the hex Meath have held over them for so long.

Dolan was the game's outstanding player. It was his ability, above any other, that engineered Westmeath's stirring fight-back in a match that seemed to have slipped by them at half-time. He scored over half his side's total and created many more of their chances. Yet, with history beckoning him to end the hoodoo, Dolan sliced the free off his boot and watched it float to the left and wide. Dolan's eyes hit the ground, as the talented forward seemed to accept his cruel twist of fate.

Others didn't.

Only the intervention of Damien Healy stopped an enraged Rory O'Connell from getting close to Mick Curley at the final whistle. O'Connell thought the ball went between the posts. So did a lot of the Westmeath supporters. However, their hurt history against the next-door neighbours dictated that the easy free would always be missed.

As a match, it had almost everything, Sean Boylan calling it a white-heater afterwards. The pace was of All-Ireland final intensity, particularly in the final 20 minutes, there was a sending-off, inevitably a Meath player in the form of Donal Curtis, a glut of bookings, some wonderful high fielding, O'Connell and Martin Flanagan gave an exhibition in the second half, and missed chances.

That free will be chewed over all week, but it shouldn't disguise Dolan's wonderful performance. He scored 1-7, and created at least another three scores. Even in the first few minutes, it looked obvious that if Westmeath were going to win, they needed a big game from Dolan.

He delivered, although his cause might have been aided by Darren Fay's withdrawal in the 22nd minute, recurrence of a recent shoulder injury. Without Fay, there is a massive block missing in the Meath defence and yesterday was no different.

Westmeath's two second-half goals were of the sloppy variety you never expect Meath to give away. They both came from individual errors which you feel just wouldn't have been had Fay been on the field.

Dolan's goal, which put Westmeath ahead for the first time in the game, came in the 49th minute. Flanagan dropped a ball into the square. Cormac Sullivan, who only moments before denied JP Casey brilliantly, fumbled and Dolan came out and palmed the ball into the net. No sooner had Meath regrouped than Westmeath found the onion bag again. Sullivan initially parried Gary Dolan's drive, but the ball rebounded out to Shane Colleary, whose weak shot past through the legs of both Sullivan and Nigel Nestor and trickled into the net.

There was 20 minutes remaining and Westmeath finally looked like they were freeing themselves from the shackles of history. Flanagan and O'Connell were commanding everything around the middle, while Derek Heavin and Damien Healy behind them, were moping behind them.

Meath being Meath, though, there was fight left in them. Daithi Regan, their best player on the day and a promising prospect, and Trevor Giles both nailed frees before Hank Traynor came forward and scored an inspirational point.

It was the second time in the match that Traynor motored up the field to get a significant score. Considering the lack of vitality from some of Meath's bigger attacking names yesterday, Graham Geraghty and Giles, who was a little lost in centre-field, perhaps Traynor is making a pitch to become a forward. His goal in the first minute indicated he has something to offer.

In spite of a number of under-performances, Meath were five points to the good at the break, 1-10 to 0-8.

How they managed to wriggle out of this one is astonishing. Not having scored for 20 minutes, Geraghty's 64th minute goal saw them hit the front. The final five minutes were frentic, although the only score was Dolan's side-line ball two minutes from the end. And then the miss that sums up the history between these two counties. It may be a cliche, but Westmeath's best chance might have gone wide with that ball.

Scorers: Meath: H Traynor(1-1), D Regan(0-4, 3 frees),G Geraghty(1-0), T Giles(0-3, all frees), D Crimmins, S McKeague(0-2 each), E Kelly(01) Westmeath: D Dolan(1-7, 4 frees, 1 side-line), S Colleary(1-2),. J Fallon(0-4, 2 frees)

MEATH: C Sullivan; M O'Reilly, D Fay, N McKeague, P Reynolds, H Traynor, T O'Connor; C McCarthy, T Giles; E Kelly, G Geraghty, N Nestor, D Regan, D Crimmins, S McKeague Subs. A Moyles for Fay(23 mins), D Curtis for Nestor(56 mins), C Murphy for Kelly(57 mins)

WESTMEATH: A Lennon; P Rouse, D Gavin, F Murray, B Morley, D Healy, D Heavin; R O'Connell, M Flanagan; F Wilson, S Colleary, J Fallon, JP Casey, G Dolan, D Dolan Subs P Conway for Wilson(h-t), A Mangan for Casey(63mins), D O'Shaughnessy for Colleary(65 mins)

Referee: M Curley(Galway)