Old rivals keep fans warm and ref busy

THE GAA public might remain uncertain about the summer prospects of these two teams, but the way they entertained the 7,000-odd that braved the conditions in Navan, suggests they be discarded at your peril.

Armagh 2-7 Meath 2-7

Gaelic football and the blustery wind that blew across most of the country yesterday aren't good bedfellows. A lot of what happened in this match illustrated that. The best player in the country, Steven McDonnell, missing a simple 14-yard free to win the game, Meath kicking 15 wides, passes heading to unlikely destinations.

Although referee, Aidan Mangan was kept busy, both sides finished with a full complement, something you might have been given good odds on at the start of the match.

Late in the first half, Mangan had to intervene in a schmozzle and mid-way through the second half when Paul McGrane, frustrated at seeing Oisín McConville stretchered off, flung his arm around Mark O'Reilly's neck. While McConville had livelier days in an Armagh shirt, his tussle with Trevor Giles, in the unfamiliar surrounds of wing-back, was one of the more interesting sub-plots.

McConville also had a hand in the most memorable move of the match. In the 18th minute, he scooped up a loose ball around the 40, with an eye on one of McDonnell's clever trademarks sprints to the flank. Oisín played a perfect pass into McDonnell's chest, the footballer of the Year spun to lose his marker and directed a sublime crossed pass into Diarmuid Marsden. Marsden's finish was worthy of the move, low and into the corner, but it was McDonnell's pass that made it.

Despite being starved of possession until that point, it was Armagh's second goal that left them five points ahead, 2-1 to 0-2.

Armagh strung around 12 passes together before Martin O'Rourke breached David Gallagher's net for the first time. It was a well-worked goal, with McDonnell and Marsden again central, Marsden finding enough light in the Meath defence to create space for the on-rushing O'Rourke.

But, Meath being Meath, they chipped away at Armagh's lead, mainly through Sheridan. The young Senschalstown forward is a real prospect, his day's work accounted for more than half of his team's scores and the way he troubled Enda McNulty saw the experienced defender trudge from the action after only 21 minutes.

Francie Bellew did a better job on him, but Sheridan is hard to watch all the time. His 31st minute free brought Meath to within four points of Armagh before Giles fled his defensive flank, to make space for himself and split the posts from 40 yards. As the referee went in with jeers ringing in his ears, Meath went in only a goal behind 0-6 to 2-3.

It didn't take long to score that goal. Niall Kelly, whose airborne shots were causing consternation in the Armagh full-back line all afternoon, burst through the Ulster defence.

The ball bobbled into the path of Byrne, who mis-kicked the ball into the path of Charles McCarthy. His toe-poke beat Paul Hearty. There were 39 minutes gone. Meath were back in the game.

Meath would lead for the first and only time seven minutes later, when Sheridan grabbed a McCarthy pass, twisted himself inside of Bellew and then held the hefty corner-back off before blasting the ball into the roof of the net.

The final 20 minutes were fraught, but there was only two scores, both from placed balls. Ollie Murphy did make a cameo to a rapturous reception. It was his first appearance in a Meath shirt for a long time, but he looked a little off the pace.

A fair result? Probably. Armagh still have the play-offs in their nostrils without settling into any sort of rhythm yet. Meath are just behind them and given the topsy-turvy complexion of this division, might still sneak in on the final day.

Scorers: Armagh: M O'Rourke, D Marsden (1-0 each), S McDonnell (0-2), O McConville (0-2, 1 free), P. McKeever (0-2, free, 45), K. Hughes (0-1). Meath: J Sheridan (1-4, 2 frees, 1 45), C McCarthy (1-0), T. Giles, D Byrne, E Kelly (0-1 each).

ARMAGH: P Hearty; E McNulty, J McNulty, P McCormack, K Hughes, T McEntee, A McCann; P Loughran, P McGrane; P McKeever, J Toal, O McConville, S McDonnell, D Marsden, M O'Rourke.

Subs: F. Bellew for E. McNulty (27 mins), A O'Rourke for McCann (53 mins), S. Kernan for McConville (56 mins), R Henderson for Toal (61 mins)

MEATH: D Gallagher; N McKeigue, D Fay, M O'Reilly, T Giles, T O'Connor, S Kenny; A Moyles, N Crawford; N. Kelly, E Kelly, D Byrne, B Farrell, C McCarthy, J Sheridan.

Subs: C Murphy for McKeigue (47 mins), O Murphy for Farrell (53 mins).

Referee: A. Mangan (Kerry).