Evans hails chargesas Tipp hold nerve to rock Royals

IT mattered little to the Tipperary management that they secured their first victory in the National Football League yesterday in Semple Stadium by beating a Meath side which performed well below the standard normally expected from the Royals.

At the finish, it was almost a struggle for the home side to hold on to a lead which dwindled after the concession of three points in the final ten minutes, but Tipp coach John Evans’ assertion that they ‘deserved’ to win was endorsed by a disappointed Eamonn Barry.

“It’s big for these lads,’’ said a jubilant Evans afterwards. “You put Down and Meath in front of these guys and it’s huge from where we have come. We held our nerve and we stayed in the game the whole way. We had to hold the ball and make Meath work and that is what we did.”