Minor footballers finish strong to edge out Meath

LEINSTER MFC GROUP 2

DUBLIN 4-10 MEATH 2-10

Dublin minor footballers opened their Electric Ireland Leinster MFC Group 2 campaign with an encouraging victory over Meath in Parnell Park on Tuesday night.

It was an edge-of-the-seat battle between these provincial rivals with the young Dubs showing good mettle over the conclusion to work their way to victory.

The counties were level 2-6 each at the break and the Royals moved two points clear early in the second period courtesy of points from David Bell and Eoghan Frayne.

Dublin had threatened to goal immediately on the restart when Senan Forker and Luke Murphy-Guinane dovetailed brilliantly but Forker’s effort was saved by Meath keeper Dean Pluck.

If luck went against Dublin on that occasion it went with them just before the midpoint of the half when Fionn Murray’s free came back off the right upright and the hard-working Ryan O’Dwyer rifled to the net to put Jim Lehane’s lads 3-7 to 2-8 in front.

It was a lead Dublin never surrendered.

Both teams played with abandon at times with turnovers commonplace which made for a very entertaining duel but it was the Dubs who were the more clinical over the conclusion of this contest.

Subs Luke Swan and Tom Brennan played crucial roles with Swan’s know-how close to goal vital for Dublin’s victory.

He finished with 1-1 from play and was perhaps unlucky not to have been awarded a second half penalty.

With six minutes of normal time remaining a Pearse Sheridan point for Meath left the minimum between the sides but Dublin raised the game over the last few minutes.

Fionn Murray converted his third free, and his fourth point overall, before a great diagonal ball from sub Luke Curran, son of legendary Dublin former footballer Paul, found Swan who pointed on the turn.

Then in the 59^th minute Swan highlighted his eye for goal to decide the outcome with a clinical finish to the net.

In the opening half Meath made the ideal start in the second minute when centre-back Aaron Chinchilla worked a one-two with Josh Carolan before firing to the net.

Typical of what was to follow Sean Kinsella raised a green flag for the Dubs in the sixth minute as the game swung one way and back the other.

In the 13^th minute Robbie Bolger got Dublin’s second goal following good work by Senan Forker but just inside the last ten minutes of the half Meath carved open the Dublin rearguard for David Bell to goal and at the interval it was deadlocked 2-6 each.

SCORERS – Dublin: R O’Dwyer 1-2, F Murray 0-4 (0-3f), S Kinsella, L Swan 1-1 each, R Bolger 1-0, A Rogers, D O’Dowd 0-1. Meath:D Bell 1-1, N Finnerty 0-3, A Chinchilla 1-0, P Sheridan, E Frayne (0-2f), B Thompson (0-2f) 0-2 each.

DUBLIN: H O'Sullivan; C Tyrell, B Millst, C Archer; A Watson, S Forker, J Lundy; L Murphy-Guinane, D O'Dowd; R O'Dwyer, S Kinsella, A Rogers; R Bolger, F Murray, D Fagan. Subs: L Swan for Rogers (ht), T Brennan for Fagan (40), L Curran for Bolger (50), K Conroy for Forker (51), H Colclough for Murphy-Guinane (60), E Gannon for Archer (63).

MEATH: D Pluck; J Fagan, A King, H Corscadden; H Ryan, A Chinchilla, C Caulfield; J Carolan, C Hegarty; E Corrigan, N Finnerty, E Frayne; P Sheridan, B Thompson, D Bell. Subs: S Smyth for Corrigan (23), E Ehichoya for Corscadden (46), S O'Donoghue for Ryan (48).

REF: A Coyne (Westmeath).