LEINSTER SFC QUARTER-FINAL/MEATH v WEXFORD/Wexford 2-14 Meath 2-13:HEMINGWAY THRIVED on the slow death in the hot afternoon, the heavy inevitability that surrounded the matador as he worked on his kill. Well even he would have been thrown by this one.
When they broke for half-time the Meath team sauntered off with a swagger, their 10-point advantage leaving bloodstains all over Dr Cullen Park. Wexford were dying, the only question being how much more of the killing we could stand. In football terms it was gruesome, the only hope being that Wexford would soon be out of their misery.
That puts into some context the death-defying climax that eventually followed, where Wexford first beat their fate and then outscored their opponents 2-6 to 0-1 over the last 20 minutes.
As comebacks go it was sensational. For Meath it was the most inconceivable of beatings.
It may well take Wexford several days to realise they're the ones going on to play Laois in the Leinster semi-final in three weeks' time. For Meath, it may well take just as long to realise they're headed for the qualifiers.
Yet there can be no hard excuses for the losers, only maximum praise for the winners. Meath were down five first-choice players from the infamous Parnell Park suspensions, but you don't throw away a 10-point advantage by accident.
It looked all over after the first half, and still did with 20 minutes to go. Meath's dominance for the opening 35 minutes hardly bears recounting it was so complete - defensively, offensively, and most of all at midfield. Stephen Bray and Graham Geraghty each claimed first-half goals and six others contributed further scores, with Cian Ward, Alan Nestor, Mark Ward and Joe Sheridan proving unmarkable.
Bray's goal after 26 minutes came off Meath's tactic of continuous onslaught, which no Wexford player, with the possible exception of Brian Malone, seemed able to handle. Geraghty's goal three minutes later was equally inevitable and truth is they should have had a couple more.
It would be impossible to isolate the turning point that followed, but clearly Wexford's half-time chat had something to do with it.
They came out and hit three points without reply (including a first from Matty Forde), yet Meath were still dominant - and when Sheridan had a goal disallowed on 43 minutes after ruffling the ball from goalkeeper Anthony Masterson it hardly seemed to matter.
Meath hit three points in quick succession - two from Peadar Byrne, and one from Sheridan - and that calmly restored their 10-point advantage.
Still, Wexford were sneaking back into the game. They finally addressed their midfield crisis as replacement Thomas Howlin settled down, and Adrian Morrissey made a similar impact behind him.
On 55 minutes they got their first goal when Redmond Barry took a sideline ball from Shane Roche and drilled it low and under Michael Ahern.
The Wexford supporters in the crowd of 10,108 raised their voices but few among them could have sensed this was the start of such a remarkable fight-back. Slowly the scene changed, and it was 10 minutes later, when Eric Bradley completed a crossfield move to set up PJ Banville for Wexford's second goal, that the impossible suddenly looked possible. Three points, in this atmosphere, was nothing.
Here's where the wheels fell off for Meath. Substitute Brian Farrell had a highly kickable free just afterwards, but somehow missed.
So, Wexford tore up the field and a great run from Shane Roche reduced the deficit to two points. Moments later Meath were down to 14 men when Mark Ward was sent off on a second yellow card, and this proved the final spur for Wexford. Meath were there now for the killing, provided Wexford had the hunger to be the slayers.
The way they played over the last five minutes made it clear that they did. First, Morrissey reduced it to a one-point game, and then - as if on cue - Forde found his vintage form. He drove over the equalising free with trademark coolness.
Possession in such a tight climax is crucial, and Meath blew that too - most notably when Farrell fumbled the ball in what could have been a match-winning attack. Instead, Collie Byrne passed off to Forde, who in a moment that will only add to his greatness, held it up perfectly for a few strides, displayed that inexplicable patience in a split second, and curled a beauty from 40 metres out to provide the winner.
The issue of life and death in a football match has rarely shifted so dramatically.
WEXFORD: 1 A Masterson; 4 B Malone, 3 P Wallace, 7 N Murphy; 5 N O'Sullivan, 6 D Murphy, 2 C Morris (0-1); 8 R Stafford, 9 E Bradley; 10 PJ Banville (1-1), 11 R Barry (1-1), 12 A Flynn; 13 C Lyng (0-4, two frees), 15 M Forde (0-4, one free), 14 P Colfer (0-1). Subs: 21 A Morrissey (0-1) for O'Sullivan, 25 T Howlin for Stafford (both half-time), 18 D Walsh for Murphy (38 mins), 27 S Roche (0-1) for Flynn (41 mins), 26 C Byrne for Bradley (65 mins).
MEATH: 1 M Ahern; 4 C McGill, 3 D Fay, 2 C O'Connor; 5 E Harrington, 6 K Reilly, 7 C King; 8 B Meade, 9 M Ward (0-1); 10 A Nestor (0-2), 11 C Ward (0-2, both frees), 12 P Byrne (0-3); 13 S Bray (1-2), 14 J Sheridan (0-3), 15 G Geraghty (1-0). Subs: 17 B Farrell for Nestor (half-time, inj), 20 A Moyles for Meade (55 mins, inj), 18 G Reilly for C Ward (62 mins, inj), 19 D Sheridan for J Sheridan (68 mins), 21 S O'Rourke for Farrell (71 mins).
Referee: Maurice Deegan (Laois).
