Sport

Meath back on track

All-Ireland SFC Qualifiers Round One/Meath 5-12 Antrim 0-13: Meath carved out a comfortable 14-point win over Antrim at Casement…

Mon Jun 20 2005 - 01:00

All-Ireland SFC Qualifiers Round One/Meath 5-12 Antrim 0-13: Meath carved out a comfortable 14-point win over Antrim at Casement Park on Saturday to send out a message to all and sundry that they still mean business this season in the qualifiers after being stung by Dublin in the Leinster championship.

It may not have been a totally comprehensive display by the Royal County men but the attacking prowess of the visitors was very evident.

They created acres of space up front while the defence, after a few minutes of shakiness at the start, closed out the best efforts of the opposition, who never got a sniff at goal.

Four first-half goals by the winners all but sealed victory. Stephen Bray made a double strike in the fifth and 12th minutes, carbon-copy finishes as he rocketed the ball home from close range.

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On 21 minutes Peadar Byrne beat Andrew McClean to a dropping ball off a post to touch it into the net and Graham Geraghty slid in the fourth goal just before half-time.

That left Meath comfortably ahead by 4-4 to 0-7 at the break and they continued to control the game with a flurry of points in the second half.

The visitors produced wave after wave of attacks that had the Antrim defence in knots but left-half back Sean Kelly did manage to race upfield for three long-range home points.

A fifth Meath goal five minutes from time by substitute Joe Sheridan, sent through by another substitute Michael Burke, firmly sealed victory in a game that never rose to any great heights.

MEATH: D Gallagher; N McKeigue, D Reilly, C King; T O'Connor, D Fay, P Reynolds; N Crawford, A Moyles; N Kelly, D Crimmins (0-1), P Byrne (1-2); G Geraghty (1-4), B Farrell (0-2), S Bray (2-0). Subs: J Sheridan (1-2) for Bray (25), R Magee (0-1) for Farrell (50), M Burke for Byrne (57), N McLaughlin for O'Connor (63), J Davis for Geraghty (67).

ANTRIM: P Murray; C Brady, A McClean, D Gault; T Scullion, G Adams, S Kelly (0-3); J Quinn, M McCrory; C Close (0-3, two frees), K McGourty, T O'Neill (0-1); K Brady (0-1), C McGourty (0-4), K Madden (0-1). Subs: N Enwright for Brady (31), C Lynch for O'Neill (half-time), P McCann for Close (47), T Convery for Gault (51), M McCann for McCrory (53).

Referee: P Carney (Roscommon).