For a while in Croke Park yesterday you could hear the sound of a young team stamping their feet on the welcome mat to the Big House. As Westmeath cleared their throats and prepared to leave the wilderness, they took a backward glance at the Meath team lying in tatters behind them. Eyes met. It was a horror-movie moment. Meath had a pulse. Meath were moving. Smiling even. Westmeath knew then there was trouble ahead and hearts beat a bit faster. They had 50 minutes of football left to play before the closing credits.

Could they survive? Just about. They'll be in the sequel next Saturday although big, bad Ollie Murphy came close to finishing them off single-handedly. His second goal of the game, a last-minute screamer, was one of those moments you see coming from a long way off but are paralysed to do anything about.

Westmeath just about deserved their reprieve, if only because of the intoxicating quality of their play in the first 20 minutes when they darted again and again as quick as fish through the swaying reeds of the Meath defence.

In that golden period Westmeath played the best football this long summer has seen. This being their eighth championship game this year they looked like a walking billboard for the proof of practice making perfect.

By the 20th minute they were in full effervescent fizz when Dessie Dolan popped another point to leave them nine points ahead. Nine points ahead against Meath in Croke Park? It was then the shivers came and two minutes later when Murphy scored Meath's first goal, the equivalent of a door creaked eerily somewhere in the darkness. They had 48 minutes left in which to cling on.

Beyond that moment Westmeath were tentative and nervy. The movement which had made us light-headed with excitement early on gave way to something a bit more leaden.

From Murphy's goal to the end of the match they scored four times, once from play, a goal which if intentional was a work of incalculable genius from Dolan. Their other three scores came from Joe Fallon frees, two of which comprised Westmeath's entire second half total. In that sense they were lucky to get out alive.

As for Meath you seldom see them draw a match they don't deserve to take something from and this was no exception. For 20 minutes they were bewildered by what their neighbours were throwing at them. Well most of them were bewildered. Seβn Boylan was just rubbing his chin and thinking. This was a sideline tutorial for any young manager. Two substitutions in the first 25 minutes. Four by 37 minutes. Donal Curtis and Richie Kealy pulled back into defence.

Ray Magee slotted most profitably into the attack. John Cullinan showed well as did Hank Traynor. From a situation where Meath looked like being overwhelmed, Boylan calmly thought his way out of trouble.

Those first 20 minutes are worth another look, though, and both managers will be sitting in front of the video this week. Michael Ennis worked harder in the first half hour than some players work in a season. Nominally a left half forward he cropped up everywhere. Westmeath attacked the Meath defence with such momentum during that period it seemed for a time as if the Meath goal was at the bottom of a very, very steep hill.

Westmeath were already playing thrilling football when their first goal arrived after just eight minutes. A sideline ball by Ennis hopped high and fooled the Meath defence. Paul Conway was waiting behind to gleefully steal the goal. Nine minutes later Ger Heavin put a quick free in the path of Ennis. Bang.

Throughout all this Dolan was wonderful. Martin Flanagan gave an exhibition of how a full forward should use size and mobility and the other forwards nipped and snapped at Meath heels like terriers.

All the while, though, the environment was subtly changing, Meath players were being called ashore, switched, shouted at. In the end it took a last-minute Murphy goal to secure the draw but Meath's recovery had an element of inevitability about it from the moment Murphy scored his first almost 50 minutes earlier.

As they picked their way back into the game it became clear they weren't just going to rely on their big-name core to dig them out this time. It was going to take work. Donal Curtis was dragged back by the forwards and made mark Dolan for a while. Darren Fay then took over the task and between them they kept Dolan scoreless for the rest of the game.

There were other heavy hitters for Meath. Breaking no more than even, and often worse at midfield, they scrapped for everything in the middle. It hardly needs saying that Trevor Giles grew as the game went on. It was his free that set Murphy away for the first Meath goal and his influence which brought an element of thoughtfulness and calm resolution to Meath's comeback.

Ennis was slowly subdued. Heavin always found Mark O'Reilly tough company and other little things started to go wrong. Joe Fallon, for instance, will long remember a little cameo with about 11 minutes left when his low centre of gravity took him soloing through the Meath defence. The need was for a point from play for his parched team. Fallon went for goal and missed. Westmeath still lead by five points but, but, but . . .

Minutes later it was down to three points and then came a long passage of play which went on while Westmeath had two players lying in the centre of the park being treated for injuries.

Meath whizzed and weaved and Geraghty attempted a fisted goal which didn't come off. Meath didn't score but they didn't have to. The sequence elevated Westmeath's anxiety levels even higher with players screaming at the referee to stop play, others looking to the bench for instruction and others chasing Meath shadows.

In the 67th minute the unfortunate Fallon missed a 21-yard free. Tick, tick, tick went the clock. Three points in it. A long ball found Geraghty who appeared to be bottled in but found a way to Murphy who swivelled and shot. Goal.

Everyone is back again next Saturday. Westmeath will be playing their ninth championship game of the season. They'll need all they've learned. Meath will note that it's been a bad, bad weekend for provincial champions but they are still standing.

Usually that's when they are most dangerous.