Mick O'Dwyer, the Kildare manager, will be staying on in the post. "I have a commitment for two years and we don't run away from things like that," he said.

He was extremely happy with his team's performance in Croke Park yesterday, but bitterly disappointed with being on the wrong end of the result. "Our fellas challenged for every ball that was out there today. We were on the move forward looking for scores to the end. It was a marvellous game of football. There was nothing more than a little bit of luck in it.

"They went five points clear and looked as though they were going to destroy us at that stage. It just goes to show the character of this Kildare team. They fought back and fought back and in the end we could quite easily have drawn the bloody thing.

"Meath are true champions and they won out in the end today."

O'Dwyer criticised the decision to send off Davy Dalton. "It was really harsh for us because we had lost two full backs previous to that and it really upset our plans for a long while. I thought Davy was sent off just because he went hard for the ball. It was pure collision."

"If, in fact, the referee was consistent he should have sent John McDermott off as well and that proves the inconsistency of it . . . Sure, that's the luck of the game. I think the team is young enough to come back." Meath manager Sean Boylan told the Kildare players: "Ye have killed hoodoos about Kildare football stone dead. Ye are by far the best team we have played in two years."