Sport

Michael Murphy and Patrick McBrearty guide Donegal past Meath

Michael Murphy of Donegal in action against Shane McEntee of Meath at Páirc Tailteann in Navan Picture by David Maher/Sportsfile
Michael Murphy of Donegal in action against Shane McEntee of Meath at Páirc Tailteann in Navan Picture by David Maher/Sportsfile Michael Murphy of Donegal in action against Shane McEntee of Meath at Páirc Tailteann in Navan Picture by David Maher/Sportsfile

All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Qualifying round 3A:

Meath 1-14 Donegal 1-15

AS the dust settled on the Pairc Tailteann thriller, Meath manager Andy McEntee took a verbal swipe at referee Derek O’Mahony, but Donegal’s extra touch of class was the real difference.

In a scrappy, often chaotic, but always absorbing encounter between evenly-matched teams it was the influence of Michael Murphy, in midfield, and Paddy McBrearty, in attack, that saw the Ulstermen over the line.

With extra-time beckoning, McBrearty stroked over a superb winner from the 45-yard line to nick a game that had been level 11 times and Donegal boss Rory Gallagher was mighty relieved at the finish.

“We were expecting a really tough tussle,” he said.

“There’s huge expectancy in Meath, they have that tradition and we knew that they’d have a massive crowd here and they’d be very vibrant.”

Donegal have responded well after their Ulster semi-final trouncing from Tyrone and their performance on Saturday suggests that, while they may not be Sam Maguire contenders, there is better to come from them.

“When you’re well beaten and don’t perform there’s a level of disappointment, but we have a very inexperienced group of players and we’re in a better position today than we were three weeks’ ago,” said Gallagher.

“We’re showing we are really competitive.

“We’ve played 11 games this year and we’ve only lost three of them – we lost to Tyrone, Kerry and Mayo – so we’d be pleased with the direction we’re going. We’re not the finished article, far from it, but if we take our chances we’ll make life easier for ourselves.”

Gallagher was relieved while his opposite number McEntee was disappointed and angry. The Tir Chonaill men got away with a push here and an extra step there and referee O’Mahony was booed off the field by the Meath supporters.

The Royal county manager shared their frustration.

“A result like that and a game like that is hard to take,” he said.

“It seems like the bigger you are, the bigger star you are and the more influence you put on the referee, the more it works out in your favour.

“That’s disappointing. Maybe I’m wrong, maybe I’m looking at this through green-coloured glasses but it certainly seemed to influence the referee.

“Certain [Donegal] players got away with a number of tackles that I would consider a free and we seemed to be punished a little more regularly.”

Taking a scalp like Donegal’s in a game like Saturday’s would have meant the world to Meath.

An hour before throw-in, the stadium announcer interrupted ABBA’s Greatest Hits to inform patrons that the stand was sold out, meaning latecomers had to stand in the baking evening sun, which was no hardship for them.

The Meath squad trotted out for an intensive warm-up to the strains of Money, Money, Money and the music had skipped a few decades to the contemporary sound of The Coronas by the time the Tir Chonaill men joined them half-an-hour before the start.

Both sides of the ground were packed by the time O’Mahony threw the ball in and the Royals took the lead three times in the opening 25 minutes only for Donegal to battle back.

It was level at 0-5 apiece when Donegal began to find rhythm in their counter-attacking system and they came within a whisker of bagging two goals before half-time.

A sweeping move saw the ball switch from Eoghan Ban Gallagher to Eoin McHugh to McBrearty and then Hugh McFadden. Eoin McHugh kept on running and got it back but was denied by a brave block from Meath goalkeeper Paddy O’Rourke.

Minutes later, McFadden did have the ball in the net after Murphy had left his marker in his wake with a speedy break from midfield, but the ‘goal’ was ruled out for ‘square ball’.

Points from Meath’s Donals – Keogan and Lenihan – meant the game was level at the break at 0-7 apiece and the tit-for-tat pattern resumed in the second half.

Donegal massed in their own half with McFadden and McBrearty pushed up and leaving an ocean of space for their pacey runners to break into.

Their game depended on turnovers, but Meath refused to cough up possession and, although Graham Reilly was well marked by Paddy McGrath, Lenihan was in excellent form from frees and Shane McEntee’s point edged the Royals into a 10-8 lead.

Donegal were soon level again and McBrearty edged them a point ahead with 15 minutes left.

Ruairi O Coileain restored parity before Murphy sent a free wide and Donegal thought they had made the decisive breakthrough from the kick-out.

By his standards, Ryan McHugh only had a walk-on part in the drama but it was a decisive one.

He won the kick-out and tore up field, playing a neat one-two, before finding the back of O’Rourke’s net with a calm finish.

But Meath refused to submit. Back they came and Padraic Harnan somehow found space for a shot in the packed Donegal square. It was blocked but Killian O’Connor stabbed the rebound over the line. When Bryan Menton added a point, Meath began to look the more likely winners.

Donegal’s Championship hopes hung by a thread, but their marquee players stood tall when they needed them most.

Frees from McBrearty and Murphy swung the game Donegal’s way again and Lenihan needed nerves of steel to tie it once again.

A respectful hush descended as he stood over the ball to the left of the Tir Chonaill posts.

He struck the ball sweetly, right-footed, up into the balmy evening air and it curled delightfully inside the far post. Again the home fans rose in delight as three minutes of added time was signalled.

Donegal played the kick-out short and began their painstaking build-up with purpose.

If they scored, there would be no time for another Meath comeback and after the inevitable period of back-and-across hand-passing, Ryan McHugh provided the impetus and the pass to McBrearty.

He shot left-footed on the run and sent the ball screaming high over the bar.

A white flag went up to break Meath hearts. Donegal march on and the young lads in the side will improve with every game as they build for the future.

Donegal: MA McGinley; C Ward, N McGee, K Gillespie; P McGrath, R McHugh (1-0), F McGlynn (0-1); J McGee (0-2), M Murphy (0-5, 0-2 frees); E Gallagher, C Thompson, E McHugh; M O’Reilly, H McFadden, P McBrearty (0-7, 0-3 frees)

Subs: M McElhinney for Thompson (43), J Brennan for McFadden (48), K Lacey for O’Reilly (58), M McHugh for McGlynn (60)

Meath: P O’Rourke; D Keogan (0-1), C McGill, M Burke; P Harnan, B Power, S McEntee (0-1); B Menton (0-1), B Conlon; R O Coileain (0-1), J McEntee (0-1), G Reilly (0-1); S Tobin, C O’Sullivan (1-1), D Lenihan (0-7 frees)

Subs: M Newman for S Tobin (h-t), D Tobin for S McEntee (61)

Black card: E Wallace replaced O’Sullivan (67)

Referee: Derek O’Mahony (Tipperary)