Meath ladies in waiting

Aspirations of a Ladies NFL Div 2 semi-final spot for Meath were put on ice on Sunday following defeat by a talented Donegal side at Pairc Tailteann. Donegal's win, their fifth from six games, puts them back at the top of the table and leaves Meath needing victory over Down next Sunday to secure that last four spot that had looked unlikely when the league campaign got underway with a heavy defeat by Kildare. Since that drubbing by the Lilywhites, Meath have improved enormously, but on Sunday they were guilty of old habits, careless mistakes which were punished severely by sloppy goals due mainly to poor marking and weak tackling. Holding Donegal to just six points would have been an acceptable result in February, but expectations have risen. The defeat constitutes a major disappointment and leaves Meath in a difficult position. Meath's cause wasn't helped by the absence of Aine Fagan, Kellie Allen and Elaine Duffy and with Donegal's Yvonne McMonagle enjoying an outstanding game at full-forward the hosts were always on the back foot despite a glorious start. An error by Donegal goalkeeper Kate Keeney gifted Samantha Martin a simple goal after just 18 seconds, but Meath couldn't build on that advantage and fell behind on nine minutes when Niamh Hegarty netted. Once they surrendered the lead, Meath never got it back. Basic errors at the back allowed McMonagle, Hegarty and Ailish Ward to dominate. Philomena Sheridan struggled to come to grips with McMonagle in the first-half and Aedin Murray didn't fare any better in the second period. Meath were very hesitant in much of their play. They had plenty of possession, but opted for crossfield passing rather than taking the direct route and on several occasions, even with the wind to their advantage, they dropped shots short into Keeney's hands. While the concession of the sloppy goals ultimately proved to be Meath's undoing they did have some notable performers with Jenny Rispin excelling from midfield and Claire Coffey enjoying an excellent second-half in defence. Ger Doherty was an excellent target in attack and contributed some fine scores in her personal tally of seven points, but too many players were below par and the absence of key personnel made life even more difficult. After their perfect start with Martin's goal, Meath lost their way. Ward and Doherty exchanged frees before a four-minute spell yielded 1-2 for Donegal with McMonagle contributing points either side of Hegarty's goal. Meath stuck to their task. Every time Donegal threatened to pull clear the hosts found the resolve to spark a response. Doherty pointed after a fine pass from Rispin, but McMonagle and Maureen O'Donnell traded points with Bridgetta Lynch and Doherty to maintain the visitors slender advantage, 1-5 to 1-4. Another magnificent pass from the brilliant Karen Guthrie found Hegarty unmarked in behind the Meath rearguard and she made no mistake with her cool finish for her second goal. Again Doherty responded with a point and it was Meath who finished the half strongest. Doherty cut the deficit to 1-6 to 2-5 before Ward settled Donegal. However, Meath closed the gap to the minimum at the break with superb points from Rispin and Doherty making it 1-8 to 2-6. The whirlwind finish to the first-half was followed by a slow start after the resumption for Meath. By the time Doherty posted Meath's next score 11 minutes after the re-start, Donegal had moved six points clear and could have been further ahead. Monica McGuirk made a fine save to deny McMonagle four minutes into the second-half, but as Meath struggled to clear their lines McMonagle was fouled and the referee awarded a penalty. McMonagle fired the kick over the bar. Ward added a free before the issue was put beyond doubt when McMonagle cut inside Shauna Bennett to rifle the third goal. The sides shared six points in the closing 19 minutes. Doherty and two Rispin frees from the ground were cancelled out by points from McMonagle, Niamh McLaughlin and Guthrie. Meath's bid to reach the last four will have to wait for another week. Donegal - K Keeney; D Toner, M Herron, K Wilson; C Hegarty, K Guthrie (0-1), G Houston; M Devenney, A McDonald; A Ward (0-3, two frees), Y McMonagle (1-5, 0-1 penalty), D Foley; R Friel, N Hegarty (2-0), M O'Donnell (0-1). Subs - N McLaughlin (0-1) for Friel half-time, G McLaughlin for O'Donnell half-time, U Leonard for Houston 56 mins. Meath - M McGuirk; C Coffey, P Sheridan, M Kealy; C Dempsey, A Murray, E Wardick; M Sheridan, J Rispin (0-3, two frees); G Doherty (0-7, one free), S Bennett, R Nulty; O Sheridan, B Lynch (0-1), S Martin (1-0). Subs - S Byrne for Kealy 22 mins, V McCormack for Nulty 39m, T Ryan for Martin 39m, R Considine for Wardick 40m, A Leavy for P Sheridan 46m. Referee - Tony Lennon (Dublin).