Millbrook food for thought!

Senior football challenges in the weeks leading up to the start of the championship are notorious for filling teams with false hope, but that certainly wasn't the case for Meath at the official opening of Oldcastle's new ground at Millbrook on Monday. Forced to field a hugely experimental side, manager Eamonn O'Brien will be more concerned with the growing injury problems he is already facing ahead of the 23rd May Leinster SFC opener against Offaly at Portlaoise. Already out are Niall McKeigue and David Bray. Trim's Brendan Murphy is unlikely to play any part after suffering a hamstring problem while playing for his club and several others also picked up knocks. "Today's game was always going to be difficult for us because lads had to play championship matches on Saturday and Sunday. We had to bring in some extra players to make up the numbers, so the game had limited benefits," O'Brien told the Meath Chronicle. "However, it did give us an opportunity to get a relatively high level of football into certain players and you will always learn things from those situations. "We did have some very good performances. Graham Reilly was very good and I thought Bryan Menton did very well at centre-back. Nigel Crawford produced a decent first-half and Conor Gillespie showed good progress in the second-half," said the manager. The result from Monday's game is of little consequence, but O'Brien can be heartened by the display of several players. Davy Dalton did well until he hurt his hamstring, while Gary O'Brien and Paudge Howard also had excellent outings. However, it was the outstanding display of Menton that will give the selectors plenty of food for thought. Brian Farrell looked lively in attack where Graham Reilly also had a very good game. Two Oldcastle players, Paddy and Eoin Gilsenan, also enhanced their growing reputations with decent displays and with Peadar Byrne and Seamus Kenny showing plenty of endeavour and spirit, Meath can be relatively pleased with their performance. Playing with the aid of a strong breeze the Royals were ahead by 0-7 to 0-1 after just 22 minutes with points from Farrell (three, two frees), Reilly (two), Niall Mooney and Eoin Gilsenan. Fielding just five players who featured in the NFL Div 2 final against Armagh eight days earlier, Down were slow to start with Conor Laverty grabbing their only point of the period in the fourth minute. Great defending by Shane McAnarney and Howard denied Down a goal before Ciaran McGovern doubled the visitors account. A superb point from Farrell restored Meath's six-point cushion, but a minute before the break Mark Poland gave Down a boost with a goal after poor Meath defending of a high speculative centre. That left Meath just 0-8 to 1-2 ahead at the interval. After the break both sides made changes, but it was Down who looked the more effective side. Poland (free) and Reilly traded scores. Then Poland, Laverty and John Clarke pointed to restore parity after 46 minutes. Two Paddy Gilsenan scores were cancelled out by points from Anton McArdle and Paul Greenan and in the final quarter Down pulled clear with Laverty and Conor McGinn (two each), Paul Devlin and Darren O'Hagan on target. Meath's closing scores came from a Peadar Byrne '45' and a fine O'Brien effort. Down - S Kane; S Kearney, D Rooney, L Lennon; C McGovern (0-1), K McKernan, M Doran; D Gordon, P Greenan (0-1); R Sexton, M Poland (1-2, two frees), T Hanna; C Laverty (0-4), K Anderson, J Clarke (0-1). Subs - C McGinn (0-2), A McArdle (0-1), A Brannigan, D O'Hagan (0-1), P Devlin (0-1, '45'). Meath - P O'Rourke; D Dalton, J Macken, S McAnarney; P Howard, B Menton, G O'Brien (0-1); N Crawford, P Byrne (0-1, '45'); S Kenny, G Reilly (0-3), N Mooney (0-1); P Gilsenan (0-2, one free), B Farrell (0-4, two frees), E Gilsenan (0-1). Subs - S Curran for Dalton 30 mins, C Lenehan for Kenny half-time, C McPartland for Macken half-time, C Gillespie for Crawford half-time, S Fox for O'Rourke 51m. Referee - Sean Carroll (Westmeath).