Royals best in battle of the boyne

Ahead most of the way Meath withstood a stern challenge from Louth to progress to the semi-finals of the Leinster MFC at Drogheda today. 

The game was not a classic yet there were few spectators leaving before the end as the outcome hung in the balance right to the final whistle. 

Now Denis O'Shea and his troops take on Longford in the semi-final.  

After a convincing performance against Loais in the opening round Meath struggled to find the same kind of fluency in this encounter. 

Apart from a very brief spell at the start and a few minutes in the second-half, when the sides were level at 0-7 apiece, Royal County showed the way yet there was a real sense of them hanging on at the end. 

They were helped greatly in their search for victory by four first-half points from Padraig McGowan. 

At the break Meath led 0-7 to 0-5 despite playing against the breeze but they found it difficult to escape the cluches of their opponents in the second-half. 

The best chance Meath had of finding the net was in the first-half when Ronan Jones had a shot saved by Fergal Sheeky. 

Louth's main marksman was Tadhg McEneaney with five points and there were times when the Meath back-line had to be on red alert as the home team pressed forward. 

In the last nine minutes Louth outscored Meath by three points to one. However that one Royal County point from James McKeown was to prove crucial in the end.