Wonderous journey ends in bitter disappointment

ALL-IRELAND MFC McCarthy's Leinster champions come up short against the Derry heirs

The journey was the thing. The unprecedented, at times wonderous, at times madcap journey that was full of twists and turns, ups and downs, stops and starts. The journey that was never experienced by any Meath minor team before and is unlikely to be repeated again - and which ended in the sunshine that flooded Pairc Esler in Newry on Saturday.

The ultimate prize - the 2020 All-Ireland MFC title - proved a step or two too far, but Meath manager John McCarthy and his team can bask in the warm sense of satisfaction of knowing they ended up with something very significant - the Leinster title - from a long, unprecedented campaign.

That campaign started - at least in terms of matches played - in March 2020 and continued, with many highs and lows in between, through the dark days of the various Covid lockdowns.

Saturday was one of the lows when they team never really got moving. There were times when Meath edged in front, but their leads were tenuous, brief - and when Derry applied some intense pressure in the second-half the young Royals couldn't withstand the heat.

Should the Meath football fraternity be worried? After all this was another defeat for a Royal County side at the business end of a championship. Perhaps, but this minor team was made up of some very talented players and the hope is they will continue to progress, their abilities underlined by the way that provincial title was garnered.

Despite Saturday's bitter blow, the Meath players and the management team of McCarthy, Joey Farrelly, Paul Nestor, Justin McCarthy, Cathal Sheridan and Michael McDonnell can reflect on some great memories.

Was that victory over Offaly in the Leinster decider a few weeks ago the highlight of the long and winding road for manager McCarthy? Well, no actually, there was another game that still clearly glows in his memory and will, you suspect, for a long time.

"I really enjoyed the day against Dublin," he said with a smile before making a comparison between that first round game against the Sky Blues well over a year ago and Saturday's contest.

"We played well that day, we were a bit nervous in the first-half against Dublin and it was five points each at half-time, but they kicked on in that game, whereas today against Derry it just didn't click for us.

"There will never be a championship like this again, but when it comes to the question as to who won the 2020 Leinster championship Meath's name will be written there, they can't take that away from us."

McCarthy had no argument with Saturday's outcome. He had no problem in admitting that on the day, unlike the Dublin match, his side just didn't play as well as they might have considering the talent within their ranks.

"Ah I think the better team won. When we got the penalty we went two or three in front yet they came back straight away got a couple of scores, we needed to kick on at that stage," he said before going on to identify a significant incident that helped to turn the tide against his team.

"We lost Conor (Gray) early on, they came into it then at midfield and we were always going to be struggling when that happened, but that's sport isn't it. We came into this knowing there was a potential downside to all of this so we have to accept it."

The manager pointed to a first-half when both sides were guilty of missed chances (the wides tally was to eventually read: Meath 10, Derry seven) with Derry taking a giant step towards victory when Dan Higgins found the net on 45 minutes.

Derry were already showing distinct signs of finding their best form before Higgins's close range shot broke Meath hearts, but the goal clearly gave the Ulster side a major boost and set them on a firm trajectory to victory.

Meath tried to get back into the game, but the harder they tried, the more they seemed to lose their way. They suffered from turnovers and the concession of some needless frees and, of course, the goal when a clearance attempt was blocked.

"We were just unfortunate with the Derry goal, we had dealt with the danger, then they got a break, but that's the way games go, you need luck to go your way," McCarthy reflected.

Meath still had some outstanding displays with Ben Donnelly, Adam McDonnell, Ciaran Caulfield, Sean Emmanuel among those to shine. However, they were unable to prevent Derry from taking a firm grip on proceedings in the second-half.

McCarthy says the championship campaign, fragmented and broken as it was, provided the Meath players with the kind of experience he hopes will help them blossom into inter-county players of the future. His admiration for them through championship increased as time went on; their unstinting dedication to the cause despite the many disruptions.

"They are great lads, it's been a very tough journey, three lockdowns," he said to underline the many challenges they faced along the way. A journey like no other.

That journey ended on Saturday, a day when Meath only played in fits and starts and Derry took full advantage.