Gallagher's two-point haul rescues Royals

PAUL MCGIRR ALL-IRELAND MFC Stunning contest edged my mighty Meath

Meath......... 2-3-11 (23)

Galway ........2-3-10 (22)

FERGAL LYNCH

Ahead by five points with five minutes remaining at Pairc Tailteann this evening Galway looked certain to hammer the final nail into Meath's minor season when Jaeic O Cualain rounded Charlie Finnegan and eyed up an empty net.

Instead of rolling his shot to the target the Galway corner-forward blasted goalwards and held his head in his hands as his shot ricocheted off the crossbar.

Meath didn't stand on ceremony. They counter-attacked with pace with Charlie Gallagher, son of former Meath goalkeeper David, narrowing the deficit with a shot from just inside the arc.

Gallagher measured his next shot from just outside the arc 90 seconds later to close the gap to two and on the stroke of 60th minute the brilliant Dunboyne player landed his second successive, and third overall, two-pointer to draw the sides level.

Will Byrne looked to have squandered a chance to win it for Meath when he went for goal instead of tapping over the bar, but in the 64th minute Byrne was involved again and kicked a superb winning point that sparked wild celebrations and sent Meath through to the quarter-finals of the Paul McGirr Cup.

This Tier 2 competition is for counties knocked out in the latter stages of the Provincial MFC and Meath looked determined to prolong their season with a determined and impressive display.

This pulsating contest was played at 100 miles an hour from the off and the players deserve huge credit for producing many passages of outstanding football on what was a searing hot evening.

Gallagher, Byrne and Sean Smyth will steal the headlines for the Royals, and rightly so, but without the excellent of Conall O'Sullivan, Glen Callaghan, Cillian Murphy and Stephen Cahill they might not have been in the contest going down the closing stretch.

Points from the excellent Barry Keating and Ryan Connolly sandwiched a Murphy score as Galway took an early lead.

Gallagher's first two-point try hit upright and crossbar in the sixth minute before Cahill and Smyth both had follow up shots for goals brilliantly blocked by Eoin Gannon before Smyth levelled it.

A superb strike from Murphy secured the opening goal of the game as Meath edged ahead for the first time, but after Keating (free) and Cahill traded points it was the visiting Galway side that drew themselves level with Keating landing a two-point free and Oisin O Neachtain on target, 0-6 to 1-3.

Meath again assumed control with Cahill and Sean Delaney clipping over points before Smyth took a pass from Tadhg Foley and cut in for a goal to make it 2-5 to 0-6.

A point from Ciaran O'Donnell and a two-point free from Keating were followed by another two-pointer, this time from play, for Keating as Galway got level again, 0-11 to 2-5.

In the run-in to the interval Smyth (free) and Cian Hynes traded points to ensure parity at the break, 2-6 to 0-12.

The close thrilling nature of the contest continued in the third quarter as Will Byrne and Costello traded points before Gallagher edged Meath two in front with his first two-pointer.

That lead was wiped out in the 43rd minute when Connolly netted for Galway, but Meath never panicked.

Adam McEvoy took advantage of a second chance to fire a free before Smyth made it 2-11 to 1-14 from just inside the two-point arc.

Galway then struck for home.

Joey Cullinane fired a goal and O'Donnell and Cillian O'Toole added points to put the Connacht side into a 2-16 to 2-11 lead.

They really should have made sure of the win with O Culain's chance, but Meath, and Gallagher, made the most of the reprieve and sealed a stunning win.

Meath - Charlie Finnegan; Conal Sheridan, Conall O'Sullivan, Glen Callaghan; Tadhg Foley, Eoghan McBrearty, Niall Lawless; Declan Byrne, Sean Smyth (1-3 one free); Will Byrne (0-2), Cillian Murphy (1-1), Sean Delaney (0-1); Adam McEvoy (0-1 free), Charlie Gallagher (0-7 three two-pointers), Stephen Cahill (0-2). Subs - Max Condon for Foley half-time, Jesse O'Rourke for McEvoy 45m, Charlie O'Connor for Sheridan 48m, Robbie Johnson for Delany 53m, Bobby Gaffney for D Byrne 56m.

Galway - Evan Burke; Eoin Gannon, Evan Cunningham, Conor Winston; Cathal Heavey (0-1), Jeremiah J Oifoh, Cillian O'Toole (0-1); Andrew Kehoe, Cian Hynes (0-1); Ciaran O'Donnell (0-2), Ryan Connolly (1-1), Oisin O Neachtain (0-1); Jaeic O Cualain, Dara Costello (0-1), Barry Keating (0-8 one two-pointer, two two-point frees, one free). Subs - Gavin Curran for Kehoe 36m, Joey Cullinane (1-0) for O Neachtaine 45m, Cillian McPhillips for Costello 49m, Adam Healy for Connolly 56m.

Referee - Maggie Farrelly (Cavan).