Hungry Royals overcome Oak Leaf test
The Meath hurlers left it late to secure the win over Derry in Trim on Sunday.
Meath 1-20
Derry 1-18
Meath overturned an eight-point half-time deficit in their hard fought NHL Div 2 win over Derry on Sunday at Trim. The standard of hurling on display for the majority was not fantastic but the game certainly did not lack excitement and intensity. From the 10th minute to the 66th minute, Meath trailed Derry but in the last 10 minutes the Royals outscored the visitors by 0-7 to 0-1.
There wasn’t much between the teams in the opening 25 minutes but a dubious penalty shifted momentum in Derry’s favour and in the last 10 minutes before the break they outscored the Royals by 1-5 to 0-1.
There was a significant delay at the end of the first half to allow Conor Leavy receive medical attention from the ambulance crew on site after he picked up a nasty injury in a collision.
After the restart, Meath started to chip away at Derry’s lead and the breakthrough for Johnny Greville’s side came in the 48th minute when Lorcan Byrne found the back of the net which reduced the gap back to two.
For the subsequent 10 minutes, Derry kept Meath at arms length and with 11 minutes remaining they still led by four. Crucially, though in the last 10 minutes, both Tom Shine and Gavin King scored a brace of frees while Lorcan Byrne, Daire Shine and Mark Leavy all contributed points to get Meath over the line.
The Royals missed several goal opportunities during the 70 minutes, including a late Gavin King penalty which was well saved by Derry keeper Sean Kelly.
Derry made a strong start to the contest and led 0-3 to 0-1 after six minutes. Byrne reduced the gap to one when he fielded a puck-out before he played a lovely 1-2 with Eoin Donegan and split the posts.
A Mark Leavy free brought Meath level before a brace of points from Shea Cassidy stretched Derry ahead by two. Meath kept in touch though with frees Tom Shine and King and after 23 minutes Derry led narrowly 0-7 to 0-6.
The Ulster outfit were fortunate to be awarded a penalty when Conor Leavy was penalised for what looked like a fair enough challenge on Shea Cassidy. Kelly made the long journey from his posts and dispatched the ball past King in the Meath net.
Eamon Cassidy then put Derry five points to the good before he and Noah Conroy picked up yellow cards for an altercation after the point was scored.
A free from Mark Leavy was Meath’s only score in the 10 minutes that preceded half-time. Derry stretched their lead with points from Shea Cassidy and Darragh McGilligan.
Conor Leavy suffered a suspected nasty shoulder injury and after a long delay for the Dunderry man to receive attention the referee sounded the half-time whistle. At the break Derry led 1-12 to 0-7.
After the restart, points from Jarlath Ennis, Joey Cole, Mikey Cole and Mark Leavy reduced Derry’s half-time advantage back to five. In the 48th miniute, Joey Cole played a lovely ball into the danger zone and Lorcan Byrne did really well to outmuscle his man before he finished to the top left corner of the net.
A dubious ‘65’ decision was converted by Shea Cassidy and after 55 minutes Derry led 1-15 to 1-12. The sides traded blows before Mark Leavy’s well-struck point in the 60th minute shifted momentum in Meath’s favour.
In the 62nd and 66th minute, Tom Shine scored two brilliant frees from right in front of the Derry dugout. In between those two scores, Mikey Cole was unlucky not to raise a green flag when his fantastic effort came back off the crossbar before Daire Shine raised a white flag.
In the 69th minute, Meath were awarded a penalty but King’s effort was well saved by Sean Kelly. Undeterred by the penalty miss, King slotted two frees in the 71st and 75th minute to hand Meath a one-point advantage.
Derry were reduced to 14 men when Eamon Cassidy was handed a second yellow card for a careless challenge on Mark Leavy. Lorcan Byrne made sure of the victory when he slotted over in the 76th minute.
Meath - Gavin King (0-3 three frees); Jarlath Ennis (0-1), Daire Shine (0-1), Conor Leavey; Noah Conroy, Simon Ennis, Sean Geraghty; Eoin Donegan, Joey Cole (0-1); Tom Shine (0-4 four frees), Lorcan Byrne (1-3), Mark Leavy (0-5); Mikey Cole (0-2), Damien Healy, Darren O’Higgins. Subs - Anthony Healy for C Leavy 39m, Darragh Heffernan for Conroy half-time, Jack Walsh for D Healy 71m, Fergal Flynn for J Ennis 74m.
Derry - Sean Kelly (1-0 one penalty); Patrick Turner, Joseph Mullholland, Cathair McGilligan; Conor Coyle, Meehaul McGrath, Eamon Cassidy (0-2); Ryan McGill, Fintan Bradley; Thomas Brady, Deaglan Foley (0-5), Darragh McGilligan (0-3); Ryan McGarvey, Shea Cassidy (0-8 five frees, one ‘65’), Michael Lynch. Subs - Tiernan Melaugh for McGarvey 45m, Cormac O’Doherty for Brady 62m, Jamie Lee McGlade for McGill 64m, Aimon Duffin for Lynch 67m, Andy McBride for McGilligan 74m.
Referee - Alan Tierney (Tipperary)