Limerick hold Meath and cling on to survival hope

Limerick 0-17 Meath 2-11

Limerick have secured their first point of their League season after playing out an entertaining draw with Colm O’Rourke’s Meath in front of 1,039 fans at TUS Gaelic Grounds on Sunday afternoon.

Level on nine occasions, the match finished all square after the hosts went in at half-timea four-point lead – 0-10 to 0-6 – before a late Brian Donovan point ensured a draw on Shannonside.

Meath, boosted by second-half goals from Mathew Costello and substitute Donal Lenihan, showed their class and experience in the final 15 minutes and looked likely to grind out the result, but a late flurry of points from Limerick saw the Treaty men secure a well-deserved share of the spoils.

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The result means Limerick need a result at home to Kildare in two weeks to give themselves any chance of survival, their hopes intact thanks to the defeats of Clare and the Lilywhites to Cork and Louth respectively.

Meath, on the other hand, need a win against Dublin in two weeks if they are to have a chance of promotion to Division 1.

Fresh from a 24-point drubbing at the hands of Cork two weeks’ previously, Limerick showed no signs of a lack of confidence in the early stages, and after Jack O’Connor opened the scoring for Meath after just two minutes, Ray Dempsey’s men lead by the eight minute thanks to two quick-fire scores from Hugh Bourke and James Naughton (free).

Both sides were level three times inside the opening quarter before Costello slotted over his second close-range free of the afternoon to put Meath a point ahead – 0-4 to 0-3.

The best score of the opening half came in the 18th minute, when Limerick joint-captain Iain Corbett burst forward from right half-back to kick over a superb effort to draw the sides level for the fourth time.

A minute later, the Treaty men took the lead for only the second time when the impressive Cian Sheehan somehow managed to slot the ball over from a tight angle with the momentum quickly swinging in the hosts’ favour.

Three Naughton scores in-a-row – a fisted point from play and two frees – put Demspey’s charges four points ahead heading into the final five minutes of the opening half.

Upping the tempo in the latter stages of the half, Meath could and should have scored the game’s opening goal when Shane Walsh bore down on goal on the half-hour, but a calls for a push in the back were quickly dismissed by referee Derek O’Mahoney as Donal O’Sullivan somehow managed to block the loose ball.

Two scores from Jack Flynn and Jordan Morris saw the Royal County narrow the deficit by half-time, but Limerick’s four-point lead was quickly restored thanks to two late scores from Cillian Fahy and Cathal Downes.

Limerick finished the opening half with five wides, compared to three for Meath.

After a lacklustre start to the second half from both sides, Meath made it a one-point game in the 44th minute as a much-improved Jordan Morris eased through a stretched Limerick defence before Costello finished off the move by scoring the first of Meath’s two goals.

A minute later, Costello levelled the sides for the fifth time with his third point of the afternoon.

Then Lenihan, less than a minute after his introduction, found the net for Meath’s second goal to put O’Rourke’s side two points ahead with 10 minutes to go.

. Paul Maher and Davy Lyons drew Limerick level again, only for Morris to score what looked like it would be the winning point. But Donovan tied things up in dramatic fashion in added time.

[ Tyrone claim three point win over Kerry with best performance of the campaign ]

Limerick: Donal O’Sullivan; Mike Donovan, Sean O’Dea, Brian Fanning; Iain Corbett (0-1), Barry Coleman, Tony McCarthy; Colm McSweeney, Cillian Fahy (0-1); Cian Sheehan (0-1), James Naughton (0-6, 0-4f), Cathal Downes (0-2); Killian Ryan, Brian Donovan (0-2), Hugh Bourke (0-1). Subs: Paul Maher (0-1) for McCarthy (49 minutes), Peter Nash for Corbett (50, inj), Adrian Enright (0-1) for Killian Ryan (55), Davy Lyons for Coleman (59), Davy Lyons (0-1) for Bourke (66)

Meath: Harry Hogan; Adam O’Neill, Michael Flood, Daniel O’Neill; Jack O’Connor (0-1), Donal Keogan (capt.), Shane McEntee; Ronan Jones (0-1), Jack Flynn (0-1); Cillian O’Sullivan, Jason Scully, Ross Ryan; Jordan Morris (0-3), Mathew Costello (1-3, 0-2f), Shane Walsh. Subs: Daithí McGowan for Scully, Brian Conlon for Daniel O’Neill, Diamuid Moriarty (0-2) for Walsh (all half time); Donal Lenihan (1-0) for McEntee (59 minutes), Aaron Lynch for O’Sullivan (71).

Referee: Derek O’Mahoney (Tipperary)