THOSE WHO like their football fast, uncompromising, hard and sprinkled with error will be delighted that Offaly referee Carthage Buckley did not play the almost three minutes of injury time that was due at the end of an absorbing Leinster senior football semi-final at Croke Park yesterday.

Pleased most of all will be the Leinster Council treasurer. Next Sunday's week's replay is certain to attract an even larger crowd than yesterday's record semi-final attendance of 46,598.

Tommy Dowd was equally pleased with the result at the end of a match which demonstrated yet again the incredible levels of fitness now being attained by "mere" amateurs. "We are feeling lucky to be coming back for the replay," gasped Dowd.

One pundit went as far as to suggest that the extraordinary level of fitness is spoiling the game. His as sertion is based on the clear evidence provided in this game in which there was precious little space for a player to operate. The closing down process is that bit easier for players who can, it seems, run for ever and in packs.

"Not an inch" seemed to be the motto of both teams, and there was nothing lacking in stamina and resolve to meet the demand.

At least two minutes was due to be added on at the end for time lost due to second half injuries, sustained by Meath's Graham Geraghty and Kildare's Johnny McDonald. But who on earth is complaining? For the record, roughly 30 seconds was added on. The first half went into the 38th minute.

A shock, first minute goal by KiIdare's Martin Lynch followed almost immediately by a high point from midfielder Willie McCreery set the stage for a roller coaster tie in which Meath, the odds-on favourites, were always playing catch-up.

Nothing was spared by Sean Boylan's men as they tried gallantly to redress the balance. They never led, and the sense of relief was huge among the Meath followers when their sure-fielding midfielder, Jim McGuinness, kicked an initial equaliser in the seventh minute of the second-half (1-5 to 0-8).

The joy of that score was short-lived. Kildare were proving more and more difficult to contain. Their short passing was a source of real menace for the Meath men from defence to attack.

The pressure was enormous on the Meath cover, and, when they conceded two frees soon after the equaliser, Padraig Graven was on hand to capitalise both times.

Graham Geraghty had by this time put himsetf in line for the man of the match" award with a resolute and effective second half performance. It was no surprise when he knocked over Meath's ninth point (his third) in quick response to Graven's display of accuracy with the placed ball.

Equally, it was only fitting when Declan Kerrigan stretched Kildare's lead. Mistakes there were aplenty, but the pace never sagged.

The second huge sigh of relief for Meath supporters went up 26 minutes into the second half when Trevor Giles earned parity once more with a close- in free after the industrious Brendan Reilly was pulled down.

Giles rescued Meath again by answering yet another point by Kerrigan in a hectic close.

The defining moment of those last few minutes saw a place-kicking decision go arguably wrong for KiIdare. They forced a last gasp "45", but Niall Buckley's effort fell short and was fetched majestically by the tireless John McDermott, the Meath captain, and duly cleared. Only Tommy Dowd and his close marker, Davy Dalton, along with Kildare goalkeeper Christy Byrne were in the Kildare half of the pitch as Buckley shaped up for the kick.

Would Graven have converted for the winner? That is something we will never know. Graven explained: "It was always agreed that Niall should take the kicks far out and there was a wind against him. It was a difficult one for him."

There were many heroic individual displays on both sides. Possibly the inordinate number of heavy knocks, largely accidental, reflected the intent of both teams in the heat of battle.

Kildare grew in confidence on the heel of that sparkling opening. They led by 1-5 to 0-5 at half-time. Mick O'Dwyer's well-drilled side was repeatedly reminded of the urgency of the task. Some players were prepared to run the risk of dying of fatigue.

The midfield battle swayed to and fro. McDermott was all over the place. His partner McGuinness caught some balls as though he had glue on his hands. Niall Buckley and Willie McCreery for Kildare were persistent in posing a major threat.

Davy Dalton's reaction to the long delivery from Dowd delighted the Kildare crowd. Dowd started as attack leader, although wearing 13, but moved inside in the second half. He would have liked more space.

Kildare full back Ronan Quinn, who went off after being injured in the 17th minute, was a severe loss, but the unit was held together well by team captain Glen Ryan. Anthony Rainbow and Ken Doyle on the flanks were ambitious, but Graham Geraghty's second half display, along with that of Giles and the roaming Brendan Reilly, caused problems for the Kildare cover in the second half.

The Meath forwards obliged their opponents with a tally of 14 wides in all, against seven for Kildare.

Meath's defence was often seen to lose composure when Kildare came at them with their short passing game. But they generally seemed to get there. Darren Fay and Enda McManus had to be alert and brave in the central positions, while Colm Coyle's sense of positioning often proved a huge asset.

Johnny McDonald proved a demoralising loss to Kildare when he went down in the tackle and had to be replaced in the last quarter. The referee got his loudest barracking of the afternoon for allowing play to continue from the incident. It wasn't an easy one to referee. In all, six players were booked.

LAOIS, the All-Ireland minor champions, produced a powerful second-half performance to defeat Meath in the Leinster semi-final at Croke Park yesterday. Having trailed 0-6 to 0-4 at the break, Laois simply dismantled Meath with some delightful skill and movement in an attack that revolved around the effervescent Brian McDonald at full forward.

A survivor from last year's excellent side, McDonald was involved in almost every scoring move of the second half, during which they compiled 1- 8 to just one point in reply from a thoroughly outplayed Meath team.

Meath had started with terrific zip, hitting three points in the first five minutes and claiming a penalty when full forward Ken Gannon appeared to be brought down in the square. Referee Carthage Buckley awarded a 45 instead.

A fine move let corner forward Garry Kavanagh in for the decisive goal with eight minutes remaining. Kavanagh finished to the net with poise and Laois swaggered to the final whistle. Meath's sinking morale hit rock bottom when corner forward Glen Loughran drove a penalty wide in the final minute.