Nigel Crawford has revealed retirement crossed his mind in the wake of Meath's hammering by Limerick in last year's All-Ireland football qualifiers. But as he prepares for Sunday's All-Ireland semi-final against Kerry, the rejuvenated Dunboyne midfielder - who is the only survivor from the last Meath team to lift the Sam Maguire in 1999 - is delighted he came back for another season. "I had a lot of doubts last year because you are thinking 'I am on the scene 10 years now and am I actually getting worse.' You start to doubt yourself with some of the older lads going away. Anyone could find reasons to go. But time is a good healer and I'm still quite young and I'd like to think that I have more football in me," the 29-year-old said. "When the new management was appointed, you get a buzz again. When they say they want you again, it gives you a lift and progressively you get more interested. I enjoyed the league immensely which is funny because usually league football is tough and physically you don't enjoy it. But I enjoyed the games; that's a good sign." Crawford admitted that it was difficult for Meath to lift themselves after their poor showing against Dublin in the Leinster championship, but that a favourable qualifier draw provided them with an incentive to get their season up-and-running again. "We thought we had a really good chance in Leinster and then to lose like that left us so deflated. It was very hard to take any positives from it but the important thing was that we got a couple of home draws which takes pressure off. You get your home crowd there and it is hard for teams likes Waterford and Roscommon who had to come up to us. "This year has gone well for me. I have enjoyed it and maybe there is a lesson in that for me as well. Maybe I am not as uptight or putting as much pressure on. To serve your apprenticeship under John McDermott is the ultimate way to do it because he took any pressure off me. But since then, being honest, I haven't as the senior midfield partner, been good enough or led well. This year's been better." One of only a handful of survivors from the 2001 All-Ireland semi-final between Meath and Kerry, which the Royals won with surprising ease, Crawford feels that game will hold no relevance come Sunday. "The fact that Kerry have gone on and won All-Irelands and competed every year at the top, means I don't think they will be that worried about us. I would be surprised if 2001 was an issue for them," he added. "People can get caught up in the revenge thing, but you just move on. Externally, there is no pressure on us and having seen what Kerry did the last day. But we must go out and perform. After two years ago against Cork and last year against Limerick, we don't want our last game in the championship to be a total flop." Tweet

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