Minor Football Championship

Division 3 Quarter Final

In Meath Hill

North Meath Gaels 3-15 Ratoath 3-9

Friday Night and Minor Football Championship in its rightful place with U18's from all over the County battling hard to progress their Club one more step.

Ratoath travelled which great support to Meath's most northerly pitch, Meath Hill, within sight of the Ulster Border and as the sunset views of Slieve Gullion and the mountain ranges of the Cooleys and the Mournes you could fault the Dublin border lads for feeling a little trip wary but no, they arrived in plenty of time and went through a rigorous warm up and hit the game in top condition with high hopes of seeing off the locals at the start of a massive and possibly momentous weekend for the Blue and Gold.

Thomas Duff in his 1st Minor game pointed early on as it looked like Ratoath who blow the Gaels away as the attacked strongly from the off and had managed 4 wides before that opening few minutes but they soon made up for that with 2-2 without reply to lead by 7 with just 10 minutes gone. A win for North Meath looked as distant as the Mountains.

Fair play to the locals and a few switches and they set about reeling the visitors in with James Mooney in fine form and Conor Marry and Cathal Dunne getting more into the game.

Dominic Yorke Yorke fired over a 45m free from the ground to get things going as Ryan Carry and Robert McEntaggart pointed from play. Mooney himself pointed to narrow the gap to 3 points.

Two Daniel Byrne frees and another monster long ranger from Yorke where cancelled out by 3 from Ratoath as half time neared. Dylan Dardis with some good work found himself fouled inside the square and Yorke stepped up to level the game with an unstoppable penalty goal to leave the sides tied 1-8 to 2-5 at the break.

North Meath put in a fine second half display outscoring Ratoath 2-7 to 1-4 as Cathal Bennett put them ahead inside a minute. North Meath were never headed again as Byrne and Yorke both from play stretched the lead to 3 points.

Substitute Paddy Matthews with his 1st touch scored a fine goal and while Ratoath pulled 3 points back Matthews was again instrumental in setting up Byrne for another goal to give the Gaels a 6 point lead.

Paul Carolan another to have a fine game added a point from an acute angle to put his side 7 ahead and the scoring rate slowed down with no score for 8 minutes.

Ratoath ended that when after a poor kick out they drove forward and found the home sides net and the game was back in the melting pot with 4 minutes left on the clock.

Up stepped Yorke to nail another long distance free again off the ground  and while Ratoath responded with a free of their own but North Meath closed the game out with the on fire Mooney cutting through and pointing and Carry knocking over a free in the 4th minute of injury to the delight of the North Meath supporters.

North Meath Gaels; Eoin Muldoon; James McMahon, Graham Boylan, Cathal Dunne; Kieran Slavin, Conor Marry, Robert McEntaggart (0-1); Dominic Yorke (1-4), James Mooney (0-2); Thomas Duff (0-1), Ryan Carry (0-2), Dylan Dardis; Daniel Byrne (1-3), Cathal Bennett (0-1), Paul Carolan (0-1). Subs Paddy Matthews (1-0) for Duff, Jack McMahon for McMahon and Paddy Halpin for Dardis.

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