It was wet and miserable in Navan on a September night back in 1957, but nobody cared and many possibly didn't even notice. Approximately 2,000 people had assembled to afford a heroes' welcome to the Meath minor footballers who had made history in Croke Park by defeating Armagh with ease to win the All-Ireland MFC title for the first time. That wasn't the first occasion on which this tremendous bunch of players and their mentors had written themselves into the history books as it had already happened the previous June when they claimed the county's first Leinster title in the grade, thus generating growing hope that national honours were just around the corner. However, few could have anticipated that such wonderful triumphs lay ahead when minor trials were held at Pairc Tailteann, Navan, in mid-April, or when Meath trounced Monaghan to the tune of 22 points in a subsequent challenge match at the same venue. Things were looking promising, but it was very early days. Here we chart Meath's progress to All-Ireland honours, a path that brought five victories, the majority of them by wide margins. Indeed, it was only in the provincial final against Offaly that the Royal County were seriously tested and that was also the only game in which they failed to score a goal. They raised six 'green flags' against Longford and three in the games against Laois, Mayo and Armagh, so it's obvious that Meath possessed a lethal attacking unit which played a key role in the success. The defence included Bertie Cunningham who was the only member of the team to go on and win All-Ireland SFC honours a decade later. He was at corner-back for the minors and was centre half-back when Meath defeated Cork in the 1967 senior decider. Meath also possessed a very strong midfield, with Seamus Clynch and Jimmy Halpin playing a hugely significant role when Armagh were comfortably overcome in the All-Ireland final on the same day that the late Dermot O'Brien lifted the Sam Maguire Cup after Louth had beaten Cork in the senior final. Of huge importance to Meath on that September afternoon was the sight of Navan De La Salle player Brendan Cahill lifting the Tom Markham Cup. ONE SMALL STEP Meath.........................3-11 Laois............................2-2 Meath marked themselves down as contenders for a first Leinster title when they easily disposed of Laois in the first round at Athy in late May. The Royal County rarely looked in any danger and set the trend for the remainder of the championship by demonstrating their ability to find the net. The midlanders goaled twice, but Meath bettered that, notching three, and they made a significant contribution to a win that was achieved with a dozen points to spare. Meath - PJ Reilly; B. Cunningham, J. Kelleher, L. O'Sullivan; T. Gibney, S. McGuirk, M. Clerkin; S. Clynch, E. Keenan; C. Farrelly, J. Halpin, B. Cahill; T. Monaghan, M. Greville, H. Ratty. Subs - T. Byrne, C. Galligan, P. Barry, L. Drumm, S. Collier, J. Reilly, PJ Hanley. ONE BIGGER STEP Meath.........................6-6 Longford....................3-7 Longford went into the semi-final at Newbridge as favourites after beating hotly fancied Dublin in the previous round. Dublin were seeking a fourth successive Leinster minor title and that success for the midlanders represented a shock, so Meath expected a stern test of their credentials at the Kildare venue. However, they responded superbly to the challenge and the brilliance of Seamus Clynch and Jack Grey at midfield provided the platform for a victory which demonstrated that Meath's combination play might just be good enough to bring a first Leinster minor football title to the county. Grey was deputising for the injured Eugene Keenan and played superbly and with the brilliant half-forward line of PJ Hanley, Jimmy Halpin and Brendan Cahill linking up to great effect, Meath looked good. With Tommy Monaghan, Mick Greville and Larry Drumm working well in the full-forward line Meath put the Longford backs under a lot of pressure and two early goals from Halpin and Cahill put them firmly on the road to the final. Longford managed two goals in the first-half - one of them following poor play in the Meath defence - but Halpin notched his second goal for the winners and Drumm also got in on the act to help their side to a seven-point (4-4 to 2-3) interval advantage. The losers opened the second period with a point, but Halpin completed his hat-trick of goals and Meath were well clear with a nine-point lead. Impressive goalkeeper PJ Reilly came to his side's rescue with a brilliant save, but he could do nothing to prevent McGoey finding the net for Longford's third goal. However, Meath finished on a high when Mick Greville found the net to put the seal on a fully merited victory that left no doubts about the strength of the Royal County midfield or attack, but some concerns about a defence that conceded 3-7. Meath - PJ Reilly; S. McGuirk, J. Kelleher, L. O'Sullivan; T. Gibney, T. Fitzsimons, M. Clerkin; S. Clynch, J. Grey; PJ Hanley, J. Halpin (3-0), B. Cahill (1-2); T. Monaghan, M. Greville (1-4), L. Drumm (1-0). HISTORIC LEINSTER TRIUMPH Meath....................0-8 Offaly....................0-5 Predictions can be dangerous things, but Meath player Mick Clerkin, from Moynalty, made a brave one on the morning of the Leinster final at Mullingar when he proclaimed on the way to the ground by car: "We are going to make history today." He was absolutely right as Meath defeated Offaly with a struggle on a day when captain Brendan Cahill was about the only player to demonstrate consistently good form. It was fitting that he should be carried shoulder high from the pitch by his delighted colleagues after he had received the cup. On this occasion Meath's midfield pairing of Clynch and Cummins didn't have it all their own way and it was thanks to some trojan work by the defence, and Bertie Cunningham in particular, that Offaly didn't inflict far greater damage on the scoreboard. Jack Fagan made his debut for the team and played well, especially when switched to the half-back line in the second period to mark Offaly's best player, Dunne. Goalkeeper PJ Reilly had another impressive outing, while Tom Gibney and Clerkin were others to play important roles when the pressure was on in the second half and Jack Grey played his part in a variety of positions. Mick Greville top-scored with three points and Jimmy Halpin got two, as did Tommy Monaghan. Cahill got the other point with a fisted effort and was deprived of a goal when his powerful shot came back off the crossbar. Offaly were a very strong team and when Meath led by only a point at the interval after playing with the wind they appeared to be in trouble. However, they were a dogged and determined bunch of players in the second half when the selectors were forced into a number of switches in a bid to keep the title challenge on course. It was Meath's toughest and tightest game of the campaign and one that undoubtedly hardened their resolve to claim All-Ireland honours. The three-point victory was hard-earned, but very, very sweet. The win also made up for so many previous disappointments, with Meath losing the previous three Leinster finals to Dublin. Meath - PJ Reilly; J. Fagan, T. Fitzsimons, B. Cunningham; T. Gibney, J. Grey, M. Clerkin; S. Clynch, J. Cummins; PJ Hanley, J. Halpin (0-2), B. Cahill (0-1); T. Monaghan (0-2), M. Greville (0-3), J. O'Reilly. FINAL TICKET BOOKED Meath.................3-8 Mayo..................1-7 Meath's renowned battling qualities were very much in evidence as they booked their All-Ireland final ticket with a fully deserved win over a very useful Mayo side at Roscommon. The semi-final was originally fixed for Longford, but had to be switched to Roscommon due to an outbreak of polio in Co. Longford. Mayo rocked Meath with four points in the opening quarter as the Royal County backs struggled to settle to the pace of the game, but once the boys in green and gold came to terms with the tricky situation they soon found their feet and battled back superbly to hold a five-point advantage at the break. Seamus Clynch returned to his best form in spectacular fashion and that was a key element in Meath's victory. His fielding was magnificent, he provided the forwards with the consistent flow of ammunition they required and to add to a great display he rowed in with a goal and a point for good measure. Eugene Keenan was a fitting partner for Clynch at midfield, yet during the first quarter Meath were in trouble and it necessitated superb play by Jack Fagan, Mick Clerkin and Tom Gibney to keep the ship from running dangerously aground. Tom Fitzsimons and Sean Kelleher were big players once Meath got into the game, while Bertie Cunningham got through a lot of important work and goalkeeper PJ Reilly was his usual reliable self. A big and important feature of Meath's performance was the input of the full-forward line, with Larry Drumm, Mick Greville and Tommy Monaghan accounting for 2-3 of their team's tally and the belief after the semi-final was that Meath would win the decider if that trio managed to repeat their impressive and influential showings. However, the best forward on view was again Brendan Cahill who played a real captain's part and capped a magnificent performance with three points. Centre half-forward Jack Grey was another highly significant performer for Meath, as was PJ Hanley, although he didn't manage to get among the scorers. No Meath player succeeded in registering a score in the first quarter as Mayo raced into a four-point lead, but once Meath settled into the contest they were the better side and dominated the second quarter to such an extent that they had opened up a very healthy five-point interval advantage which left the Connacht champions playing an unsuccessful game of catch-up. Mayo never gave up, but Meath were seven points clear at the final whistle and looking forward to the All-Ireland decider. Meath - PJ Reilly; T. Gibney, J. Kelleher, B. Cunningham; J. Fagan, T. Fitzsimons, M. Clerkin; S. Clynch (1-1), E. Keenan; PJ Hanley, J. Grey (0-1), B. Cahill (0-3); T. Monaghan (0-2), M. Greville (1-1), L. Drumm (1-0). MEATH FINISH THE JOB Meath....................3-9 Armagh.................0-4 Meath's All-Ireland SFC hero of 1949, Frankie Byrne, put the Meath players through their paces at Pairc Tailteann for a couple of weeks before their date with destiny against Armagh at Croke Park and with a clean bill of health among the players, hopes were high of an historic breakthrough at minor level. The Meath selectors were Rev. Brother O'Sullivan (Salesian College, Warrenstown), Richard Snow (Kilberry), Ned Giles (Navan), Liam Creavin (Navan), Mick Cummins (Rathmolyon), BJ Caffrey (Kells), Jackie Maye (Donaghmore) and Tom Million (Kilberry) and this was a huge occasion for them too. Armagh were well fancied as they had beaten Kerry at the penultimate hurdle, so nobody could have predicted the ease with which Meath beat them on the day that mattered most. They were a vastly superior team and didn't need to produce their best to win pulling up. This fact was due in huge measure to the midfield dominance of Seamus Clynch and Jimmy Halpin who provided a magnificent platform on which Meath built a whopping 14-point victory. Armagh tried to remedy the situation with several different combinations in this area, but were totally unsuccessful. Meath played a sensible brand of catch-and-kick football, while their stamina and speed said a great deal for the manner in which they were prepared for the championship as a whole and the final in particular. Tom Gibney, Tom Fitzsimons and Sean Kelleher were particularly impressive in a defence that conceded only four points, while 'keeper PJ Reilly was again very assured and produced one spectacular and daring save. Bertie Cunningham, Jack Fagan and Mick Clerkin also played their part in a fabulous win. Meath made their intentions clear when Jack Grey scored the first goal after a great Halpin delivery and Clynch notched the second from a '45' (then known as a '50') to help his side into an eight-point (2-4 to 0-2) lead at the change of ends. Armagh reduced the arrears with a point at the start of the second half, but Meath responded in telling fashion when Tommy Monaghan found the net with a sizzling shot from close range. Mick Greville, who scored six points overall, stretched the advantage with a brace of frees and made things look even better on the scoreboard when he notched a superb score after impressive play by influential captain Cahill. Greville maintained his impressive scoring rate with another point and by the time Larry Drumm raised Meath's ninth while flag of the afternoon with a stunning point the final was well and truly over as a contest. Meath could never have anticipated that it would be so easy and there were memorable, joyful scenes as Brendan Cahill accepted the Tom Markham Cup - the first Royal County player to do so. Surprisingly, it would be a further 33 years before another Meath player would captain his county to All-Ireland minor honours - Dunboyne's Enda McManus following the final victory over Kerry in 1990. Meath won their third All-Ireland MFC title two years later when Peter Sullivan accepted the Tom Markham Cup following a dramatic final victory over Armagh. What we would give for a fourth. Meath's team in the 1957 final was - PJ Reilly; T. Gibney, J. Kelleher, B. Cunningham; J. Fagan, T. Fitzsimons, M. Clerkin; S. Clynch (1-1), J. Halpin; PJ Hanley, J. Grey (1-1), B. Cahill; T. Monaghan (1-0), M. Greville (0-6), L. Drumm (0-1). The full Meath panel which achieved All-Ireland MFC success 50 years ago was: PJ Reilly (Donaghmore); T. Gibney (Kilskyre), J. Kelleher (St. Mary's, Laytown), B. Cunningham (Ballivor); J. Fagan (Navan De La Salle), T. Fitzsimons (Navan De La Salle), M. Clerkin (St. Kieran's, North Meath); S. Clynch (Navan De La Salle), J. Halpin (Kilskyre); PJ Hanley (Ballinabrackey), J. Grey (Enfield), B. Cahill (Navan De La Salle, captain); T. Monaghan (Kells Harps), M. Greville (Trim), L. Drumm (Kilberry). Subs - E. Keenan (Kells Harps), C. Farrelly (St. Kieran's, North Meath), T. Byrne (Navan De La Salle), J. O'Reilly (Kilskyre), S. McGuirk (Navan De La Salle), P. Barry (Kilberry), L. O'Sullivan (Donaghmore), M. McCabe (Nobber), H. Ratty (Navan De La Salle). Tweet

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