"Their days as escapologists are over," said Westmeath county chairman Seamus Whelan of Meath who had just done another Houdini act without mirrors or smoke screens.

"They, and not us, will be worrying about what is going to happen next Saturday." he warned.

Down the corridor, Trevor Giles and Seβn Boylan were insisting the media were "way out" in persistently under-rating Westmeath. "They are a team of good footballers," said Giles. "They are a hell of a side. They are here to stay," insisted a visibly relieved Boylan.

Giles was happy to turn the spotlight on Ollie Murphy. "That goal was fantastic. Again, it's a big thanks to Ollie Murphy. I don't know how many times he can keep doing that. It was a bit like his goal against Westmeath in the first round.

"You couldn't see him score that time either, I don't know how he scored it, a fabulous player.

"There were times in the second half when we would have been happy to get out with a draw and I suppose we are happy enough,"

Seβn Boylan said : "Our main task now is to get the injuries sorted out. We have a lot of work to do to try and get us into the All-Ireland semi-final. Hank Traynor and Donal Curtis are nursing injuries.

"We were a bit lucky," opined Graham Geraghty. "That goal they got before half time rattled us before we went in.

"We had a great chance of winning the match when Joe Fallon stepped up to take a free that would have put us four points ahead with a couple of minutes left because you always know Meath are going to fight to the very end," reflected Westmeath manager Luke Dempsey.

"For football it was a fantastic game, for the Westmeath senior team it was a case of proving the critics wrong who were continually suggesting we are here to make up the numbers in the last eight.

"Our players are young, learning their trade, from the oldest player at 27 down to 20 years, and for them to go out and perform such as they did is great credit to them," he continued.

"I told them at half time I was proud of them for that first half performance which typified their great skill, commitment and ambition to go further in this competition, but I also warned them that Meath were going to come back.

"The end result hasn't been a negative one for us, we will regroup, reorganise and come back here next weekend.

"I was disappointed with our second half, the way the ball went in and came back out from the Meath defence as quick.

"The Meath management made effective changes to stem the tide of our free flowing forwards in the first half. - it was a very good second half performance by Meath.

" I sincerely hope that our players have the mental strength to come back here and compete the way they did to-day".