Sport

Mannion rescues a point for Roscommon

Roscommon 1-12 Meath 0-15: A 70th-minute point from Karol Mannion gave Roscommon a deserved draw with Meath after a dramatic…

Mon Feb 18 2008 - 00:00

Roscommon 1-12 Meath 0-15:A 70th-minute point from Karol Mannion gave Roscommon a deserved draw with Meath after a dramatic clash before 2,500 fans at Kiltoom.

Just four minutes earlier Mannion had fired a penalty wide but he put that miss behind him to send a booming shot over the bar from 35 metres after collecting a pass from Jonathan Dunning. The game marked Frankie Dolan's first inter-county game in three years and after a quiet first half Dolan was much more influential in the second-half.

Both sets of forwards were on top in an exciting if error-ridden game. Following a point from Ger Heneghan Roscommon's Dunning raced through the Meath defence to fire a low shot past Brendan Murphy after five minutes. Senan Kilbride added a point but Meath hit back with five unanswered points between the 11th and 16th minutes from Cian Ward (two), Peader Byrne, Graham Reilly and Stephen Bray.

Heneghan and Dunning exchanged points with Reilly and Ward. Dunning edged Roscommon into the lead in the 29th minutes but points from the outstanding duo of Bray and Ward left Meath ahead by 0-9 to 1-5 at half-time.

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Roscommon began the second-half in similar style to the first. Dolan equalised within two minutes of the restart and they surged three ahead with points from Mannion, Mark O'Carroll and Heneghan.

Meath responded with points from Ward, Bray and Alan Nestor and it was score for score for the rest of the game.

The Royal County looked to have won the game when Nestor slotted over a 13-metre free from a tight angle in the 69th minute but Mannion equalised quickly.

Meath manager Colm Coyle was disappointed with the result. "I was disappointed with the backs giving away so many silly balls near the end."

Roscommon selector Eamonn McManus said the management had expected an improved performance from the Monaghan game. "We fought hard, that was the main thing today."

ROSCOMMON: G Claffey; P O'Connor, A McDermott, A Murtagh; D O'Gara, E Kenny, S Daly; K Mannion (0-2), M O'Carroll (0-2); C Devaney, F Dolan (0-1), C Cregg; G Heneghan (0-3, two frees), J Dunning (1-2), Kilbride (0-2). Subs: M. Finneran for Devaney (56 mins), P. Domican for Daly (62 mins).

MEATH: B Murphy; K Reilly, D Fay, S Kenny; E Reilly, A Moyles, C King; N Crawford, M Ward; P Byrne (0-1), S O'Rourke, G Reilly (0-3); S Bray (0-4), J Queeney, C Ward (0-5, three frees). Subs: C. McGuinness for E Reilly (30 mins), A Nestor (0-2, one free) for O'Rourke (32 mins), N Mooney for Queeney (63 mins), N McLoughlin for Byrne (70 mins).

Referee: J Whyte (Donegal).