Tyrone 1-12 Meath 0-5:RELEGATION-THREATENED Meath desperately need to end a depressing losing streak, after crashing to a fourth straight defeat on Saturday night.
The Royals are facing the drop to Division Three if they fail to beat neighbours Louth in their final game.
Manager Séamus McEnaney’s side failed to fire at Healy Park against a Tyrone side that effectively had nothing to play for, having secured promotion a week earlier.
It was Tyrone, however, who displayed all the energy and drive as they coasted to a 10-point success to extend their winning run to six games, and 11 in all since the turn of the year.
McEnaney was in no mood to face the press afterwards, but selector Tom Keague conceded a huge challenge must be faced up to.
“We’re the only ones who can dig ourselves out of this now. Two weeks ago we were looking towards promotion, and now we have to win this game (versus Louth) to avoid relegation,” said Keague.
“We’re so flat at the minute, and between players, manager, selectors, we have to turn this thing around very quickly.”
After winning their first two games, against Monaghan and Westmeath, the Meath players were confident and upbeat, but all that has changed following a disastrous run of results.
“It has got worse each game. We tried our hardest, but Tyrone were by far the superior team to us, far sharper all over the field, they were winning all the breaks. We have a huge game against Louth. There’s no one blaming anyone, we’re all in this together,” said Keague.
“It’s a lonely place out there on that sideline, a lonely place for the players, a lonely place when things are not going well.”
Stephen O’Neill punched in a fifth-minute goal, and Meath were chasing, ever more desperately, the game after that.
Tyrone stepped on the gas in the final 10 minutes of the first half, two points each from O’Neill and Seán Cavanagh making it 0-6 to 0-3 at the halfway stage, with Cian Ward the only Meath player to raise a flag.
“They’re well organised, but we knew that, and we gave away a very sloppy goal early on and that set the tone,” said Keague.
“We knew six points was a lot at half-time, but we still felt we could get it back to three.
“But it as never going to happen, because Tyrone got the first few scores and set the tone for the second half, and we were just playing catch-up all over the field.”
Even with wind advantage, Meath could not turn the game around, and points from Kyle Coney (2), Mark Donnelly and Cathal McCarron soon had Tyrone ahead by 10 points.
The Leinster men managed just two second-half points, and played the last 20 minutes with 14 men after full back Kevin Reilly was booked for a second time.
“They went nine ahead, it was curtains from early on, and then we lost Kevin Reilly with about 20 minutes to go. It was damage limitation then.
“Apart from the goal, we felt we were giving as good as we got for 25 minutes, but we definitely lost our way and Tyrone got on top for the last 10 minutes of the first half.”
TYRONE:J Devine; A McCrory, Justin McMahon, C Gormley; C McCarron (0-1) , P Harte (0-2), R McMenamin; A Cassidy (0-1), C Cavanagh; R McNabb, Mark Donnelly, S Cavanagh (0-2, one free); K Coney (0-4, four frees), N McKenna, S O'Neill (1-2). Subs: O Mulligan for O'Neill, J Lafferty for Coney, C Girvan for Donnelly, S McNally for McNabb.
MEATH:D Gallagher; M Burke, K Reilly, C King; S McAnarney, B Menton, D Tobin; T Walsh, M Ward; S Kenny, S Bray (0-1, free), G Reilly (0-1), P Gilsenan; J Queeny, C Ward (0-3, one free, one 45). Subs: B Meade for Walsh, B Farrell for Kenny, C Gillespie for M Ward, D Carroll for G Reilly.
Referee:P Hughes (Armagh).
