'People Had To Step In And I'd Walk Away': Joe Sheridan Reveals Fall-Out After Infamous 2010 Goal

Meath and Louth meet again in a Leinster final fifteen years after one of the most controversial games in the history of Gaelic football, when a Joe Sheridan goal that should have been ruled out won the game for Meath.

The Royals were hot favourites for the game having eliminated Dublin in the semi-final but led by the likes of Paddy Keenan and JP Rooney, who scored 1-1 on the day, Louth led by a point in the fourth minute of stoppage time.

But long-serving Meath player Joe Sheridan won the game for the Royals, breaking onto a last-gasp high delivery from Graham Reilly and scrambling the ball into the net.

Replays showed that the Seneschalstown play threw the ball over the line but referee Martin Sludden awarded the goal, giving Meath a 1-12 to 1-10 victory.

There was huge controversy afterwards, with irate Louth supporters descending onto the pitch as the atmosphere boiled over.

There were calls for a replay but the result stood, with Meath taking the honours as Louth headed for the qualifiers, and were beaten by Dublin two weeks later by 2-14 to 0-13.

Meath, meanwhile, were well beaten by Leinster rivals Kildare in their next game by 2-17 to 1-12.

🗣️ 'There were times people would have to step in...'

🗣️ 'My mother would have taken it harder than I would have took it...'

Joe Sheridan reflects on the abuse he and his family received following that infamous Leinster final in 2010, and when the tone shifted from serious to… pic.twitter.com/7zblU8Iqyd

— Off The Ball (@offtheball) May 9, 2025

The incident remains a touchy subject even to this day, with Louth looking to get their own back this Sunday, as the teams meet again at the same stage.

Joe Sheridan told Off The Ball that there was a lot of emotion around at the time, but that the aggression of it has cooled down as the years of passed.

"There would have been lads coming up to you, it could have been in a shopping centre, just roaring and abuse," he revealed.

"I could have been out for a drink one night...serious stuff, there's times people had to step in and I'd walk away. There was stuff online, stuff sent to my house."

"I don't want to build it up too much but my mother would have probably took it harder than I would have...I think now there's a bit of craic around it and I think we've slowly got away from the real aggression and emotion of it."