Meath set up Leinster U20 football final rematch with Louth

Results

Dalata Hotel Group Leinster U20 football semi-finals

• Meath 0-19 Kildare 1-8
• Louth 0-14 Dublin 0-11

RIAN STAFFORD AND Jamie Murphy supplied the bulk of the scores as holders Meath set up a Leinster U-20 FC final rematch with Louth.

The Royals took care of Louth in last year’s decider at this grade and will face the Wee County all over again next Wednesday night.

Cathal O Bric’s side braved high winds and heavy rain in Ashbourne to see off Kildare this evening with surprising ease.

The Lilies breezed through their group campaign to qualify directly for the last four but faded out after a bright start.

Free-taker Stafford, nephew of Meath great Brian Stafford, struck eight points while powerful full-forward Murphy, part of last year’s team that lost an All-Ireland U-20 semi-final to Kerry, registered seven points.

Meath kicked six two-pointers in all with Stafford and Murphy accounting for five of them while John Harkin grabbed the other.

It was a strong showing from a well drilled Meath team who kept their heads despite the worsening conditions with rain collecting on the pitch in patches.

Meath had to bounce back from conceding 1-2 in the opening quarter and failing to score themselves.

They enjoyed plenty of possession in that spell but couldn’t turn it into scores and Jay O’Brien burst through for a terrific Kildare solo goal against the run of play.

But when Meath finally found their range, it opened the floodgates and they reeled off seven points without response, putting them into a lead they held onto.

Kildare did get the gap down to a point after an Eoin Cully score in the 26th minute but back-to-back two-pointers to close out the half left Meath 0-13 to 1-5 up at the interval.

The diagonal wind favoured Kildare in the second-half but they couldn’t take advantage and the turning point arrived in the 46th minute.

Cully burst through and a Kildare goal at that stage would have cut the gap in half, from six to three, but Sam Jordan got back to intercept.

Kildare fans pleaded for a penalty but Meath took full advantage, reeling off three scores in a row from Murphy after that in the closing quarter to seal it.

It was Louth’s second year in a row to beat Dublin at the semi-final stage with Tony McDonnell’s six-point haul this time decisive.

Tadhg McDonnell, Adam Gillespie and James Maguire weighed in with a brace of points each also as the hosts led virtually from pillar to post.

It was three points apiece after the opening quarter but a Tadhg McDonnell two-pointer put Louth into a lead they held onto.

Fergal Reel’s side were 0-7 to 0-6 up at half-time in Darver and they stretched the lead out to five points in the third quarter.

James Maguire slotted Louth’s last point in the 49th minute and they held on for a deserved three-point win.