Meath 2-13
Laois 0-9

Meath led from start to finish, as the Royals booked an Electric Ireland Leinster Minor Football Championship semi-final date with neighbours Westmeath, following a comfortable 10-point win over Laois at O'Moore Park, Portlaoise this afternoon.

From Joey Wallace's first minute point until the end, Andrew McEntee's charges were in control as they firmly banished an 11-point loss to Offaly in the previous round.

The Royals carved out this win in impressive fashion, with all of their scores coming from play, in a game played in testing weather conditions.

Meath led by 1-6 to 0-4 at half-time, with Daire Rowe netting a 21st minute goal, with the visitors second goal coming 12 and a half minutes from the end from Joey Wallace.

Laois were eager to begin brightly, with George Doyle's side registering the first attack inside 20 seconds of the throw-in, but composure let them down in front of the posts.

This was the first of seven first half wides for Laois, with Meath more clinical with their scoring chances.

Points from Wallace and James McEntee gave Meath a 0-2 to 0-0 lead after three and a half minutes, but Laois weren't without their scoring chances early on.

Meath goalkeeper Jack O'Sullivan was quickly called into action to deny Michael Keogh of a goal chance after just two minutes.

Laois would continue to place the Meath defence under firm pressure for the remainder of the hour, but the Royals rear-guard stood firm, failing to leak a goal.

Evin Keane opened the Laois account with the first of his two points, after six minutes, but Meath responded with scores from Rowe and Ruairí Ó Coileain.

Laois captain Eoin Lowry fired the hosts fourth wide in the 14th minute, before Ciaran McEvoy broke a nine-minute scoring dead-lock with a well taken point.

Meath were scooping up most of Laois's scoring chances and quickly converting them to scores at the opposite end, and following a second Ó Coileain point, it wasn't long before they breached the Laois goal-mouth for the first time.

The Royals firmly opening up the Laois defence in the 21st minute, with the ball played through to Syddan clubman Rowe who palmed the ball to the back of the net.

1-5 to 0-2 ahead at this stage, Meath were looking good, but again they had to work hard in defence.

Keogh again through for another goal chance, but once more a superb save by O'Sullivan in the 22nd minute.

O'Carroll kept Laois in touch with a point, before another O'Sullivan save, this time denying Lowry in the 26th minute.

Wallace and Dowling traded scores before the break, with Lowry again denied a goal chance in the dying seconds of the half, as Meath took a 1-6 to 0-4 interval lead.

Laois outscored the visitors by two points to one in the 13 minutes after the restart, but Meath continued to look good.

Scores from James McEntee and substitute Shaun Byrne ensured a 1-9 to 0-6 lead with 46 and a half minutes gone.

Meath were hungry, and delivered their second goal 12 and a half minutes from the end, after Wallace soloed through, showed great control and slotted the ball to the net.

Lowry and Tom Shiel kept Laois in touch, but the O'Moore's couldn't find the goal they so dearly craved as a trio of unanswered points including one from Thomas McGovern and a Niall Lyons brace confirmed a 10-point Meath win.

Scorers for Meath: Joey Wallace 1-2; James McEntee 0-4; Daire Rowe 1-1; Ruairi Ó Coileain, Niall Lyons 0-2 each; Thomas McGovern, Shaun Byrne 0-1 each.

Scorers for Laois: Evan O'Carroll, Tom Shiel (2f), Evin Keane 0-2 each; Dean Cullen, Robert Dowling, Ciaran McEvoy 0-1 each.

MEATH: Jack O'Sullivan; Thomas McGovern, Charlie Bird, Seamus Lavin; Niall Kane, Brian Harnan, Kevin Traynor; Ruairi Ó Coileain, Keith McCabe; Daragh McGovern, James McEntee, David Toner; Daire Rowe, Niall Lyons, Joey Wallace. Subs: Shaun Byrne for Toner (41); Evan McGovern for Daragh McGovern (52); Andy Creevey for Rowe (61); Sean McGrath for McEntee (61).

LAOIS: Paddy O'Sullivan; Adam Campion, David McDermott, Aidan Brennan; Nigel Murphy, Conor Hogan, Darragh McCauley; Robert Dowling, Ciaran McCoy; Eoin Lowry, Tom Shiel, Daniel O'Reilly; Michael Keogh, Evan O'Carroll, Evin Keane. Subs: Aaron Forbes for Keogh (29); James Davis for McCauley (36); Dean Cullen for O'Reilly (36); Shane Byrne for Keane (49); Aaron McGrath for Dowling (51).

REFEREE: Fergal Barry (Kildare) Tweet

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