Aughrim was breached and sacked on Sunday afternoon as Meath hammered Wicklow in the Leinster football quarter-final.
Meath hit an impressive total of 7-14 with Wicklow managing just seven points in reply. Young star Jordan Morris scored 3-4 for Meath.
"The lads were definitely out of their comfort zone there," Meath manager Andy McEntee told RTÉ Radio 1.
"We worked extremely hard. We've been away from knockout football for a long time. You don't really know until you get stuck in the middle of it. The score line is a little bit harsh on Wicklow.
"We have a game next week and we have other lads who want to play. You come on and hope to affect the game and improve. When Wicklow were running out of legs a little bit, we had fresh guys coming in."
Meath play the winner of Offaly and Kildare in next weekend's semi-final. "I'd much prefer to be playing next Sunday than having to wait until January or February," said McEntee when asked about the quick turnaround.
Sunday was Meath's first win since January.
"It's been a while," said McEntee.
"Winning is a habit but so is losing. We managed to let some games slip that we could have got something out of in the league. That always casts a little bit of doubt in your mind.
"We have a game next week and we have other lads who want to play. You come on and hope to affect the game and improve. When Wicklow were running out of legs a little bit, we had fresh guys coming in.
"Our return from shots in the first half just wasn't good enough. I think it was nine scores out of 17 shots, and that's not good enough. The pitch is a little bit heavy but conditions weren't that bad, really. There's no real excuse for that. That part of it was the one blotch on the copy book."
2020 @gaaleinster @officialgaa Senior 🏐 Championship Qtr-Final #GAABelong #BestSeatInTheHouse #TheToughest #WhereBelongingBegins
Full time@MeathGAA: 7-14(35)@wicklowgaa: 0-7(7)
Scores Timeline pic.twitter.com/hY6QnzM20N— Meath GAA (@MeathGAA) November 8, 2020
Photo by Matt Browne/Sportsfile
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