Published: Wednesday, 24th February, 2010 5:00pm

Durkan goal proves the difference as wasteful Westmeath U-21s hang on

Westmeath 1-6 Kildare 0-6

Never was the age-old cliché of 'a win is a win is a win' more appropriate than in Cusack Park on Saturday last when Westmeath's under-21 footballers advanced to a Leinster quarter-final meeting with old rivals Meath after an unimpressive three-point win over Kildare, in an error-ridden first round game.

Despite being played in ideal weather conditions, the standard of football was often poor, with a limited Kildare side almost forcing an undeserved draw, Lilywhite substitute Danny Egan thundering a point-blank shot against the crossbar with a minute of normal time remaining, when it seemed easier to find the net. In truth, the contest should have been well and truly over by then, the home side having wasted a plethora of chances. However, given Westmeath's recent dismal run at senior level, Saturday's win was a timely boost, but Brendan Hackett and his mentors will be all too aware that vast improvement will be needed when our Royal neighbours visit Cusack Park on March 6.

Kildare opened the scoring in the second minute, Darroch Mulhall (still a student at Ardscoil na Trionóide in Athy) kicking a fine left-footed point. Some two minutes later, Callum McCormack equalised with an equally well-taken score with his right foot. Kildare netminder, Robbie Eyres then held John Heslin's dangerous high shot before the Lilywhites' best-known player, Keith Cribbin scored a wonderful individual point. At the other end, a flowing four-man move ended with Ian Coffey wisely taking his point, with many home fans urging him to go for a goal. Robbie Eyres produced a Gary Connaughton-like catch from Tommy McDaniel, but he was soon powerless to prevent Conor Lynam's free going over the Kildare crossbar, to give the lads in maroon and white a lead they would never relinquish.

The play became scrappy at this juncture, the latter player missing an eminently kickable free by his standards, while Callum McCormack (whose direct and powerful running caused the early substitution of his original marker, Brian Kinahan) was unlucky with a couple of attempts. Kildare's Peter Kelly was lucky to avoid a second yellow card as Westmeath continued to waste decent scoring chances, including regularly kicking balls aimlessly into the grateful arms of Robbie Eyres. Scores continued to be at a premium, Eyres doing well to keep out Ian Coffey's goalbound shot at the expense of an unconverted '45'.

John Heslin, who always looked a classy footballer when in possession, atoned for the missed '45' with a great catch and foot pass to set up Callum McCormack for Westmeath's fourth point in the 22nd minute. Ian Coffey almost got in for a goal before his opposite number, Darroch Mulhall was penalised for 'steps', as many Westmeath hearts fluttered at the thought that the referee was blowing his whistle to award Kildare a penalty.

Callum McCormack kicked his third point in the 26th minute, this time with his left foot, before Westmeath belatedly opened some daylight between themselves and the visitors. John Heslin and Ian Coffey combined to set up James Durkan and the hitherto-anonymous Ballinagore man rifled home a great goal from 15 metres. Darren Quinn then did well to hold Keith Cribbin's tricky delivery, but Kildare still managed to engineer the last score of the first moiety, Cribbin pointing a 25-metre free from the ground, with exactly 30 minutes elapsed. The referee blew for half-time after the kick-out, with the scoreboard reading: Westmeath 1-5 Kildare 0-3.

Scrappy fare

The second half opened very much as the first ended, scrappy play being the order of the day from both sides. In the sixth minute, great play from John Heslin set up Tommy McDaniel who duly freed John Egan for what seemed a certain goal, but the Athlone man hit the post with the net gaping in front of him. The visitors kept in touch when impressive substitute Seamus Hanafin curled over a delightful point, but an even better score was to follow at the Dunnes Stores end, John Heslin kicking a sublime point from long range. However, this was to prove to be the winners' only score in a disjointed second-half display. Robbie Eyres kept out James Durkan's goal attempt and an immediate Kildare counterattack yielded a fine point from another Kildare player who did well when introduced, Danny O'Keeffe.

A measure of the overall poverty of the football on offer can be gauged by the fact that there was just one score in total in the 22 minutes remaining (including four minutes of added-time). Westmeath sub, Paul Sharry was unable to add the finishing touch soccer-style to Ian Coffey's cross. Darren Quinn soon came to Westmeath's rescue with a great save from Cathal McNally. Darroch Mulhall's beautifully-judged 40-metre free from the ground left a goal between the sides in the 19th minute, remarkably ending match scoring at this relatively early stage of the contest. Peter Kelly's shot was eventually deemed to be wide by the umpires, before Denis Corroon kicked a bad wide for the home side as both sides struggled to hit the target. Callum McCormack then became the third Westmeath man to fail from a '45' allowing Kildare to need just a goal to force a draw. This three-pointer seemed certain to arrive in the 29th minute when substitute Danny Egan was fed the ball with the goal at his mercy. However, he somehow managed to hit the crossbar, as maroon and white-clad fans waited for the net to bulge, and Peter Kelly's follow-up was bravely blocked by a massed Westmeath defence. Ironically, the two Kildare 'culprits' both received their marching orders in the dying moments - Kelly (for a second yellow which preceded a brief skirmish with players from both sides getting involved) and Egan (a straight red seconds before the final whistle).

Many a relieved Westmeath fan was heard to mutter "we did our best to lose that game" as they filtered away from Cusack Park at around 4pm last Saturday. However, Kildare are always a good scalp in any football championship tie and all concerned deserve credit for eking out the Lake County's fist worthwhile win of 2010.

While the Westmeath defence performed diligently throughout Saturday's game, the forwards will need to greatly increase their scoring rate if Meath are to be remotely troubled on March 6.

WESTMEATH: Darren Quinn; Ben Moran, Kevin Maguire, Ronan Doyle; Ger Egan, Kieran Martin, Mark McCallon; Denis Corroon, John Heslin (0-1); James Durkan (1-0), John Egan, Conor Lynam (0-1f); Ian Coffey (0-1), Callum McCormack (0-3), Tommy McDaniel. Subs: Paul Sharry for McDaniel (39 mins); Kieran Sheridan for Durkan (49); Tommy McDaniel for Coffey (57).

KILDARE: Robbie Eyres; John Roche, Brian Kinahan, Ricky McGuire; Daryl Coogan, Alan Higgins, Peter Warren; Peter Kelly, Shane Bergin; Sean Campbell, Keith Cribbin (0-2, 1f), Neil Scanlon; Darroch Mulhall (0-2, 1f), Cathal McNally, Cian Reynolds. Subs: David Duggan for Kinahan (13 mins); Danny O'Keeffe (0-1) for Bergin (h-t); Seamus Hanafin (0-1) for McGuire (h-t); Gareth Duffy for Scanlon (42), Danny Egan for Reynolds (55).

REFEREE: Paul Finnegan (Louth).

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