Westmeath bridge five-year gap with fine triumph
Westmeath 4-5 Roscommon 0-8
Never was the cliché that 'goals win games' more apt than in rain-soaked Michael Fay Memorial Park in Longford last Wednesday evening (August 10th) when four well-taken goals - including a superb Luke Loughlin hat trick - helped Westmeath U16 footballers to win the Fr Manning Cup for the first time since 2006 when they defeated Roscommon by a somewhat flattering nine-point margin.
Conditions were absolutely dreadful for this eagerly-awaited game with puddles of water evident in one section of the pitch. It was not an evening for fancy footwork but Thomas McDonnell's troops coped by far the better with the inevitable rough and tumble, while still finding time to get four great goals at crucial junctures, none more so than Loughlin's stunning second strike midway through the second half as the Connacht side began to eat into the winners' lead. While The Downs youngster deserves enormous praise for his three clinical strikes - he added two points for good measure - this was far from a one-man show and, with the Gerry Reilly Tournament in Oldcastle also up for grabs, this could prove to be a very successful year for this talented and well-drilled U16 squad.
Despite the look and feel of an awful December evening, rather than early August, a good-sized crowd assembled at Longford Slashers' ground, with both teams quite well supported. Westmeath had wind advantage in the first moiety playing from the scoreboard (which was not in operation) end of the lower pitch - the Shield final was played concurrently on the top pitch. Luke Loughlin opened the scoring with a point from 30 metres in the very first minute but Diarmuid Lannon, who was man-marking Westmeath's roving captain Darragh Lyons from the outset, levelled some five minutes later with a fine point from a tight angle. Loughlin soon doubled his tally with a classy finish to a flowing Lake County move, before turning provider for Lyons to tap over a neat point.
The slippery underfoot conditions made scoring particularly difficult, but the winners had a golden three-minute patch midway through the half when a brace points from Darragh Lyons (the first from play after availing of fine work by Dylan Keena and the second from a 40-metre free) were followed by a coolly-taken goal by Luke Loughlin, who chased a hopeful ball spilled by a Roscommon defender before rounding Patrick Gunning and finding the bottom corner of the net soccer-style. Confusion over pitch markings in the Westmeath rearguard (not surprising given the incessant rain) gifted Roscommon a '45', but Cathal Compton's fisted attempt goalward from Diarmuid McGann's place kick was comfortably saved by Darragh Newman. A rare miskick from Darragh Lyons epitomised a ragged spell for the lads in maroon and white culminating in conceding a soft free which Colin Goldrick pointed from 25 metres in the 33rd and last minute of the half. At the break, Westmeath led by 1-5 to 0-2.
Exactly two minutes after the resumption of play, Darragh Newman came to Westmeath's rescue with a great save from a snap shot from 10 metres by Ultan Harney. The resultant '45' was expertly converted by the Rossies' centre half back, Ronan Daly. The same player proceeded to kick a free off the ground from the same range, the ball going over via the fingertips of a Westmeath defender. The Lake County defence was under quite a bit of pressure at this juncture but they displayed great resilience, none more so than Brian O'Donoghue at corner back. Approaching the midpoint of the second half, Cathal Compton's terrific point under pressure left the losers just a goal adrift. However, cometh the hour cometh the man, and Luke Loughlin thrilled the Westmeath crowd and stunned the Roscommon supporters in equal measure with a fantastic solo goal, after picking up Conor Marlowe's pass. Another period of scrappy play followed from both sides as conditions worsened, but Ronan Daly again demonstrated his excellent freetaking skills off a greasy surface when he converted his second '45' of the contest in the 52nd minute.
However, Westmeath got one hand on the trophy within a minute when a clever flick by Anthony McGivney set up substitute John Corbally in full flight and the Moate lad soloed forward and duly lobbed Patrick Gunning delightfully for a tonic goal. Roscommon's Diarmuid McGann soon had a 'goal' correctly disallowed for a handling offence in the build-up. The winners' tenacious wing back, Dylan Keena was sent off for a second yellow card offence in the 56th minute. His colleague Shane Corcoran then did extremely well to pluck a free from Ronan Daly from under his crossbar and the frustration of the lads in primrose and blue spilled over when Ultan Harney received a straight red card from referee Michael O'Brien, with two minutes of normal time remaining. Attempts at goals from Cathal Compton and Diarmuid McGann both went over rather than under the Westmeath crossbar, sandwiched between which Luke Loughlin's exquisite skill almost yielded a great point, but his shot came back off the upright.
A shot for a goal from a 20-metre free by Cathal Compton skidded harmlessly wide and, fittingly, Luke Loughlin left an indelible stamp on the final with another outstanding individual goal, his lobbed finish in the fourth minute of added-time almost identical to Corbally earlier, albeit Patrick Gunning may well have done a little better on both occasions.
After the match, jubilant Westmeath players were joined by their disconsolate Roscommon counterparts for the trophy presentation in miserable conditions on the pitch. Darragh Lyons was a worthy sixth Westmeath recipient of the prestigious trophy from Sligo man Damien McGovern, chairman of the Fr Manning Cup committee for 2011.
Westmeath: Darragh Newman; Brian O'Donoghue, Andrew McCormack, Rob Hickey; Dylan Keena, Ryan Caffrey, Conor Marlowe; Andrew Purcell, Theo Watts; Philip Ganley, Shane Corcoran, Anthony McGivney; Luke Loughlin (3-2), Darragh Lyons (capt) (0-3, 0-1 from a free), Ryan Maher. Subs: John Corbally (1-0) (for Maher, 26 mins), David Coyne (for Hickey, inj, 30 + 2 mins), Jeremiah Scully (for Ganley, 35 mins), Dean Daly (for Scully, inj, 39 mins), Dan Buckley (for McGivney, 56 mins).
Roscommon: Patrick Gunning; John Walsh, Diarmuid Lannon (0-1), Conor Casserly (capt); Luke Brennan, Ronan Daly (0-3, 0-1 from a free, 0-2 from '45's), Colin Gannon; Cathal Compton (0-2), Ultan Harney; Tadhg O'Rourke, Colin Goldrick (0-1, from a free), Ciaran Casey; Henry Walsh, Niall Higgins, Diarmuid McGann (0-1). Subs: Darragh Rourke (for Walsh, 18 mins), Kevin Farrell (for Higgins, half-time), Eoin Lavin (for Casey, 55 mins).
Referee: Michael O'Brien (Longford).
