Sluggish Westmeath ease past feeble Tipp in poor encounter

Westmeath advanced to the second round of the All-Ireland senior football qualifiers at Ardfinnan on Saturday afternoon with a less-than-impressive display against a very limited Tipperary side, who seldom threatened to repeat their gutsy display against the same opposition in the corresponding fixture three years ago. The vast majority of the 2,000 or so spectators present were decked in maroon and white and they will undoubtedly have had mixed emotions on the long trek home to the Lake County. A nine-point away win is not to be sneezed at, but Tipperary"s challenge was feeble by any standards and a massive improvement will be needed if Westmeath are to be even remotely competitive against Tyrone next Saturday. However, Dublin"s demolition of Wexford in Sunday"s Leinster final, a mere three weeks after scraping by Westmeath, will have proven to Tomás Ó Flatharta"s charges that, on a given day, they are very close to the top teams in the land. With Semple Stadium reserved for hurling action, Tipperary"s spiritual football home of Ardfinnan was a new destination for Westmeath fans. The picturesque ground was in good condition, even if the narrowness of the pitch would have come as a shock to the visitors after experiencing the wide open spaces of Croke Park in the galling provincial semi-final defeat by the Dubs. Overall, the game was an error-ridden affair but, apart from a brief period midway through the second half when the Premier County got to within four points of the winners, Westmeath always looked likely to emerge victorious. A tricky cross-wind was blowing towards the stand side of the ground, with Westmeath having whatever benefit was accruing from it in the first half. A measure of the poverty of the exchanges can be gauged by the fact that the scoreboard operator was not troubled until the 14th minute. Indeed, much of what preceded the opening score was dire (a word used by the Westmeath manager when talking to the national media after the game). Loose passing, sloppy clearances and wild shooting abounded from both sides, with one wag in the crowd already predicting a scoreless draw! Tipperary"s Barry Grogan struck a free from the 45-metre line poorly, before Westmeath - at last - brought some degree of respectability to proceedings when Des Dolan exuded class in the build-up which saw Denis Glennon fouled as he kicked goalwards and Dolan tapped over the ensuing 20-metre free. After another prolonged period of poor play, Francis Boyle produced a fine crossfield pass to Denis Glennon and the Tyrrellspass man duly dissected the posts from 25 metres, in the 19th minute. The errors continued apace though and the Tipperary defence almost imploded when goalkeeper Paul Fitzgerald was caught on the hop from a backpass from a sideline kick. A laboured Westmeath move then came to a fortunate conclusion in the 25th minute, when powerfully-built midfielder, Eamon Hanrahan needlessly touched the ball on the ground, gifting Des Dolan a second point from a 25-metre free. A rare flowing move followed immediately, with Donal O"Donoghue, Michael Ennis and Simon Quinn combining for Denis Glennon to finish in style from a tight angle. With eight minutes of the first half normal time remaining, the handful of home fans got a chance to applaud for the first time, with Brian Coen pointing a 40-metre free. Very little clean possession was being won at midfield by either side, with only Tipp"s Eamon Hanrahan occasionally bucking the trend, and play continued to be disjointed. In the 31st minute, after a foul on Dermot Bannon, quick thinking by Des Dolan from the resultant free set up John Smyth and The Downs man, not noted as a scorer, floated over a delightful point. Gary Connaughton remained a virtual spectator but the home team almost fashioned an unlikely goal when Hugh Coghlan"s pass gave Barry Grogan a half-chance of raising the green flag, but the danger was quickly averted. Denis Glennon almost added to his tally but the wind just caught his curling shot at the vital moment and the ball went wide. However, Glennon continued to be Westmeath"s main scoring threat and he was fouled after receiving the ball from Paul Bannon"s free, with Des Dolan doing the necessary from another routine free. Soon after, a spectacular catch by Damien Healy from the ensuing kick out precipitated a fine move which saw Denis Glennon pick out Michael Ennis in one of his trademark surges upfield. The Ballinagore man had a goal on his mind but Robbie Costigan got a vital touch to deflect the ball over the crossbar. It was the final score of the half, with Westmeath ahead by 0-7 to 0-1 ater a truly forgettable 38 minutes" action. Westmeath were slow to emerge from the dressing room for the resumption of play, with the management team undoubtedly having had to exhort their charges after a lacklustre first moiety. However, it was Tipperary who restarted the brighter with Brian Coen setting up Barry Grogan for a neat point, with only 15 seconds on the clock. A wild challenge by the latter player (for which he was yellow-carded) resulted in an injury to Doran Harte, which clearly hampered the all-action Garrycastle utility player until he was replaced in the 46th minute. Tipp"s Christopher Aylward almost crept in for a score before a great ball from Des Dolan picked out Denis Glennon and again beleaguered full back, Mark Peters was left with no option but to foul Westmeath"s full forward. Des Dolan had the simple task of converting the free to put his side six points ahead. In the tenth minute, Philip Austin rounded off a patient Tipperary move with a neat left-footed point. Midfielder Eamon Hanrahan did well to hold Des Dolan"s long-range free on his own goalline and a counterattack yielded what appeared to be a soft free for the losers, which Brian Coen converted to leave his side trailing by 0-4 to 0-8. Many in the large Westmeath contingent were getting a little nervous at this juncture, but three points in as many minutes soon put the Lake County firmly in the driving seat. Fine defensive work by John Keane started a move which ended with Denis Glennon fisting over his third point of the afternoon. Within a minute, Simon Quinn marked his competitive debut with a well-taken point and Des Dolan added another in the 22nd minute, from yet another close-range free, this time a somewhat innocuous award. Yet again, Denis Glennon"s blistering pace saw him knife his way through the Tipp defence but he fisted the ball wide when a score seemed certain. However, the former All-star nominee soon made amends with a terrific point on the turn, after taking a pass from substitute and younger brother, David. Tipp replacement, Brian Mulvihill converted a free in the 29th minute, but the competitive element had by now disappeared from the game and Denis Glennon was happy to fist another point with the goal gaping, as Paul Fitzgerald advanced from his line. Tipp"s right full back Niall Curran was then dismissed after a second booking, before another substitute, Timmy Dalton kicked his side"s best point of the day, as the game petered out to its inevitable conclusion. Westmeath"s two sets of brothers dominated the closing action, Des Dolan pointing another free after a foul on Gary, and David Glennon rounding off match scoring with a lovely point after taking Denis" pass. Given Limerick"s near-heroics against Cork in the Munster semi-final and their wonderful display against Meath last Saturday evening, one would have expected more off a team which ran the Shannonsiders to three points in their provincial first round tie. However, Tipperary were poor in most sectors of the pitch and it is worrying that Westmeath made heavy weather of disposing of the Premier County, albeit in unfamiliar surrounds and on a very tight pitch. The full back line was seldom troubled by a mediocre Tipp attack, but all three half backs - Michael Ennis, Derek Heavin and Damien Healy - excelled at various intervals. Tomás Ó Flatharta will be keeping his fingers firmly crossed that injuries to regular midfielders, Martin Flanagan and David Duffy, will heal in the days ahead as Westmeath lived off scraps in this vital area last Saturday. In the half forward line, Simon Quinn can feel satisfied with his inter-county debut and teak-tough John Smyth foraged tirelessly in what is often an under-valued role. However, the over-reliance on Des Dolan and Denis Glennon for scores was clear for all to see - for the umpteenth time - and it will take a greater spread of scorers to trouble Tyrone next weekend. Westmeath: Gary Connaughton; Francis Boyle, Kieran Gavin, John Keane; Michael Ennis (0-1), Derek Heavin, Damien Healy; Donal O"Donoghue, Paul Bannon; Simon Quinn (0-1), John Smyth (0-1), Doran Harte; Des Dolan (capt) (0-6, all from frees), Denis Glennon (0-5), Dermot Bannon. Subs: Peter Tormey (for Harte, inj, 46 mins), Gary Dolan (for P.Bannon, 55 mins), David Glennon (0-1) (for D.Bannon, 58 mins), Cathal Mullin (for Connaughton, 69 mins), Willie Murtagh (for Healy, 69 mins). Tipperary: Paul Fitzgerald; Niall Curran, Mark Peters, Ciaran McDonald; Paddy Codd, Robbie Costigan, Christopher Aylward; Eamon Hanrahan, George Hannigan; Damian O"Brien, Philip Austin (0-1), Hugh Coghlan; Sean Carey (capt), Brian Coen (0-2, both from frees), Barry Grogan (0-1). Subs: Laurence Coskeran (for O"Brien, half-time), Brian Mulvihill (0-1, from a free) (for Carey, 46 mins), Timmy Dalton (0-1) (for Coen, 62 mins), Shane Stapleton (for Austin, inj, 62 mins), Michael Phelan (for Peters, 66 mins). Referee: Maurice Deegan (Laois)