Westmeath minors bow out

A decade that began so promisingly for underage football in Westmeath ended very tamely indeed at a resplendent Páirc Tailteann on Saturday afternoon last when Meath minors easily brushed aside a feeble Lake County challenge in the Leinster championship quarter-final. Given the encouraging runs of a number of Westmeath secondary schools in their respective college competitions during the season, much was expected of the maroon and whites in this year"s provincial minor campaign. However, despite a decent first quarter showing, Ger Heavin"s charges produced a limp effort for two thirds of Saturday"s encounter, albeit against the reigning champions, who seem set to defend their crown in typically aggressive and wholehearted Royal fashion. Most of the visitors" big name players greatly underperformed - Ger Egan was a notable exception - and the sending off of the latter"s midfield partner, John Heslin, some 80 seconds into the second moiety, more or less signalled the end of what had already become a faltering challenge. In truth, Westmeath can have no excuses for an inept showing on what was a superbly manicured surface. Westmeath had wind advantage in the first half in front of a decent crowd in Páirc Tailteann. Callum McCormack"s intelligent free enabled Eoin Gorman to lose his marker and slot over a neat point, with less than a minute elapsed. The home side were soon level, Liam Tolan picking out outstanding midfielder Damien Carroll, who duly popped over his first point of the afternoon. At the other end, Westmeath spurned a couple of good chances before Ger Egan, whose workrate was excellent throughout, set up Wayne Fox and this year"s St. Joseph"s, Rochfortbridge captain dissected the posts from 40 metres, via the fingertips of Conor McHugh. The winners should have gone in front in the eighth minute, Sean Tobin"s palmed effort from close range from Mark O"Sullivan"s cross shaving Scott Gaynor"s post. The ever-dangerous Conor Devereux levelled the tie in the tenth minute, firing over a terrific point from 35 metres. The ensuing five minutes was Westmeath"s best period of the entire contest, with three unanswered points goading the home fans into getting behind their heroes. A soft free awarded to overlapping half-back, Ben Hogan was converted by John Heslin and Eoin Gorman followed up with another converted free from 40 metres, after Heslin had been impeded. Tenacious Westmeath forward play ensued and the reward came when Wayne Fox kicked a lovely point, with exactly a quarter of an hour on the clock. A handling error by promising team captain Alan Fitzpatrick, who endured a torrid first moiety, almost gifted Meath a goal, but an unconverted "45" was the eventual outcome. However, the winners proceeded to rattle off six points without reply in the remainder of normal time. A free taken from the ground by Damien Carroll, after he had been fouled, started the scoring blitz. An otherwise off-colour Callum McCormack came close to kicking what would have been a wonderful point for Westmeath, but Meath were less wasteful and Conor Devereux fisted over a 22nd-minute point, after gutsy work by Sean Tobin had kept the ball in play. The home side equalised in the 25th minute, Mark O"Sullivan kicking a neat point, albeit unchallenged. Westmeath"s defence continued to make unforced errors and a one-two between Padraig McKeever and Conor Devereux resulted in the former pointing from 25 metres, giving Meath a lead they never remotely looked like relinquishing. Further points ensued from a Sean Tobin place kick (following yet another dubious free awarded by overly-fussy referee, Fergal Barry) and a lovely score, via the crossbar, from impressive attack-minded left half-back, Emmet Boyle. In the third minute of added-time, Kelvin Reilly converted a very difficult free from the ground, but it was the home mentors who were entitled to feel in control when leading at half-time by 0-8 to 0-6, with the wind in their backs on the change of ends. Some spectators were not resettled in their seats for the second moiety when John Heslin was exiting for an "early shower", the St. Loman"s lad picking up a second yellow card, even if his misdemeanours may not have merited the ultimate sanction from a different referee. Westmeath"s task was now monumental and, in truth, they never looked like they would regroup sufficiently to dethrone the champions. Damien Carroll further punished the losers for Heslin"s indiscretion by superbly rifling over the ensuing 50-metre free from his hands. Despite a fine rallying point from a tight angle by Caulry"s Robbie Kenny in the fourth minute, it was virtually one-way traffic for the remainder of the game. A brace of rapid-fire points from Padraig McKeever, the second a terrific shot with the outside of his boot, were quickly followed by an equally fine score from Conor Devereux. Full forward Harrison Silke got his name on the scoresheet in the 12th minute and Conor Devereux added another within a matter of seconds. It was now double scores (0-14 to 0-7) and Westmeath badly needed a goal to have any chance of making the game competitive. It almost came in the 14th minute, a great move involving Callum McCormack, Alan Fitzpatrick and Wayne Fox teeing up Jason Cully for a one-on-one with Conor McHugh. However, the Meath netminder spread himself very well at the expense of an unconverted "45" and the result was no longer in doubt. A routine free from Eoin Gorman was a poor consolation and more untidy Westmeath defending resulted in Liam Tolan joining his five attacking colleagues on the scoresheet. A somewhat unorthodox save by Scott Gaynor (Athlone) prevented Harrison Silke from raising a green flag for the winners but wing back Emmet Boyle soon sauntered forward again for his second point of the afternoon. With exactly five minutes of normal time remaining, Ger Egan converted a difficult free for the visitors. The lads in green and gold wrapped up match scoring with two more points in the closing stages, substitute David Larkin and Liam Tolan (from a very well-struck free) being the men on target. Sandwiched between these, Westmeath almost manufactured a face-saving goal but a close-range free from Eoin Gorman (who continued to play his heart out right to the bitter end) ended up in the side netting. With the backbone of the senior squad which has represented the Lake County with such distinction in this soon-to-end decade now nearing the end of their glorious careers, Westmeath badly needs to unearth quality footballers in virtually every position. However, the production line for the last nine years has been bitterly disappointing, with a succession of so-called "good on paper" sides at minor and under-21 level failing to produce even a remotely serious challenge for provincial, never mind All-Ireland, honours. Sadly, the minors of 2009 became the 18th such side last Saturday in Navan. MEATH: Conor McHugh; Gavin Kennedy, Ciaran Lenihan (capt), David Coyle; Mark McCormack, Bryan Menton, Emmet Boyle (0-2); Damien Carroll (0-4, 2f), Ailbe Mahon; Conor Devereux (0-3), Padraig McKeever (0-3), Mark O"Sullivan (0-1); Sean Tobin (0-1f), Harrison Silke (0-1), Liam Tolan (0-2, 1f). Subs: David Larkin (0-1) for O"Sullivan (43 mins); Alastair Doyle for Coyle (49); Brian Davis for Tobin (58); Tom Rahill for McCormack (60 + 1), Shane Gillespie for Boyle (60 + 1). WESTMEATH: Scott Gaynor; Ciaran Sheridan, Kevin Maguire, Ben Moran; Ben Hogan, Alan Fitzpatrick (capt), Trevor Farrell; Ger Egan (0-1), John Heslin (0-1f); Robbie Kenny (0-1); Callum McCormack, Wayne Fox (0-2); Kelvin Reilly (0-1f), Eoin Gorman (0-3, 2f), Jason Cully. Subs: Cormac Boyle for Hogan (42 mins); Stephen Gilmore for Fox (45); James Geoghegan for McCormack (51). REFEREE: Fergal Barry (Kildare).