Keane hoping for big Westmeath support in Leinster quarter final

Defensive ace John Keane will captain Westmeath in a senior championship match for the first time this Sunday. Some observers believe Westmeath have a slight advantage playing in O"Connor Park, a short distance from many parts of the Lake County, and Keane believes the presence of a healthy sized Westmeath following will make a difference this weekend. Keane said: 'The Westmeath crowd have been fantastic with us in recent years and hopefully they travel in their numbers again at the weekend. It"s not a long journey so I think a good few will attend. I think the presence of a good Westmeath crowd will be a massive boost to the players, it certainly makes a difference.' 'The supporters have been great to stick with us during a troublesome league campaign and I hope we have a great crowd in Tullamore on Sunday to give us a lift.' Keane has been one of Westmeath"s many injury worries in recent times, with the Rosemount man out of action for the past four or five weeks due to hamstring trouble. Keane has also been suffering from blistered feet in the build-up to the weekend"s game, but he played in the recent challenge match against Wexford, and is convinced he will be fine to perform well on Sunday. 'I"ve had my injury problems but hopefully I"m over it. The hamstring injury was the first muscular injury I ever picked up. Maybe it"s a sign I"m getting old! I"m sure I"ll be okay for Sunday. It"s never helpful picking up injuries in the build-up to a big championship game but we have to carry on,' said Keane. The Westmeath defender also believes the first game in a championship series can be very difficult. 'Sometimes it"s the hardest game, to be honest. Wicklow have a championship match under their belts (they defeated Longford in the opening round) and will be ready to go, but we have to ensure we"re ready, too. I think our panel is strong enough to get a good result against Wicklow but it"s going to be tough. We"ve worked very hard since the league campaign finished and I think our players will be in good form this weekend,' he added. (For more on Sunday"s game, see page 35).