Intermediate Championship restarts after long break

BOTH Caulry and Tubberclair began the Jasca Sports Westmeath IFC Division A campaign (albeit back in April) with vital opening round victories, giving both outfits the perfect start to the 2012 edition of a notoriously tricky local intermediate championship. Now, close to two months after the maiden round of games, the second series of fixtures finally takes place, with the meeting of the aforementioned teams (Friday, Tang, 7.45pm) proving the highlight of this weekend's schedule in this part of the county. Managed by Brendan Clarke, Caulry recovered from a sluggish start in their opening fixture against Ballynacargy, when they trailed by two points at the interval, and then by four within minutes of the restart, to eventually record a 2-9 to 0-9 victory at a rain-soaked Pairc Chiarain in Athlone. It looked initially as though Ballynacargy's high-energy approach would prove too much for Caulry, but the red and whites were far more capable after half-time, and a goal by midfielder Alan Fitzpatrick, in the 35th minute, proved critical as Clarke's troops triumphed. For Tubberclair, it was more straightforward against near neighbours Tang - or at least it seemed that way until the closing minutes of the game. With Alan Coffey (six points) and Fergal Wilson (three) sharing Tubberclair's total scoring tally, the green and golds raced into a 0-7 to 0-2 lead by half-time, but thereafter the scores dried up for former Garrycastle manager Martin McCabe's new side, and they ended up winning by a single point. Tang put on the pressure late in proceedings, but Tubberclair held firm for a valuable two points, and this weekend's meeting of Caulry and McCabe's Tubberclair should be a very interesting affair. Caulry boss Clarke hopes to welcome back Johnny Dolan and Andrew O'Sullivan to his squad (from the team that beat Ballynacargy), and said: "The more points we put on the board early on, the less chance there is of leaving yourself with too much to do in the last few group games. We got the win against Ballynacargy, even though we started slowly. In fairness, the weather was atrocious that day (against Ballynacargy) and we've a young and light side, so that took its toll. The lads stuck to the task and Alan Fitzpatrick's goal steadied us, and we kicked on after that. "It was very important to get a winning start because Tubberclair are just relegated to intermediate level, and have vast experience at senior grade. They were a bit unlucky to be relegated last year, and will be keen to get straight back up. We've trained well since the opening game, and shouldn't have any injury worries. Our overall panel has also improved this year, and gives us greater strength in depth. A few of the minors are maturing well, and that gives us far more options in reserve." Tubberclair, as rival manager Clarke rightly pointed out, are eager to seal a return to senior football following last year's demotion (which was confirmed following a relegation play-off defeat to Athlone). With the enthusiastic and respected Martin McCabe now in the dug-out, they appear to stand every chance of enjoying a formidable run in this year's championship, and a narrow win over Tang was the ideal way to kickstart the campaign. The influential Wilson said: "I thought we were a bit wasteful against Tang, especially in the first half when we had the upper hand. Tang dominated a lot of the breaking ball in the second half, and we ended the game clinging on to a narrow win, and against Caulry we're going to have to maintain a better level of performance for the 60 minutes. Caulry are a young, fast and fit team, with a very good manager, and they've some fine young footballers. They comfortably defeated Ballynacargy and it will be a major battle on Friday." In a major blow to Tubberclair, Mark Kenny, who was outstanding against Tang and has shown up very well all year, will be missing for between six and eight weeks due to work commitments overseas. Also among those Tubberclair are dealing without this year are Ian Coffey and Jeffrey Farrell (both of whom are also abroad). However, Wilson said the "passionate" approach of manager McCabe has given Tubberclair a massive boost this year. "Martin was very familiar with everyone at the club having worked with the minors for two years, and his enthusiasm and passion for the game is infectious. "He's a huge influence on the training field and during matches. Like every team at intermediate level, the aim at the start of the year is to win promotion to senior level, and that's what we're aiming towards but the Westmeath intermediate championship is hugely competitive and very difficult to win," said former Westmeath star Wilson. Elsewhere in Division A, Paul Conway's Tang will be looking to claim a first win of the campaign when they face Garrycastle (B) at Tubberclair next Wednesday (June 20, 7.45pm), while Milltownpass face Ballynacargy at Shandonagh on Saturday evening (6pm). In Division B, Rosemount went goal-crazy in their maiden outing, notching 5-5 in an eight-point victory over Shandonagh. They face St Mary's, Rochfortbridge this weekend (Saturday, Moate, 6pm), with St Mary's having drawn their first match with Castletown F/C/W. Rosemount manager Eamonn Gallagher, a former Lake County hurling boss, has depleted numbers since the opening game, with James Geoghegan, David Malynn and Daniel Fielding having moved abroad for work reasons. Eamon Boland and Paddy Boland are also major doubts with injuries, but Gallagher was delighted with the passion Rosemount showed against Shandonagh and is looking for a repeat this weekend. "The most pleasing aspect of the win over Shandonagh was the sheer passion of the players. If you don't have that, you're relying entirely on skill, and pure skill doesn't always do enough to win football matches. I was also delighted to see us score five goals. In the two previous years I've been manager, we struggled for goals, but for some reason we seem to have found our scoring boots. Hopefully that will continue, but St Mary's will be looking to top the section and go straight into the semi-finals, so it's going to be a tough one for us," said Gallagher. Also in Division B, Tubberclair native Gerry Walker takes his Ballymore side into battle against Castletown F/C/W at Shandonagh on Saturday (7.30pm), with both teams looking to build on draws from their opening games (Ballymore held Ballinagore, 0-9 apiece, in the first fixture). Ballinagore face Shandonagh at Castletown on Friday evening at 7.45pm.