Westmeath get second bite at Louth in qualifiers

WESTMEATH have been handed an early chance to avenge their recent Leinster SFC defeat to Louth after the sides were paired together in Monday's draw for the opening round of All-Ireland SFC Qualifiers. The news of Westmeath's impending renewal with the Wee County (to be played Saturday week, June 30 in Cusack Park, Mullingar) comes just days after the departure to the United States of star goalkeeper and captain Gary Connaughton became public knowledge. The Tubberclair stalwart, a key figure in the historic 2004 Leinster title-winning team, and All-Star winner in 2008, has moved to Boston for the summer months, where he's expected to play Gaelic football for Boston-club, Catherine's and also work. The towering goalkeeper, who is a mature student at Athlone IT, jetted out to the States on Monday, after failing to secure summer employment in Ireland. He plans to return home in September when he begins the fourth and final year of a Business Studies degree course. In the meantime, Westmeath manager Pat Flanagan must do without the services of the 33-year-old, who has been an ever-present for the Lake County over the past decade or so. Flanagan has also had to cope without another of Westmeath's greatest players of recent times, Dessie Dolan, during this campaign, after the Garrycastle forward chose not to be considered for selection in the immediate future. Tyrrellspass' Darren Quinn, who has been Connaughton's understudy for the past couple of seasons, is expected to assume the number one jersey for the rest of the campaign. Speaking of Connaughton's departure, Westmeath manager Pat Flanagan said "it's difficult to cope" with losing the team captain. "In fairness to Gary, he's given a huge amount of time and effort to the Westmeath cause over a vast period, and he remains one of the best goalkeepers in the country. It's obviously very difficult to cope with your captain leaving the set-up, and Gary is something of a legend in Westmeath football circles. Unfortunately, Gary couldn't obtain employment here and has had to look abroad, and it's just part of what's happening in Westmeath at the moment. We're very much in a transitional phase and there is a changing of the old guard. Gary has been a great servant to Westmeath, and to his club Tubberclair, but Darren Quinn is a goalkeeper I know well from Tyrellspass, and he's a superb goalkeeper. We have full faith in Darren and Gary has wished him well in the role," said Flanagan. Westmeath will also be waiting with baited breath the result of a minor knee operation John Heslin had yesterday (Tuesday). Heslin played for St Loman's in Monday's evening's drawn Westmeath SFC Division B game against Athlone (see page 38), and Flanagan is hopeful the operation will not hamper his chances of turning out against Louth. "John's operation is only a very minor thing but with all these operations you just never know. We're hopeful he will make the Louth game, as he showed again against Athlone what a fine young player he is," said Flanagan. Westmeath are also crossing their fingers that Kieran Gavin can shake off the effects of a recent quad muscle injury to face Louth. On May 20, Westmeath tumbled out of the Leinster championship at the first hurdle when losing 2-9 to 0-14 to Louth at Haggardstown, as an injury time goal by substitute Danny O'Connor gave Louth a victory most observers felt was unwarranted. Since then, Louth have run into something of a crisis, suffering a 16-point demolishing at the hands of Dublin in the Leinster quarter-finals, and experiencing major problems with emigration and injury. It's been reported that as many as eleven of the Wee County's senior panel have emigrated since January, and the Reds are also suffering from an unprecedented injury crisis, which their manager Peter Fitzpatrick blames on the unforgiving club schedule currently ongoing. Fitzpatrick, who was forced to cancel some recent challenge matches, has asked the Louth Competitions Control Committee to rearrange some fixtures to offer the county team some respite ahead of the qualifiers. Last week, Fitzpatrick claimed he was forced to cancel a training session because only nine players, out of a panel of 30, were available to train. With home advantage to their credit, Westmeath will fancy greatly their chances of reversing the outcome at Haggardstown, but they will have to make far better use of their scoring chances than they did on May 20, when not even the allotment of eight minutes injury time (largely due to an injury suffered on the day by David Glennon) was enough to see them equalise O'Connor's goal at the end of normal-time. Flanagan said: "I thought we performed well in Navan (in the defeat to Louth) but didn't take enough chances. I felt we were the better team, but you give yourself a difficult task when you miss so many chances, and then concede a goal so late on. It's a great opportunity for us to put things right. Our goal is to reach the quarter-finals and the game against Louth is a stepping stone along that way. We have a group of lads working very hard and a few games in the championship would be of huge benefit to their development." Rossies' to face daunting task Meanwhile, Roscommon have been handed arguably the hardest assignment possible in the first round of the qualifiers, having been drawn at home to Armagh (also to be played on Saturday, June 30). The 2002 All-Ireland champions, and winners of 14 Ulster titles, were defeated in last weekend's Ulster decider by Tyrone (0-19 to 1-13), but with genuine class and experience coarsing through almost every facet of Paddy O'Rourke's Orchard County team, they'll be fancied to make a real go at the qualifiers, and could still have a realistic opportunity of progressing deep into the All-Ireland series. Roscommon, of course, will be without a couple of very important players for the game, as vice-captain David Keenan and David O'Gara have recently moved to the United States. Vice-captain Keenan, of the St Barry's club, has headed to the States where he intends to spend the summer, meaning he will miss out on the Connacht side's qualifying campaign. His departure was a further blow to manager Des Newton, who has also seen David O'Gara (Roscommon Gaels) go stateside in recent weeks, as the squad looks to regroup following the recent Connacht championship defeat to Galway. All-Ireland Qualifiers 1st Round Draw Laois v Carlow; Westmeath v Louth; Roscommon v Armagh; Fermanagh v Cavan; Tipperary v Offaly; London v Antrim; Wicklow v Waterford; Longford v Derry. Ties to be played on Saturday, June 30 (extra-time if necessary).