Westmeath become the men in black as late goal sees off Leitrim

 

Westmeath 3-14

Leitrim 2-13

Ultimately, the stats will record a narrow victory for an eager Westmeath team in this SF challenge, but the future is far from certain for Tom Cribbin’s charges with championship time fast approaching.

Against a Leitrim side that struggled badly in the bottom tier of the Allianz Football League, home to the hosts next season, Westmeath were far from comfortable here and it took a last gasp Kieran Martin goal to ensure victory.

Last Sunday’s meeting of two championship outsiders in their respective provinces marked the opening of Killucan GAA’s new set-up in the centre of the village and attracted a sizeable audience, given that the county’s hurlers were setting the stage alight in their Leinster Championship clash against Offaly in TEG Cusack Park.

With a number of key players not available to the management team, it presented an opportunity for some of the fringe players to show off their credentials. But from a Westmeath perspective there were few positives with John Heslin (0-10) carrying the scoring threat with only two others, Kieran Martin and Dean McNicholas, managing to raise white flags over the course of the 70 minutes.

In snap shots, the uncanny ability of Athlone’s John Connellan to pick out John Heslin was encouraging and some delightful interplay was also uplifting but the manner in which the team, mystifyingly togged out in a black ensemble, totally switched off for lengthy periods was unnerving.

Having established a 0-8 to 0-2 lead by the 23rd minute, they turned over just two ahead at the break, 0-9 to 0-7. Again on the change of ends, they did impose themselves early on and moved to a comfortable six-point margin approaching the 50th minute mark, but instead of pressing on they allowed Leitrim back into the tie and Nevin O’Donnell’s third point, eight minutes from the long whistle, tied up the game.

In a frantic end to the game, three goals were exchanged. Firstly, Martin set up Castledaly’s Lorcan Dolan for his moment of glory, beating netminder Brendan Flynn to a loose ball. Almost immediately the visitors’ full-forward, Ronan Kennedy, blasted past replacement ‘keeper Stephen Gallagher before Martin the provider, turned poacher to claim victory.

That scratchy end did not mirror Westmeath’s impressive opening, where four John Heslin frees had them in command. An Emlyn Mulligan response interrupted the flow but normal service was restored with Heslin’s first from play followed by a splendid score from the same player, following a wonderful diagonal ball from John Connellan.

Kieran Martin became Westmeath’s second scorer, converting a free on 22 minutes before Leitrim midfielder Shane Moran cut through for the visitors’ second. A fine point from Dean McNicholas advanced the lead to six once more and the home side looked comfortable.

Inexplicably, the Lakers nodded off and Leitrim began to rumble. Ronan Kennedy led the charge, with a free, corner-forward Conor Gaffney added two, sandwiched between Kennedy and Nevin O’Donnell efforts and suddenly the margin was down to one. On the stroke of half-time Kieran Martin, still trying to rediscover the form of last season, stretched the lead to two at the interval.

Conor Gaffney and John Heslin exchanged early second-half points and then John Connellan, impressive throughout, found the net after a neat exchange with Ger Egan. When Heslin pointed from another placed ball, the margin was back out to six and one felt the home side would shut out the game.

Back came Leitrim with O’Donnell, Moran and the latter’s midfield partner, Donal Wynne, all splitting the posts. A Heslin free gave some respite before Conor Gaffney volleyed home substitute Ciaran Gilheaney’s probing ball. Heslin again pushed the margin out to two with a free but with seven minutes remaining the game was all square after Gaffney and Kennedy found the target.

In that hectic finale, a timely Martin point restored Westmeath’s advantage before the three goal strikes provided a bit of late drama to what had been a moderate spectacle.

Scorers
Westmeath: J Heslin 0-10, K Martin 1-3, J Connellan and L Dolan 1-0 each, D McNicholas 0-1. Leitrim: C Gaffney 1-4, R Kennedy 1-2, N O’Donnell 0-3, S Moran 0-2, D Wynne and E Mulligan 0-1 each.

Westmeath: David Bryan; Boidu Sayeh, Frank Boyle, Kevin Maguire; Killian Daly, Alan Stone, Robert Gorman; Ger Egan, Daragh Daly; Ronan Foley, John Connellan, Dean McNicholas; Kieran Martin, John Heslin, David Lynch. Subs used: Stephen Gallagher, Ray Connellan, John Egan, Noel Mulligan, Sam Duncan, Lorcan Dolan, Jarlath Boyce.

Leitrim: Brendan Flynn; Keelan McHugh, Michael McWeeney, Paddy Maguire; Sean McWeeney, Ronan Gallagher, Killian McGriskin; Shane Moran, Donal Wynne; James Rooney, Nevin O’Donnell, Kevin Conlon; Conor Gaffney, Ronan Kennedy, Emlyn Mulligan. Subs used: Ciaran Canning, Darren Sweeney, Tommy Mulvey, Gary Reynolds, Paddy McGann, Ciaran Gilheaney and Ronan Flynn.

Referee: Michael Murtagh, The Downs.