Grimes goal decisive in Dessie’s first game in charge

O’Byrne Cup Senior Football Tournament: Louth 1-8, Westmeath 0-9

Gerry Buckley reports

A somewhat bizarre goal in the 29th minute from Louth’s experienced full forward Conor Grimes ultimately prevented Dessie Dolan from getting off to a winning start as Westmeath senior football manager in the Prediction and Prosperity Louth GAA Training Centre at Darver last Wednesday night.

Nineteen years ago, an O’Byrne Cup opener was famously called “an opportunity to blow out some dirty petrol” by Dolan’s most high profile predecessor, the late, great Páidí Ó Sé. A little over a decade on from the sudden death of the Ventry maestro, there is still a large element of truth in that assessment, particularly in a floodlit midweek encounter.

The Garrycastle man fielded an almost entirely new side, with just Jonathan Lynam (first half) and Jack Smith (second half) featuring from the starting XV which won the inaugural Tailteann Cup under Jack Cooney last year.

Some players had featured a little under earlier regimes, while others were making their debuts in the maroon and white colours at the resplendent Wee County facility, in front of a good-sized crowd which included a sprinkling of travelling diehards.

Of the out-and-out newcomers, perhaps the most noteworthy was Steve Smith, a brother of the aforementioned Jack, and the lively Skerries Harps newcomer certainly showed intermittent signs that he is likely to challenge for a spot in the Lake County attack in 2023.

Tom Molloy started the game in very impressive fashion, the Shandonagh man converting a ‘mark’ after 40 seconds and following up with a tidy point from play some three minutes later. Trevor Martin soon came to the visitors’ rescue with a great save from roving wing back Leonard Gray, the ball then rebounding to safety via the upright.

Westmeath, who had whatever benefit was accruing from a crossfield wind blowing towards the electronic scoreboard end of the pitch, went three points clear in the seventh minute when Robbie Forde slotted over a tricky free. His opposite number Conor Grimes then kicked the first wide of the evening. A weak goal attempt by Jay Hughes preceded a good free conversion by the same player to get Louth off the mark in the 11th minute.

Steve Smith slotted over a ‘mark’ in fine style, but a Hughes brace – a routine free and a neat score from play – left the winners in arrears by the bare minimum (0-4 to 0-3) with a quarter of an hour elapsed. Smith doubled his tally with a classy solo point, but this was quickly cancelled out by another Hughes free – some of the awards seemed quite soft at this juncture.

An undercooked shot by Senan Baker and a disappointing wide from Forde – Westmeath’s first – ensued, before the latter and Hughes traded points from straightforward frees.

Trademark determination by the returning Boidu Sayeh earned a 28th-minute free which TJ Cox slotted over. However, the game turned on its head within a minute when a Grimes piledriver appeared to have been deflected to safety by the hard-working Andy McCormack, but the rebound fell kindly for an alert Grimes to palm the ball past Martin for a tonic goal for Mickey Harte’s charges.

At the other end, Declan Byrne did well to slap away a dangerous in-swinger from Molloy, and a point exchange between Hughes (a great free from the ground) and Baker (a quality score after effecting an eye-catching one-two with Smith) left the scoreboard at the interval reading: Louth 1-6, Westmeath 0-8.

Both managers took the opportunity to use an array of subs in the second half when, unsurprisingly, the fare deteriorated somewhat and some wrong options were taken from decent positions by both sets of forwards. Westmeath had oodles of possession but were generally unable to break down a condensed Louth defence.

Scores were very much at a premium, with Dolan’s troops registering just a 48th-minute free from Cox (after a foul on Forde), while the men in white with a red trim merely added two points to their total courtesy of a brace of frees from sub Ciaran Keenan in the 46th and 57th minutes respectively.

Westmeath’s next O’Byrne Cup tie is at home to Wexford next Saturday in The Downs (2pm).

Scorers – Louth: J Hughes 0-6 (5f), C Grimes 1-0, C Keenan 0-2 (2f). Westmeath: T Molloy (1m), S Smith (1m), R Forde (2f) and TJ Cox (2f) 0-2 each, S Baker 0-1.

Louth: Declan Byrne; Dan Corcoran, Dermot Campbell, Alan Connor; Leonard Gray, Ciaran Murphy, Conall McKeever; Paul Matthews, Conor Early; Jonathan Commins, Tom Gray, Tom Jackson; Jay Hughes, Conor Grimes, Shane Matthews. Subs used: Peter McStravick for Grimes (h-t), Ciaran Keenan for Hughes (41), Conor Clarke for Corcoran (42), Jack Murphy for Jackson (inj., 46), Beanon Corrigan for Early (48), Shane Byrne for T Gray (48), Pauric McKenny for McKeever (55), Gabriel Bell for L Gray (68).

Westmeath: Trevor Martin; Boidu Sayeh, Andy McCormack, Danny Scahill; Anthony McGivney, Eoin Mulvihill, Conor Dillon; Conor McCormack, Jonathan Lynam; Tom Molloy, Senan Baker, Brandon Kelly; TJ Cox, Robbie Forde, Steve Smith. Subs used: Kevin O’Sullivan for Kelly (h-t), Jack Smith for Lynam (h-t), Stephen McGonagle for Sayeh (53), Sam Smyth for A McCormack (53), Adam Treanor for Cox (53).

Ref: Patrick Coyle (Meath).

Footnote: The upset in the crowd was clearly visible when the PA announcer for the pre-match minute’s silence included the name of Colm Murray, the talented young Raharney hurler and Coralstown/Kinnegad footballer who had tragically lost his life in the preceding days.