Footballers on the verge of deserved league promotion
Apologies in advance for the non-PC analogy, but I once read a draw in sport being compared to kissing your sister i.e. better than no kiss at all but, in reality, heading nowhere. I have no sisters, and apart from that, advancing age dictates that such experiments would not interest me!
I have just one brother, and he made the journey for his first visit to TEG Cusack Park in quite some time to see Westmeath playing last Sunday, and at half-time I opined to a friend that the defensive fare he had just witnessed might mean an even longer gap before his next visit!
Indeed, as I walked towards Westmeath GAA headquarters around 1.45, an acquaintance said to me: “I assume you’re heading to the match. It will be awful stuff, a five points each draw.” And for long chunks of the first moiety, I was envisaging said acquaintance walking out of one of Mullingar’s many bookmaking premises around 5pm, a wad of money in hand, and roaring: “Now, what did I tell you?” It was not inconceivable after 20 minutes or so that Mick Moody’s final task of the afternoon would be to remove, An Dún 0-5 An Iarmhí 0-5, from the electronic scoreboard.
However, the second half proved to be much more enjoyable, and the closing stages were pulsating by any standard, both teams displaying championship-style intensity to eke out a share of the points which the vast majority of the large crowd present felt was an eminently fair outcome.
Remarkably, it makes for a highly unusual situation in any eight-team group that two unbeaten sides with 11 out of a possible 12 points garnered are still unsure (very unsure( of promotion with just one game each remaining.
On reflection, the draw was arguably a better result for Dessie Dolan than for Conor Laverty, despite the general expectation being that home teams should win tight contests. Of course, both Westmeath and Down have their respective destinies in their own hands, the latter’s ambitions especially complicated by the fact that the visitors to Newry next Sunday are Clare, the only other team in contention for promotion to Division 2.
The Banner County men deserve great credit for this campaign after losing their esteemed manager Colm Collins and a handful of star players, in addition to having been decidedly unlucky to lose to Westmeath in TEG Cusack Park. They seem sure to push Down all the way in Páirc Esler.
All four Division 3 games throw in at 2pm (unlike the Six Nations rugby powers-that-be, common sense prevails in Croke Park on such matters), and Sligo v Westmeath will run concurrently with Down v Clare. There will be a lot of phone-watching in Markievicz Park next Sunday afternoon, albeit if the visitors do their own thing and avoid defeat against very tricky opponents, events in Newry will be of no relevance.
Ironically, in some ways last Sunday’s display could be marked down as the Lake County’s best performance this year despite losing their 100 per cent record. Certainly, in the ‘courage in the face of adversity’ bracket, the maroon and white-clad outfit deserve top marks, as they failed to fold when Down scored a great goal which looked like it might prove decisive. The home team’s defending in a tense finale was truly inspirational.
The Westmeath bainisteoir consistently talks of his unhappiness at the demands made of modern inter-county players. And he is spot on. If Westmeath do enough next Sunday to get to a third-tier final, it looks like they will have five consecutive weekends of intense games. This is simply not on for amateurs. Like many other counties, Westmeath's injuries are mounting and the county's pick is a lot more limited than teams with bigger populations.
One can only hope that experienced players like John Heslin, Ronan Wallace, Jack Smith and Jamie Gonoud are close to being available, while very promising newcomer Charlie Drumm is another unluckily-injured absentee, with fellow-newcomer Danny McCartan being helped off after five minutes last Sunday. Of course, absentees give others opportunities, and Robbie Forde took his opportunity superbly to kick four excellent points against the team in black and red.
It has been heart-warming to see Westmeath supported so well this year and all evidence suggests that a big following will make the long trip to Sligo on Sunday. The players deserve this. They also deserve to ply their trade in the second tier in 2025 and also be a step closer to Sam Maguire Cup football for 2024, albeit there is many a possible complication in achieving that by National League position alone.
Sligo may have nothing to play for per sé, but they are a proud county with a proud manager. Any hint of complacency could be fatal in the Westmeath camp.
The team in white and black were very regular opponents for Westmeath for many years. The head-to-head record is remarkably close, Sligo edging it by 16-15 from the 31 previous encounters. A draw will do the visitors on Sunday. And the best way to get a draw is to go for a win.
The games between the counties this millennium are listed hereunder, but I have mixed memories of the last game in the 20th century when Westmeath lost by two points in 1994, seemingly thereby blowing promotion from Division 4, only to be rescued by a freak result elsewhere which we only found out about in a hostelry on the way home (no mobiles in those times).
Westmeath can’t be depending on events in Newry next Sunday. Hopefully, this very committed group will do the job unaided. They are certainly capable of it, even with key men missing.
Westmeath v Sligo: recent NFL results
19/3/2006, Sligo, Sligo 1-13 Westmeath 0-9
7/2/2016, Sligo, Sligo 1-11 Westmeath 1-10
25/2/2018, TEG Cusack Park, Westmeath 0-20 Sligo 0-14
3/3/2019, Collooney, Westmeath 3-12 Sligo 1-10