'We deserved it' says delighted McConville

Wicklow boss Oisín McConville felt his side deserved their victory at Aughrim on Sunday.

Speaking after their narrow victorty over Westmeath at Aughrim, the former Crossmaglen Rangers star felt victory was no more than his side's second half resurgence deserved.

“We sampled promotion in my first year. But we didn’t grasp the nettle of the Tailteann Cup that year. It’s taken us a couple of years, but now the boys see the value in it. It’s tangible. We’re in the semi-final,” he beamed.

“Fitness-wise, Wicklow are up there with anybody. Commitment-wise, they give you everything. And then it’s about making the right decisions. In the second half, we made a lot of really, really good decisions on the ball. We were patient. And we’ve never played under the hooter before, but you’d swear we were at it all our lives, the way we worked that last score.”

Former Westmeath boss Dessie Dolan, speaking on The Sunday Game, said the players will be bitterly disappointed with the early exit and with how the season has panned out, but gave Wicklow credit.

“They'll be devastated; they just can’t get across the line. That has been the story of the year.

“They were eight points up and Sam McCartan was playing exceptionally; Ronan Wallace (also); Ray Connellan around the middle, dominating. Then you had Luke Loughlin getting his scores. They were flying,” he observed.

“But in fairness to Oisín (McConville) and Wicklow, they never gave up; they just got momentum at the right time and it was a wild finish. That man Dean Healy, I picked him with the Inter Provincial side back in October - he is just an absolute legend of a player for Wicklow. He is just so determined, dogged - such a leader. He came up trumps in the end.

“Oisin will be absolutely thrilled to get the win over Westmeath because Westmeath were looking good, they were playing nice football, getting good scores. It’s very disappointing.”