Westmeath boss wants players to show belief as Louth await
Westmeath minor football manager David 'Dickie' Geoghegan was a happy man after his side's win over Carlow last Thursday night.
Now Westmeath are preparing to face Louth in their quarter-final showdown in Hunterstown, close to Ardee, tonight (Thursday), throw-in 7.30pm - see team list below.
Geoghegan saw his charges give something of a Jekyll and Hyde performance against Carlow, but they still prevailed on a breezy and chilly night at Netwatch Cullen Park.
“We knew well it was going to be tough. The wind was always going to be a help. The wind doesn’t win games for you and we had to weather the storm in the first half. We gave away a soft goal a minute into the game which probably gives a team a bit of a lift with a breeze into your backs,” he said.
Five points behind at the interval meant Westmeath had to start from scratch and even give a little bit more. It was important heads didn’t drop.
“Carlow had the wind in their sails (in the first half) and we had to try and stay in the game at that stage. In the second half we came out and had the breeze. We got a couple of scores and we got a bit of belief. The biggest thing at this age group is having a bit of belief and getting confidence in yourself and to go for it.
“They are young lads. They need to go for it. If it doesn’t work, it doesn’t work. They got the bit between their teeth and went for it. At the end, they probably fluffed a few goal chances.
"Maybe we could have won by a little bit more but to get across the line is the important thing. For young fellas, they don’t care whether it was one point or ten points. They won and they are happy. They will look forward to the next day,” said Geoghegan as his side prepare to meet Louth in their quarter-final on Thursday night.
Geoghegan felt the early three-point concession in the opening half stunned his players and they were inhibited.
“The early goal rocked them a small bit. The big thing about young lads is that they are afraid to make mistakes. They are afraid to take it on in case they make a mistake,” he reasoned.
It was hard to predict what would happen after the break. For 27 minutes in the second half, the eventual winners outscored the home side by 2-7 to 0-3. The Westmeath management had realised the wind would be a factor but felt it was important the players didn’t depend too much on the elements.
“At half-time all we said was that we never played a game where the wind would win it on its own. You still have to work hard. You still have to chase down every ball,” he added.
Westmeath team (vs Louth): John Paul; Anthony King Carroll, Eoin Donohue, Sean Keegan; Conor Casey, Seán Byrne, Ross Tully; Cian Fleming, Rory McCaul; Finn Higgins, Dean Kelly, William Geraghty; Stephen McWade, Will Scahill, Sean Whittaker. Subs: Jake Dempsey, Oisin McCauley, Jack Duignan, Sean Graham, Tom O'Brien, Conor Cleary, Darragh Deegan, Mikey Fry, Dillon Burke.