The Downs and Garrycastle off to winning starts

ALFC Div 1: The Downs 0-13, St Loman's, Mullingar 1-9

The All County Football Leagues got underway in Westmeath at the weekend and it kicked off on Friday evening with a glamour tie under lights in The Downs, the hosts taking on St Loman’s, Mullingar, one of their main rivals in the season ahead.

The Downs led by 0-7 to 0-4 at half-time and despite the concession of a goal from a second half penalty, the Paddy Flanagan Cup holders had one point to spare at the final whistle. It was a positive start to the Division 1 campaign by Dermot Power’s side.

The game was remarkable in that it contained three penalties, only one of which was scored, that by Shane Dempsey for the Mullingar men in the second half. The Downs’ goalie Trevor Martin saved another penalty from Dempsey, while Tom Tuite's effort from the spot was well saved by St Loman's netminder Rory Matthews.

The Downs made a blistering start, setting the tone with real purpose and intensity. The home side registered the opening score and quickly doubled their tally following a rapid counter-attack. Sharp and direct in the early exchanges, they carved out a clear-cut goal chance, but the effort drifted wide - a let-off that proved significant in keeping St Loman’s Mullingar within striking distance.

To their credit, St Loman’s Mullingar refused to be rattled. Gradually, composure replaced early pressure as they worked their way into the contest. Ruairí Doonan produced one of the standout moments of the half with a fearless intervention, bravely putting his head where few would dare. The act lifted both teammates and supporters and sparked a positive passage of play. From there, St Loman’s Mullingar moved the ball with intelligence and purpose, and Thomas Meehan applied a sharp finish to open their account.

Shane Dempsey and Seanie Bracken were prominent, but it was The Downs who finished the half strongly and went in at the break with a three-point cushion.

The second period opened with a pivotal moment.

While Rory Matthews produced a magnificent penalty save early in the second half, stretching high to his right to tip a goal-bound effort away from the top corner, The Downs eventually opened up a crucial six-point lead.

St Loman’s did show renewed belief, Mark Tunney wining an important free that Shane Dempsey converted, while the defensive unit tightened up with disciplined and aggressive tackling to stem The Downs’ momentum. Hard-earned turnovers and measured build-up became the foundation of their fightback. The game continued to ebb and flow. The Downs added further points and threatened another goal. St Loman's also missed a penalty of their own, but Shane Mulderry steadied the challenge with an excellent right-footed point.

As the half wore on, The Downs enjoyed a purple patch, reeling off a succession of scores that suddenly stretched their advantage to six and left St Loman’s Mullingar with a mountain to climb in the closing minutes.

With less than five minutes remaining, St Loman’s Mullingar trailed by six and appeared to be running out of time. But Shane Dempsey emphatically converted a penalty to the top corner of the net to reignite hope. The momentum shifted instantly. From the resulting restart, St Loman’s Mullingar pressed again and Dempsey delivered in style, landing a superb two-pointer from distance to leave just the minimum between the sides.

Now fully energised, St Loman’s Mullingar poured forward in search of parity and they had a wave of attacks, but just missed with a late equalising chance. Both sides, even in the absence of county players, showed enough quality to suggest they will be big players again on the Westmeath club scene this year.

The Downs: Trevor Martin; Oisín Murphy, Josh Murtagh, Peter Murray; Éanna Burke, Ciarán Nolan, Joe Moran; Lorcan Mullen, Billy Moffatt; Oisín Loughlin, Ian Martin, Dean Egerton; Tom Tuite, Niall Mitchell, Philip Martin.

St Loman’s, Mullingar: Rory Matthews; Ruairí Doonan, Nathan Lally, Ethan Brown; Ciaran Smith (0-1), Kelvin Reilly, Seanie Bracken; Eoghan Hogan, Sean Flanagan; Thomas Meehan (0-1), Mark Tunney (0-1), Tom Dorr; Chris Gilbert, Shane Mulderry (0-1), Shane Dempsey (1-5; 0-2f).

Subs used: David Whelan (for Ruairí Doonan), Beau Greene (for Chris Gilbert ).

Elsewhere, holders Coralstown/Kinnegad saw their game against Mullingar Shamrocks postponed due to wet weather and that was largely the story of round one, with a large number games cancelled.

Meanwhile, Garrycastle enjoyed a 2-10 to 0-7 victory over Tubberclair. Former Westmeath star Alex Gardiner scored 1-4 for the home side and they showed enough to suggest they will be very competitive again in the season ahead.

Garrycastle: Sean Brennan, Fergal McKiernan, Jack Donohue, Gary McCallon, Jason Nugent, Mark McCallon (0-01), Nathan McKeon, Cian McCarthy, Eoin Mulvihill (0-01), Ben Donegan(1-00), Conor Cosgrove(0-01), Dylan Keegan, Cathal Mannion (0-01), Alex Gardiner(1-04) and Michael Monaghan (0-02).

Subs used: Aaron Keegan, Eoin Monaghan, Philip Monaghan and Diarmaid Murtagh.

Elsewhere, in the top division, Moate All Whites defeated Caulry by 1-7 to 0-9 in their first-round encounter.

Meanwhile, in Division 2, Milltownpass enjoyed a seven-point win over Rosemount, 1-10 to 0-6. In Division 3, Ballinagore beat Ballymore, 1-12 to 1-7, while there were wins for St Joseph's and Ballynacargy in Division 4.