Westmeath team named for U20 clash with Kildare
Kenny McKinley has named an unchanged Westmeath U20 football team for the eagerly awaited Leinster championship quarter-final against Kildare in Kinnegad tonight (Wednesday), throw-in 7.30pm.
Westmeath secured their place in the quarter-finals with an impressive 2-16 to 2-13 victory over Dublin last Wednesday night.
The Westmeath team is captained by Tubberclair's Kealan Connell, who is partnered at midfield by Mullingar Shamrocks player Críostóir Ormsby, a son of former Westmeath star Tom. Ormsby is one of four players from the Hogan Cup winning Coláiste Mhuire team on the starting XV, the others being Ty Masterson, Will Scahill and Mikey Weir.
Moate All Whites have two players on the starting team, goalkeeper James Mitchell and defender Cian Whitney. In attack, the Westmeath camp will again be hoping for influential contributions from the likes of Scahill, Matthew Thornton and Garrycastle’s James McHugh, who scored 1-6 against Dublin.
Westmeath were well beaten by Leinster champions Louth in the opening round but have bounced back impressively with wins over Wexford and Dublin.
“After the Louth game, training was a tough place. You need 30-odd lads all working together in a training session to change that mindset. Big hats off to our panel of lads that are coming down every time. Guys that aren't getting game time are still showing up at training, still buying into what we're doing, still trying to drive it forward,” said McKinley, who guided Westmeath to the All-Ireland U20 'B' title last year.
“I think it's a combination of that work and that mentality from a group of 30 lads all rowing together that you can put on that performance.”
McHugh and Connell scored the goals against Dublin, but it was Westmeath's collective resolve and overall squad effort that really pleased McKinley.
“It was a huge game from Kealan, one of our big players, the captain, he stood up when needed,” said the Westmeath manager, pointing to the overall squad effort at training.
“The guys just keep coming, keep turning up. Even lads that are not getting a run outside the 24 and it's very hard. You have guys there in college, Cormac Murphy, Hagan Niall, all these guys that are very, very unlucky to miss out. They're travelling good distances and still coming to training, which is a huge mindset,” remarked the manager.
“It keeps driving things in the right direction because you need it. It's nearly like losing a game, if lads don't turn up for training. But the guys are coming with great energy and they're just all buzzing and still driving it forward.”
There is certainly renewed optimism in Westmeath football and a feel-good factor again after minor and U20 victories over Dublin.
“I don't know if there's a new sense of belief. I think we're as good as footballers anywhere in the country. You can see what the Coláiste Mhuire lads did, the Marist College players also,” said McKinley.
“Sometimes you need a bit of luck, sometimes you need a break to get through. The next minute you get on a bit of a crest of a wave,” added McKinley, an All-Ireland minor medallist from 1995.
Westmeath (team vs Kildare): James Mitchell; Taylor Slevin, Ty Masterson, Adam Glynn; Conor Daly, Cian Whitney, Brian Doyle; Kealan Connell (captain), Críostóir Ormsby; Donnacha Maguire, Will Scahill, Mikey Weir; Matthew Thornton, James McHugh, Cillian Rochford. Subs: Adam Buckley, Eoghan Daly, Ben Sheerin, Henry Duncan, Neale Pierson, Paul Keegan, Oisin Mulvihill, Brian Ronan, Sean Whittaker, Cormac Murphy, Darragh Delaney, Hagan Niall, Cian Corcoran, Gavin Pierce, Darragh Madden.