Connellan believes Westmeath must stay focused for Kildare test

Ray Connellan is the sole survivor from Westmeath’s previous Leinster SFC victory over Meath in 2015 and he revelled in the achievement of repeating the feat last Sunday.

Speaking afterwards, Connellan said Westmeath have been “improving slowly and steadily” throughout the season and the Athlone player felt that that the team was capable of being “more than a match for Meath”.

“We proved that we can win when it matters and hopefully the momentum will continue as a result of this win,” said Connellan, who contributed two points to the Lake County’s Leinster quarter-final win over the Royal County.

Connellan praised the “ruthlessness” of his teammates in scoring Westmeath’s four goals. “We have forwards who are always willing to take on their opponents and it has been drilled into them to take the goal opportunities when they arise,” Connellan added.

Despite Westmeath being in the ascendancy for almost the entire game, and leading by ten points at one stage, Meath reduced Westmeath’s lead to just two points in the closing moments. Connellan said it was the team’s spirit which ensured victory was achieved.

“If the game went on for another 15 minutes we might have struggled, but the players just ‘died with their boots on’. All we can do as players is give as much as we can for as long as we can, and I think the team certainly showed that over the course of the game.

“The effort we had given throughout the game left us in a strong position where we could see out the game in the final stages and clip some important scores when they were needed to stem the Meath tide,” Connellan said.

The midfielder acknowledged that Mark McHugh and the management team had “instilled confidence” in the players, allowing the team to play with “freedom”.

“The management’s style of play gives us a platform to go and perform to our capabilities. This team has been building now for a number of years and Mark has now brought us to a new level,” Connellan added.

Looking towards a provincial semi-final against Kildare on Sunday week, May 3, Connellan said the focus would on Westmeath producing their best performance possible rather than worrying about the Lilywhites.

“We just have to worry about ourselves. If we start to think about the possibilities that lie ahead that’s when you start to lose focus on the task at hand. Our focus will certainly be on what is to come on Sunday week,” Connellan added.