Football fever grips Salthill

Westmeath share the maroon and white with Galway, but there was no doubt which of the two counties was better represented in Salthill on Saturday afternoon and on Sunday.

It was Westmeath, of course, as many thousands of midlanders took the opportunity to enjoy a weekend in the west, and to continue their support of the senior footballers in their pursuit of a place in the all-Ireland quarter finals.

The lads that have given so much to the GAA and to the supporters in the last couple of months didn’t get straight through, as Galway showed their class at on Sunday, and showed why some expert commentators are tipping them for All-Ireland glory this year.

Westmeath were as plucky as in all of their recent matches, and came back strongly near full time; if there had been a few more minutes till the final hooter, maybe they could have done it.

As it is, they face another away trip – to Monaghan – for a place in the quarter-finals. But back to the atmosphere in Salthill and at Stáid an Phiarsaigh; it was loud, colourful, and brilliant. As most of us know, Salthill is a beautiful place at any time, and even more so when the sun shines, and when the Westmeath football fans show up in great form, it’s even better.

Those who were there from Saturday were joined by thousands more on Sunday. The queues at the grounds began forming two and a half or three hours before throw-in.

It’s estimated that 15,000 of the official attendance of 25,400 at the match on Sunday were from Westmeath, and they definitely made their presence known in the stadium.

Every time Westmeath won the ball, there was a huge cheer, and that’s not to do down the Galway support. They were there too, and if they were a bit quiet in the opening minutes, they shouted loud and clear at the first Galway goal.

But without the jovial, passionate Westmeath supporters, it would have been a much lesser occasion, and not with standing the result of the match, Salthill and Galway were the better for their presence.