MEATH 0-16 WESTMEATH 0-15
Despite being in the scoreboard ascendancy as this Allianz National League Division 2 North contest entered the final quarter of playing proceedings, Westmeath suffered a one point defeat to provincial rivals, Meath, upon the conclusion of their first competitive outing of the season.
Westmeath will reflect upon this local derby contest as an opportunity missed to start their season on a positive footing and with Connacht champions, Mayo, to visit Cusack Park, Mullingar, on Saturday afternoon, the need to achieve a win and strive to avoid a relegation play-off is of importance.
Played on the vast green swathe of pristine Pairc Tailteann in Navan, the opening moiety was very much eagerly contested, Westmeath to the fore by the minimum as the shrill of the half time whistle resounded.
Buoyed by their periods of flowing play, the Lake County started the second half in determined mood as thoughts turned towards achieving a positive start to their second season in Division 2 of the Allianz National Football League.
With John Heslin and Luke Loughlin continuing to raise white flags and Boidu Sayeh nullifying the scoring threat of Meath talisman, Jordan Morris, Westmeath extended their half time lead to four points but a black card to centrefielder, Sam Duncan, proved significant to the game’s outcome.
Reduced to 14 players as the contest entered its crucial final stages, the dismissal of Duncan enabled Meath to gain possession and scoring momentum as the Royals reeled in their Leinster rivals ensuring parity on the scoreboard with three minutes of normal playing time remaining.
Meath were not to relent and soon were to the scoring fore and despite an injury time point from Ronan Wallace, the Leinster finalists of 2019 and 2020 secured victory and secured a vital brace of league points.
Post game, the Westmeath management team will view this contest as one which should have resulted in success and but for the black card dismissal on 50 minutes, the final scoreboard may have registered in Lake County favour.
However, with just four teams in the division and the need to secure league points now of vital importance to avoid a potential relegation scenario, Westmeath will hope to annex their first competitive win of the season when 2020 All-Ireland finalists Mayo journey to Mullingar on Saturday afternoon.
Having comfortably dispatched the challenge of Down this past weekend, the ask of Westmeath will be great. Not often do teams of the calibre of Mayo play in Cusack Park so the players’ minds will be duly focussed as they aim to deliver a performance worthy of the occasion and one which will enhance momentum morale as the competitive action progresses.
