Laois 0-24
Westmeath 3-08
The hill in Cheltenham is famous for separating the wheat from the chaff. Many’s the equine reputation has been built on the way they rose to the challenge of that final hill to get their nose over the line in front.
Westmeath footballers face something of an uphill battle of their own as they struggle to hold onto their Division 2 status. That hill got even steeper when Laois came to town last weekend and secured both points on offer. To make matters worse Tipperary pulled off an unlikely win at home to Meath.
Now pointless after four outings, and with three difficult games still to come, it is difficult to see where we can secure the necessary points to stay up. Yet the race is not over and with three hurdles yet to jump there is still a glimmer of hope.
3-8 would win most matches but when you conceded 24 scores one can hardly expect to win. Laois also needed a win badly and with M J Tierney in fine scoring form they pulled away in the second half.
The return of Martin Flanagan to the fold is a welcome boost to all involved. While midfield continues to be a bit of a problem area, Martin might best be deployed at the edge of the square. At this stage of his career he is unlikely to have the legs to last the pace in midfield, particularly when it comes to championship.
Westmeath chose not to risk their U21 players ahead of the U21 Leinster semi-final between the same two counties on St Patrick’s Day. Laois however opted to play U21 star Donie Kingston and he came through unscathed.
Even with the U21s on board it is unlikely that we would have beaten Laois. With such a vital clash only three days later I believe it was the right decision to rest them. With a full hand to pick from this U21 side will take beating. All going well I expect our U21s to be preparing for a Leinster final, by the time this is being read. That is exactly the boost football in the county needs. Even if we fail to reach the decider there is plenty of hope for optimism for the future, if this group of players stick together and are managed properly in the coming years.
Westmeath v Kildare
Westmeath face a difficult assignment again this week as they travel to Newbridge to take on Kildare. Kildare have been a bit unpredictable of late, putting up a big score against both Tipperary and Donegal but only managing five points against Armagh last weekend.
Home advantage, and the fact that they will be hurting from last week’s performance, means that Kieran McGeeney’s men will be warm favourites. However a number of well fancied favourites were turned over during the week. Nothing is impossible.
NHL Division 2
Kildare 4-10
Westmeath 0-11
Having lost to Carlow by 19 points in the previous round, many people expected a backlash from Westmeath but it never materialised as they were well and truly put to the sword by Kildare. Just like their footballing colleagues they are now in serious relegation danger.
Kevin Martin is finding it difficult to hide his frustration following two inept performances. Westmeath managed to beat Kildare recently in the Keogh Cup which makes this defeat all the harder to swallow.
Hopefully all concerned will respond in kind and restore pride in their next outing.
