All Ireland SFC qualifier
Derry 0-13
Westmeath 1-07
They came, they saw and they conquered. Derry came to Cusack Park last Saturday evening and despite a battling Westmeath performance it was the Oak Leaf men who claimed the spoils. Had Westmeath not been so wasteful, particularly during the second half, the outcome may have been different. Defeat however marks the end of the road for Westmeath for 2010, a year which has had more downs than ups it must be said.
Conditions were far from ideal, with heavy rain throughout much of the game. The Cusack Park stand was wedged well before throw-in as patrons sought any available shelter. The home support was hoping that Pat Flanagan’s men could upset the odds and claim a valuable scalp.
Derry have had problems of their own in recent times most notably with the defection of ace talisman Paddy Bradley. Yet from their point of view this was a valuable win, particularly the manner in which they withstood prolonged Westmeath pressure after being reduced to 14 players.
The visitors led by three points at half time and stretched that lead to six points after the break. Just when the game seemed to be getting out of reach Martin Flanagan flicked a high ball to the back of the net to halve the deficit.
When Derry’s Joe Diver received his second yellow it was certainly game on. The home side had their tails up. With two points between the side Callum McCormack had a goal-bound shot cleared off the line while Michael Ennis also went close to raising a green flag.
A succession of wasted 45s didn’t help the Westmeath cause and when a late Derry counterattack yielded a point it was curtains for Pat Flanagan’s men.
While Westmeath had enough chances to win the game, Derry were marginally the better team so from that point of view it was a fair result.
2010 has been a year to forget for the most part for Westmeath footballers, though there are valuable lessons to be learned. Had circumstances been different and preparations been better then I certainly feel a Leinster final appearance was on a plate for us. Those that said Meath would wipe Louth off the field were proven wrong and I have no doubt that Westmeath would have been difficult to beat had they reached the decider.
While on one level this sort of surmising might seem a waste of time, if all involved in Westmeath football realise the opportunity that was missed this year it might help them get their house in order from here on.
The main positive this year was the introduction of a number of new players to championship action. Paul Greville has excelled this year and showed he is a top class forward. John Gaffey has been solid both at corner back and last weekend at full back. Kevin Maguire is a young player with a bright future having played the last two championship games at corner back. Kieran Martin, Ger Egan, and Conor Lynam have all shown they can hold their own at senior level and gained valuable experience this year. Ian Coffey and Callum McCormack also saw championship action at senior level for the first time and both have plenty to offer in the coming years.
Pat Flanagan and his backroom team did a good job when appointed on a temporary basis. Hopefully the county board won’t waste too long in making a full-time appointment. Planning for next year must start now if we are to get back up to division two.
