Westmeath u21 footballers progressed to the semi-final of the Leinster u21 championship at the expense of a disappointing Offaly outfit in a windswept Pairc Chiarain on Wednesday night. While the result was all that really mattered and Westmeath were always in control, it wasn’t the most convincing of performances.
Conditions probably didn’t help the quality of football on show. Neither too did an over-fussy ref. Only at times did we see the true potential of this talented side on display. A tendency to carry the ball into trouble and persist with short passing in the middle third of the field hampered their scoring return.
That aside, a six point win over Offaly without the suspended John Heslin has to count as a good evening’s work. Yet Offaly were poor and without the services of Anton Sullivan they lacked penetration up front.
Westmeath’s total of 12 points wouldn’t win too many games. Given the quality of our forward division it is crucial that we speed up the ball going into the full forward line.
Despite playing into a stiff wind the home side seized control of the game in the opening quarter and forged a 0-6 to 0-3 half-time lead. Offaly came much more into the game in the third quarter but couldn’t convert possession into scores. The Westmeath rearguard worked well and didn’t make things easy for the Offaly men.
James Dolan, as he did in Portlaoise, grabbed two wonderful points from wing back after darting runs. Conor Lynam and Ian Coffey also impressed up front. Darragh Daly contributed well in midfield.
Next up is a semi-final meeting away to Longford who were surprise winners over a fancied Meath side after extra time. It will be a very tricky hurdle to clear but with the right attitude and faster ball to the inside line Westmeath will be hard stopped.
