Superb Martin score earns Westmeath draw with promoted Rossies

Westmeath 1-19, Roscommon 2-16

By Gerry Buckley

Despite trailing by a worrying 12-point margin after an untypically listless opening 27 minutes in TEG Cusack Park last Sunday, Westmeath’s senior footballers staged a great comeback to garner their first point of what was an unlucky National League Division 2 campaign. A wonderful last-gasp two-pointer from veteran sub Kieran Martin earning them their first point of 2025 against promoted Roscommon.

Unquestionably, the new rule enhancements have dramatically improved Gaelic football as a spectacle, and almost all of the Lake County’s seven games had an Alfred Hitchcock feel to them. Last Sunday was no different, with the home team scoring five new two-point scores (all from play) in the second half – to their opponents’ zero – to eke out a morale-boosting draw, less than three weeks before the Leinster quarter-final against Kildare in revamped Newbridge.

Kathryn Nea had not long finished her outstanding version of Amhrán na bhFiann when Ciarán Lennon edged the visitors ahead, but Westmeath responded quickly and in the best possible fashion when Brían Cooney teed up Luke Loughlin for a very well-taken goal. Skipper Ronan Wallace then had a ‘goal’ correctly disallowed for fisting the ball to the net – assumedly, a point had been his target.

However, Davy Burke’s men, who were playing into the scoreboard end of the ground with the advantage of a swirling wind, took virtually complete control at this juncture, lording the midfield exchanges via former All Star Enda Smith and his partner Keith Doyle.

They scored an unanswered 2-4 between the fifth and 17th minutes, the goals scored by the Murtagh brothers – Ciaráin in the fifth minute (after the referee had played an ‘advantage’), and a slapped effort from Diarmuid in the 17th (when superbly teed up by Smith). Indeed, Conor McCormack did very well to prevent Diarmuid Murtagh from scoring another three-pointer in the 13th minute at the expense of an unconverted ‘45’. The four points were shared between Ciaráin Murtagh, Cian McKeon (two), and Daire Cregg.

Loughlin broke the monotony with a converted ‘45’ in the 18th minute (after Wallace had been denied), but the dominant ‘Rossies’ pounced for five more unanswered points by the 27th minute, courtesy of Ciaráin Murtagh (two, a free and open play), Cregg (two from play), and Smith. In truth, with the Connacht side ahead by 2-10 to 1-1, a morale-sapping hammering looked a distinct possibility for the men in maroon and white.

However, Dermot McCabe’s men rallied in the closing stages of the first moiety and they were rewarded by scoring four one-pointers without reply via Ray Connellan, Matthew Whittaker, Sam McCartan (a ‘45’), and Cooney (a fisted score after the hooter had sounded), but they still trailed by 2-10 to 1-5 at the break.

Robbie Forde (who might have goaled) and Smith (a quality score) traded points within two minutes of the resumption of play. Connellan scored his first two-pointer in the 41st minute, but this was more than wiped out when Roscommon tagged on points from McKeon and Ciaráin Murtagh (two – play and a routine free) by the 46th minute. They now led by 2-14 to 1-8.

Connellan soon doubled his two-point haul. In the 52nd minute, Loughlin spurned a goal chance and Smith’s shot was taken off the line seconds later at the other end. Cooney pointed neatly before Connellan completed a remarkable two-point hat-trick in the 55th minute to leave his side just four points in arrears (2-14 to 1-13). Ciaráin Murtagh and sub Conor Cox (a free) pointed at the other end, but this was the last time that they troubled the scoreboard operator.

To their enormous credit, Westmeath plugged away manfully and Sam McCartan appeared to have scored a two-pointer, but it was deemed that goalkeeper Conor Carroll had touched the ball en route and the orange flag was changed to a white one. A Smith thunderbolt came back off the crossbar, but Westmeath could have goaled again when Conor Dillon opted to pass the ball to sub Nigel Harte when the Milltown man had the goal at his mercy in the 64th minute. Loughlin made amends somewhat by slotting over the resultant ‘45’.

The home team managed to salvage a National League point with a brace of late two-pointers from sub Eoghan McCabe (whose long-range shot in the 67th minute was allowed to hop over the crossbar) and Kieran Martin (after the hooter had sounded).

The Maryland maestro celebrated his sublime equaliser like it had secured promotion, but it was the least that this wonderfully resilient bunch of players deserved from their campaign. For their part, Roscommon fans were made to wait and find out if other results had gone their way before their promotion was eventually announced over the public address system.

Man of the match: Keith Doyle (Roscommon). The St Dominic’s man was a tower of strength in and around the midfield area, effecting some great catches in the process.

Footnote: Prior to the game, a minute’s silence was observed in memory of the recently deceased Eamonn ‘Killer’ Byrne, a hugely respected backroom figure with Mullingar Shamrocks and Westmeath football teams over the years.

Scorers – Westmeath: R Connellan 0-7 (3 2pt), L Loughlin 1-2 (0-2‘45’), B Cooney, E McCabe (2pt), K Martin (2pt), S McCartan (1‘45’) 0-2 each, R Forde, M Whittaker 0-1 each. Roscommon: C Murtagh 1-6 (0-2f), D Cregg, C McKeon 0-3 each, D Murtagh 1-0, E Smith 0-2, C Lennon, C Cox (f) 0-1 each.

Westmeath: Conor McCormack; Jamie Gonoud, David Giles, Conor Dillon; Joe Moran, Ronan Wallace, Sam McCartan; Ray Connellan, Fionn O’Hara; Danny McCartan, Brían Cooney, Matthew Whittaker; Robbie Forde, Luke Loughlin, Adam Treanor. Subs: Nigel Harte for Moran (34), Brandon Kelly for Treanor (34), Eoghan McCabe for Forde (46), Kieran Martin for D McCartan (60), Andrew Kilmartin for Cooney (67).

Roscommon: Conor Carroll; Colm Neary, David Murray, Niall Higgins; Shane Cunnane, Ruaidhrí Fallon, Ciarán Lennon; Enda Smith, Keith Doyle; Eddie Nolan, Daire Cregg, Conor Hand; Diarmuid Murtagh, Cian McKeon, Ciaráin Murtagh. Subs: Cathal Heneghan for Cregg (inj., 34), Senan Lambe for Neary (h-t), Conor Cox for D Murtagh (53), Ronan Daly for Cunnane (54), Shane Killoran for McKeon (62), Cian McKeon for Lennon (blood, 67).

Ref: Jerome Henry (Mayo).