Westmeath set for double header against wicklow and down

 

GERRY BUCKLEY looks forward to the double header of action involving the Westmeath football and hurling teams on Sunday at Cusack Park.

Westmeath football supremo Tom Cribbin has consistently stated that he expects promotion and relegation issues in Division 2 of the Allianz FL to go right down to the wire. Last weekend’s results around the country strengthen that opinion.

The understandably downbeat Kildare man stated in Navan after Westmeath's defeat to Meath last Saturday night: “No games in this division are going to be easy. Everybody knew that all along. Look, we’re after getting a bit of a setback here. We have no choice but to pick ourselves up and make sure that we deliver a performance next week against Down.”

Cribbin’s charges entertain Down on Sunday in Mullingar (throw-in: 2.30pm), and the match will be preceded by the Allianz Hurling League Division 2A clash between Westmeath and Wicklow (12.45).

The Lake and Mourne counties have previously met on 12 occasions in football league encounters. Down have won seven times, Westmeath four, while one game was drawn, as follows:

16/3/1969, Carrickmacross, Westmeath 0-13 Down 1-8
1/3/1970, Croke Park, Down 2-7 Westmeath 2-7 (draw)
8/3/1970, Navan, Down 1-13 Westmeath 1-7 (replay)
10/3/1974, Newcastle, Down 1-10 Westmeath 0-8
7/11/1976, Newcastle, Down 2-17 Westmeath 0-8
6/11/1977, Mullingar, Down 2-7 Westmeath 1-6
15/11/1992, Newry, Down 1-4 Westmeath 0-6
15/10/1995, Newcastle, Westmeath 1-7 Down 0-9
27/10/1996, Mullingar, Down 0-11 Westmeath 0-10
22/4/2001, Navan, Westmeath 0-20 Down 2-5
25/2/2007, Mullingar, Westmeath 0-9 Down 0-7
28/3/2010, Mullingar, Down 2-15 Westmeath 0-8

From a Westmeath perspective, the most memorable of the above was the first meeting, on an icy-cold afternoon on the eve of St Patrick’s Day in 1969. Famously, fires were lit by supporters on the banks around the pitch in Carrickmacross such were the Arctic conditions.

The Lake County men caused a major surprise by defeating the reigning All-Ireland champions en route to the league semi-final proper where they lost narrowly to Kerry, who went on to win the Sam Maguire Cup later in the year.

The teams and scorers that day were as follows:

Westmeath: Carthage Conlon, TJ Finneran, John Noel Galvin, Christy Corroon, Mick Murphy, Seamus Mulligan, Eddie Dunne, Dom Murtagh, Mick Carley, Paddy Moran (0-3), Mickey Fagan (0-1), Paddy Buckley (0-6), Paddy Cole, Pat Bradley (0-1), Georgie Keane (0-1). Sub: Tommy Dolan (0-1) (for Cole).

Down: Patsy McAlinden, Brendan Sloan, Dan McCartan, Tom O’Hare, Val Kane, Willie Doyle, Joe Lennon, John Murphy (0-3), Colm McGreevy, Mickey Cole, James McCartan, Paddy Doherty (0-1), Peter Rooney (1-1), Sean O’Neill (0-3), Mickey Breen. Sub: Jim Milligan (for Sloan).

A similar outcome next Sunday would also warm the hearts of Westmeath fans after last Saturday’s eminently forgettable night in Páirc Tailteann.

Westmeath hurlers face Wicklow

Midway through the second half of last Sunday’s Allianz Hurling League clash in Tralee, one of the perennially-pleasant Kerry reporters in the press box turned to me and said: “It’s not very nice watching the end of a game when your team is being hammered.” I instantly replied: “Don’t talk to me – I had that horrible experience last night in Navan, of all places.”

Well those matches are now confined to the history books and there will no time to dwell on the hurlers’ success or the footballers’ failure in the days ahead, as both sides are back in action in an attractive double-header in Cusack Park next Sunday.

Michael Ryan’s men will be unbackable favourites to dispose of the Garden County challenge, but the Waterford man remained very focused in Tralee when he stated: “We won’t be looking one inch past next Sunday’s game against Wicklow. You’ve got to treat them with every respect. They are probably training as hard as we are.”

“There are places to be won on this team for the Carlow game in the league and for the championship, and there is no reason why anybody should take anything for granted.”

The counties have already met on 20 occasions in the league. Westmeath have won 13 times, Wicklow four, while three games were drawn, as follows:

16/10/1949, Ashford, Westmeath 3-7 Wicklow 4-4 (draw)
22/10/1950, Mullingar, Westmeath 9-10 Wicklow 2-1
2/11/1971, Aughrim, Wicklow 4-10 Westmeath 1-2
5/11/1972, Mullingar, Westmeath 2-12 Wicklow 2-6
4/11/1973, Aughrim, Wicklow 4-5 Westmeath 3-5
25/2/1979, Delvin, Westmeath 2-6 Wicklow 0-12 (draw)
24/2/1980, Aughrim, Westmeath 2-15 Wicklow 0-8
6/3/1983, Kinnegad, Westmeath 1-15 Wicklow 0-5
12/2/1984, Kilcoole, Westmeath 5-9 Wicklow 1-5
17/2/1991, Mullingar, Wicklow 2-11 Westmeath 0-10
3/11/1991, Castletown Geoghegan, Westmeath 1-11 Wicklow 0-10
25/10/1992, Arklow, Westmeath 2-17 Wicklow 2-15
4/12/1994, Aughrim, Westmeath 3-10 Wicklow 1-8
21/3/1999, Arklow, Wicklow 1-18 Westmeath 1-9
12/3/2000, Castletown Geoghegan, Westmeath 1-14 Wicklow 1-11
18/2/2001, Arklow, Westmeath 1-13 Wicklow 0-16 (draw)
11/4/2004, Castletown Geoghegan, Westmeath 1-25 Wicklow 0-10
16/3/2008, Mullingar, Westmeath 3-19 Wicklow 0-10
24/3/2012, Mullingar, Westmeath 3-19 Wicklow 0-10
24/3/2013, Arklow, Westmeath 0-21 Wicklow 2-8