Westmeath fail to perform

Westmeath recorded a memorable minor and under-21 football double in Leinster in 2000, sparking dreams of underage dominance in the province in the new Millennium. However, a bitterly disappointing performance by this year"s under-21 side in Parnell Park last Saturday means that the dismal record of not having reached a final in either grade in the interim continued right up to and including the penultimate underage championship of the decade. Whether it was that success-starved fans had over-rated this team or the lack of competitive edge in the two games to date - the side played only two challenge games - Tomás Ó Flatharta"s charges never looked like potential winners last Saturday. A less-than-awesome Metropolitan side (who will meet Laois in the final) were afforded the luxury of only scoring two points in a dreary second half, with the visitors failing to score from play in that 30-minute period. Ultimately, the concession of an eminently-preventable Dean Kelly goal in the ninth minute proved fatal, in one of far-too-many cases of the maroon and whites simply throwing away possession by aimless kicking, either directly to an opponent or into no-man"s land. Indeed, it was particularly worrying that a number of players who were beginning to nail down slots on the senior team totally under-performed in their own age group and, in truth, there were very few positives from this tame championship exit. Westmeath took the lead for the one and only time in the contest when Kieran Martin set up Thomas McDaniel for a well-taken point after only 50 seconds, the ball just reaching its intended destination via the fingertips of Dublin goalie Dominic McDonnell. The latter player went on to have a trouble-free afternoon. It was a matter of concern for the Westmeath supporters who outnumbered the home contingent (where were the tens of thousands in their Arnotts" jerseys, some of whom may well hold up proceedings prior to the senior game against Meath on June 7 in Croke Park?) that the winners were almost sauntering through the Lake County rearguard from an early stage. Inevitable points duly arrived from Paddy Andrews (wearing number 6, but operating at full-forward) and a Paddy O"Connor free. Westmeath"s pre-match injury doubt, John Connellan then showed his class with a delightful point after a great turn, but it was to be the promising Athlone player"s last real meaningful impact from open play and only seven minutes had elapsed. Already Westmeath"s defenders had shown tendencies to spoil initial good work by handing back possession and a great catch by James Dolan was wasted by a loose attempted clearance from Andrew Whitney in the ninth minute. This resulted in Luke Sweetman teeing up Dean Kelly for a goal chance which he took with aplomb, giving Darren Quinn no chance with a powerful low drive. Then came a fine point from Dean Rock (son of watching former Westmeath senior manager, Barney). A half-chance of a Westmeath score ensued, but Thomas McDaniel slipped as he tried to gather John Connellan"s perceptive through ball. The losers again paid dearly as an immediate Dublin counterattack yielded another point from Paddy O"Connor. A further brace of points from Barry O"Rorke (a great individual effort) and Paddy Andrews (who was deservedly awarded the official man-of-the-match accolade at the end of the contest) followed. Sandwiched between these scores, a great shoulder from Kieran Gavin on the showboating Dean Kelly failed to lift his colleagues and the sky blues increased their advantage to eight points when Paddy O"Connor fired over a 30-metre free in the 18th minute. The visitors" first wide came a minute later, from the boot of Brendan Kelly. An inexplicable miss from what appeared a routine free for John Connellan was soon erased from the memory by a fine place kick (also from the ground) from a more difficult angle by the same player. Alan Gaughan"s busy and no-nonsense style was regularly catching the eye since his introduction in the 17th minute for an out-of-sorts Kieran Martin, but the No 19 was also guilty of wayward distribution. With five minutes of normal time remaining, great play from Conor Lynam set up Brendan Kelly for a neat point but a lightning Dublin move soon followed, Paddy Andrews shooting high and accurately from 35 metres. The entire full-forward line combined for Brendan Kelly"s second point from play in the 28th minute - the substitution of the Castledaly man, midway through the second half, seemed odd - and the winners missed the last scoring chance of the first moiety from a "45", awarded after Kieran Gavin carried the ball over the endline, after a fine piece of fielding. At the interval, Dublin were firmly in the driving seat, leading by 1-8 to 0-5. Westmeath needed to start the second half brightly and two well-taken frees in the opening five minutes (the first awarded after only 20 seconds) from John Connellan raised the hopes of the visiting fans. However, concentration levels were still far from ideal, as evidence by the winners" ability to take short kick-outs when the occasion demanded. A promising Westmeath move, started by Tommy Warburton ended with Thomas McDaniel being bundled over the sideline, the former player soon partaking in an all-too-frequent malaise by kicking a lineball straight out of play. A good old-fashioned lengthy delivery by substitute Denis Corroon resulted in another kickable free for John Connellan and the corner-forward duly obliged, to leave his side trailing by a goal with just over half of the second 30 minutes still to play. Dublin got on the scoreboard for the first time in the second moiety in the 16th minute, Dean Rock finishing off the move instigated by a lengthy Paddy Andrews solo run. Some two minutes later, an inability to clear their lines cost the losers dearly again when a foul on Kevin Nolan resulted in Paddy O"Connor converting a 25-metre free from his hands. The remaining quarter of an hour was totally forgettable from the perspective of both sets of fans and mentors, the only score coming from a terrific free from the ground by John Connellan in the 30th minute. Otherwise, poor shooting abounded at both ends of the pitch, even if Westmeath sub Callum McCormack was unlucky with his effort which went wide via the upright. Alan Gaughan was sent off in the second minute of injury time for a second yellow card, but, sadly, the Athlone man had been something of an exception in his aggressive and wholehearted approach to contesting every 50/50 ball in his vicinity. The bottom line is that at 3.25pm on Saturday, March 21st 2009, yet another "promising-on-paper" Westmeath underage football team had exited the Leinster championship quite limply. DUBLIN: Dominic McDonnell; Colin Moore, Shane Byrne, Hugh Gill; John Cooper, Cian O"Sullivan (capt), Chris Guckian; Colm Murphy, John Sheanon; Paddy O"Connor (0-4, 3f), Luke Sweetman, Dean Kelly (1-0); Barry O"Rorke (0-1), Paddy Andrews (0-3), Dean Rock (0-2). Subs: Rory O"Carroll for Byrne (15 mins); Ted Furman for Sweetman (43); Kevin Nolan for Sheanon (44); Niall Brogan for Cooper (46); Gavin McIntyre for Murphy (53). WESTMEATH: Darren Quinn; Fintan Reilly (capt), Kieran Gavin, Simon Moorehead; James Dolan, Andrew Whitney, Tommy Warburton; Niall Kilcoyne, Aidan Browne; Kieran Martin, Conrad Reilly, Conor Lynam; Brendan Kelly (0-2), Thomas McDaniel (0-1), John Connellan (0-6, 5f). Subs: Alan Gaughan for Martin (17 mins); Denis Corroon for Whitney (41); Callum McCormack for Kelly (44); Paul Sharry for McDaniel (49); Simon Quinn for Lynam (58). REFEREE: Paul Finnegan (Louth).