Home advantage will count, says Pat Flanagan ahead of Derry clash

TALISMANIC forward Martin Flanagan's involvement in Westmeath's All-Ireland Qualifer Round 2 clash with Derry at Cusack Park, Mullingar on Saturday (5pm) is currently hanging in the balance.The Tyrellspass man's injury situation has been at the fulcrum of much debate since Westmeath's Leinster semi-final defeat to Louth, with many observers suggesting the Lake County could have won that match had Flanagan spent more game-time on the pitch.Flanagan was only introduced as a late substitute against Louth and managed to score a goal, while his physical presence also provided Westmeath with a more direct option while chasing the game late on. However, Westmeath interim manager Pat Flanagan has poured cold water on suggestions his namesake should have either started or been introduced earlier against Louth. "Martin Flanagan's situation is not as clear-cut as people think," Pat Flanagan said. "I know there was a bit of an outcry in the county about why Martin didn't feature for longer against Louth, but the fact of the matter was, and still remains, that Martin is suffering from a foot injury, which he doesn't seem to be able to do anything about.""Martin hasn't been able to train since the Wicklow game (the Leinster quarter-final) and is saying he finds it too difficult to train or get sufficient movement in his foot. That leaves us in a very difficult situation with Martin because we don't know if he'll be able to train this week, and therefore that has to put his involvement at the weekend in some jeopardy. It's difficult for me to say at the moment if Martin will feature against Derry," added Flanagan.As well as doubts over Martin Flanagan's involvement, Westmeath are missing Fergal Wilson and Derek Heavin, the latter who still remains in Mater Hospital in Dublin following his horrific knee injury against Louth.Speaking about Heavin, Pat Flanagan said the injury is an enormous blow to Heavin, and that he possibly requires further surgery, afetr initially going under the knife last Friday. "It's very severe for Derek on a personal level. He possibly needs more surgery and that's awful news for Derek," said Flanagan.Westmeath played out a 2-8 to 0-14 draw with Offaly in a challenge match last weekend, with Tubberclair's Ian Coffey and Maryland's Callum McCormack, the latter of whom was introduced as a substitute, scoring Westmeath's goals.Flanagan looked at a few of the fringe players who didn't play against Louth, and among the starters against Offaly were Garrycastle duo James Dolan and John Gaffey, and St Loman's Paul Sharry.Speaking about that game, Flanagan said: "We weren't very good in the first half, scoring only 1-3, and I think that was a direct consequence of the lads still trying to shake themselves up after the Louth defeat. It can be difficult to get over a defeat like that. But we were much better in the second half."Flanagan partially attributed the improvement in the second half against Offaly to a large-scale scuffle which broke out between the two sets of players."I know you don't want to see that type of thing and it wasn't anything to get excited about, but at least it stirred the players and we improved afterwards," he said.Flanagan believes home advantage can county for something significant against Derry, but also acknowledges the Ulstermen as "strong opposition"."They struggled in the Ulster Championship but will have plenty to prove. I think home advantage will count and I believe we can win if the players reach the levels we know they're capable of," said Flanagan.He added: "It's difficult to explain what happened against Louth and why we didn't play as well as we can, but let's hope the players have learned from that. They're certainly capable of maintaining a better level of performance and I hope to see it on Saturday."