Croker awaits, but Division 4 is not everybody's cup of tea

Gerry Buckley

 

“I CAN’T imagine Sunderland fans jumping for joy if they are relegated three seasons in a row and then win promotion from League Two in 2019/20.”

That was the gist of this columnist’s unexcited response to texts received (in Cushendall) from Wexford last Sunday afternoon when word came through of Westmeath footballers’ promotion to Division 3, following the annihilation of what was effectively the home county’s second string. Having been horrified by Westmeath’s unwanted - and entirely avoidable - hat-trick of league demotions, my feeling was mainly one of relief that our stay in the basement had lasted just one campaign.

With the exception of a sloppy opening day hiccup against Carlow, Tom Cribbin’s charges have breezed through Division 4 and deserve praise for so doing. I have often seen us lose to Leitrim and Wicklow, so fair play to all concerned for the clinical way in which a range of ‘banana skin’ encounters were won with a bit to spare in a manner befitting two-time provincial finalists.

Back in pre-Andy Murray days, a journalist from across the Irish Sea compiled a tenfold list of ‘The World’s Greatest Rarities’. Coming in at number four was a sports entry – “A British tennis player with a can of silver polish”. In this county expenditure on Brasso and similar products has been miniscule over the years, so silver polish is not to be sniffed at (pun intended) and a shiny Division 4 cup would be a welcome addition to the secretary’s office in TEG Cusack Park next Saturday night.

The crowd will be small and, accordingly, the atmosphere in Croke Park will surely be subdued when the Division 3 and 4 finals double-header takes place, but a run-out at GAA headquarters is always welcome ahead of a possible Leinster semi-final (surely against Dublin?) in late June.

Seamus ‘Banty’ McEnaney is a wily bainisteoir and, with promotion already secure, he opted not to show his hand in Innovate Wexford Park last Sunday week. A near-identical tactic against Derry by Westmeath manager at the time, Pat Flanagan, backfired four seasons ago in Division 2 (the current Offaly manager unquestionably deserves credit for his league achievements with his northern neighbouring county). Indeed, the maroon and whites – one home championship win over Carlow apart – went into virtual freefall for over 18 months after losing the round robin and league final clashes with the Oak Leaf County in 2013.

It is not this columnist’s business to tell the Yellow Bellies how to run their affairs. However, one suspects that the more times that ‘Banty’ has his top team on duty these days, the better for him, with a very likely mouth-watering quarter-final home tie against the all-conquering Dubs in his radar for early June (subject to a first round away victory in Carlow).

All of McEnaney’s big names will return for the Jones’s Road showdown on Saturday evening and, regardless of the silverware on offer, it is likely that both teams will go all out for victory in what is for both a last meaningful game ahead of a procession of pre-championship challenge matches.

Westmeath’s panel certainly looks stronger this year than for quite some time (the Australia-domiciled Ray Connellan apart) and it is encouraging to see subs being sprung from the bench with a proven pedigree at this level – and higher. However, a couple of crucial starting roles still remain up for grabs.

Team captain Ger Egan has been back to his brilliant best of late. He proudly led his county into the lions’ den against Jim Gavin’s men in consecutive provincial finals when victories were nigh on impossible. It would certainly be fitting for the wholehearted Tyrrellspass man to be presented with a cup in the Hogan Stand. Offaly’s march to an unexpected Leinster title in 1997 followed the garnering of a Division 4 crown. And as the saying goes, “When you get to a final, winning isn’t the important thing – it’s the only thing.”

Westmeath and Wexford have clashed on seven occasions to date in the National Football League in a rivalry that commenced as relatively recently as 1982. The Lake County has won five times and the Slaneysiders twice, as follows:

21/2/1982, Athlone, Wexford 2-8 Westmeath 1-3; 10/4/1983, Portarlington, Westmeath 1-8 Wexford 0-5; 5/10/1994, Moate, Westmeath 2-6 Wexford 1-5; 2/2/1997, Cusack Park, Westmeath 0-9 Wexford 0-6; 13/3/2011, Cusack Park, Wexford 0-13 Westmeath 1-7; 18/3/2013, Wexford, Westmeath 4-12 Wexford 0-16; 26/3/2017, Wexford, Westmeath 3-24 Wexford 0-9.

Of the above seven, only one – like next Saturday – was at a neutral venue and a knockout tie. Then, as now, the powers-that-be were constantly tampering with league formats and we ended up playing Wexford in what was termed a League Cup semi-final in Portarlington. A six-point win qualified Westmeath for a final in which we defeated Louth.

However, the promise shown all came to nothing when the Wee County avenged that result in the all-important Leinster championship later in the summer, the only highlight of which was a power-packed midfield display (earning lavish praise in the Evening Press the following afternoon from the inimitable Con Houlihan) from Maryland’s Tommy McCormack, father of current panelist, Callum. The teams and scorers from that unusual knockout fixture 34 years ago were:

Westmeath: Matt Scally, Mick McEnroe, Padraig McGowan, Pat Murray, Niall Lynch, Christy Flanagan, Michael ‘Spike’ Fagan, Seamus Conroy, Tommy McCormack (0-1), Seamus Coyne (0-1), Willie Lowry (1-1), Rory Fahy (0-3), Stephen Hanratty, Peter Kerrigan, Frank Tone (0-2). Subs: Eddie Tynan (for Lynch), Mick Greene (for Kerrigan).
Wexford: Vincent Murphy, Billy Rowsome, Paudge Walsh, Mick Caulfield, Paddy Kinsella, Garry Byrne, Seamus Murphy, Noel Swords, Tadhg Foran, Martin Hanrick, Mick Carty, Seamus Fitzhenry (0-2), Seanie O’Shea (0-1), Eamonn Kehoe, Eddie Mahon (0-2). Sub: Pat Goff (for Murphy).