Westmeath face tough contest

WESTMEATH ace marksman Dessie Dolan looks increasingly unlikely to start in Sunday"s Leinster SFC quarter-final clash against Wicklow at O"Connor Park, Tullamore (throw-in: 2pm).With Westmeath now knowing that four-in-a-row Leinster champions Dublin await in the semi-final after their victory over Meath, the Lake County could have to see off Mick O"Dwyer"s Wicklow without their regular leading scorer, leaving much of the scoring burden at the feet of Tyrellspass" Denis Glennon.Dolan missed the majority of Westmeath"s league campaign earlier this year through hamstring trouble but has been struggling with a torn knee ligament more recently.Dolan obtained the injury in a recent challenge match against Cavan, a knock which subsequently kept him out of another challenge fixture against Wexford two weeks ago, and also Garrycastle"s recent SFC clash with Maryland.Michael Ennis is also currently doubtful for the weekend"s match due to an Achilles tendon injury, while Dermot Bannon"s involvement is also up in the air as he continues to struggle with a knee injury.Speaking ahead of Sunday"s match in Tullamore, Dessie Dolan admitted he is very unlikely to start against Wicklow.In fact, it"s believed Dolan has been medically advised not to take any part at all in Sunday"s match.Dolan said: 'I"ve had this problem with my knee for a good while now and it"s hampered me big-time in recent months. To bo honest, I"m hugely unlikely to start against Wicklow and I don"t really know about playing any part. I"m not up to speed having missed so much training and football. But it"s very difficult to sit on the touchline during a championship game and I"d like to think I can play some part.'Michael Ennis has been unable to train fully in recent weeks due to his Achilles tendon injury but appears to have a better chance of playing than Dolan.Versatile Tyrrellspass clubman Keith Scally could replace either Dolan or Ennis, with manager Tomás Ó Flatharta recently revealing that 22 year-old Scally has a major chance of playing against Wicklow.David O"Shaughnessy and Damien Healy look unlikely to start as well, but the fit-again Martin Flanagan looks set to partner David Duffy at midfield, while Garrycastle"s Doran Harte is likely to start ahead of Damien Healy, who is lacking in match fitness following his recent return from Australia, in the half-back line.Dessie Dolan believes the training ban imposed by Croke Park during the months of November and December hasn"t helped players stay clear of injury.'I wouldn"t blame Westmeath"s injury problems on that alone, there"s a fair amount of sheer bad luck involved too, but that two month break probably has affected us in a way. Some lads probably weren"t right then for the league but still wanted to play because it was Division 1 football. Sometimes counties of Westmeath"s stature have a tendency to rush players back into action too quickly as well,' said Dolan.Wicklow, who played Division 4 league football this year, will cause plenty of problems for Westmeath, according to Dolan.'Any team managed by Mick O"Dwyer must be respected,' said Dessie.'We expect a very tough game. Wicklow have some fine players and we certainly can"t take anything for granted. The likes of midfielder Tommy Walsh and Leighton Glynn are excellent players. They can cause us some problems,' added Dolan.Dolan also dismissed the suggestion that Westmeath will have an advantage playing so close to home in neighbouring Offaly.'To be honest with you, not too many of our players have played at O"Connor on a regular basis. We played Offaly there in last year"s championship but I don"t think championship football comes down to the venue. It"s down to which team wants it most and who performs better on the day. It"s going to be a tough game for us but we"ve every chance of reaching the semi-finals and hopefully we can do it this weekend,' Dolan said.Wicklow secured a quarter-final berth by beating Longford by two points, the Garden County needing a late goal to see off Glen Ryan"s Longford.Meanwhile, if Westmeath manage to beat Wicklow their supporters could face a ticket frenzy for the Leinster SFC semi-final against Dublin on June 28 due to the fact that the game will share the same billing as the other provincial semi-final.The ticket scramble could become even worse if, as expected, Kildare are involved in the other last-four clash.Kieran McGeeney"s charges face Wexford in the quarter-final on Saturday and, if recent form is anything to go by, they should advance to face either Laois or Louth in the June 28 curtain-raiser.Support for the Lilywhites has dwindled in recent years, but with confidence and expectations rising all the time, they could be looking for up to 20,000 tickets if they are involved in the semi-final.Westmeath and Laois have both experienced a dip in form of late, but they too would be looking for a large allocation of tickets - possibly in the region of 15,000 each - if they should account for Wicklow and Louth respectively.This could spell bad news for Dublin"s massed ranks, who went close to selling out Croke Park last Sunday with an attendance of 75,250 turning up for the football and hurling double-header.