Flanagan hopes to prove a point in June 12 showdown

Offaly football manager Pat Flanagan is hoping to make Westmeath County Board regret replacing him as Lake County boss three years ago, when the Faithful men come to TEG Cusack Park for their Leinster SFC quarter-final next month.

Flanagan was ousted in 2013 despite having led Westmeath to Division 1 of the Allianz NFL, with his lack of progress in the championship prompting officials to secure Paul Bealin's services ahead of the 2014 campaign.

"I have to be very careful what I say - it didn't end the way it should have ended in my opinion," the Clara native told the Irish Daily Mirror in recent days.

Now the former Tyrrellspass boss is hoping to prove a point by steering Offaly to a Leinster SFC semi-final at Westmeath's expense on June 12.

Flanagan's charges were beaten by the Maroons in the league earlier this year; despite this, Tom Cribbin's men were relegated to the bottom tier, completing a catastrophic league slide since Flanagan secured promotion from Division 2.

"Westmeath have gone from Division 1 to Division 4, but they got to a Leinster final last year," Flanagan stated.

"They have quality footballers, quality players. This is going to be a massive challenge for us going to Mullingar and trying to get a victory.

"We didn't play well in our league game over there, it was probably our worst game of the season. To be honest, it's going to be another step up. We have to see if we get up to that level."