'In terms of heart and application we were excellent' - Browne

The Westmeath Ladies footballers fell agonisingly short against Wexford on Sunday, losing the Leinster final by a single point. After the game, manager Frank Browne was frustrated, disappointed, but ultimately philosophical.

“It’s a killer,” he said. “I thought in the first half we were poor enough, we were lucky, in some ways, that we didn’t go in two or even three goals down at half-time. But we kind of regrouped, and we talked about bringing that energy in the second half, and we got a really good start.

“In terms of heart and application we were excellent. It probably took us 20 minutes to get into the game, but when we did then we played really well. And when we opened up, we probably showed that we can play football and we’re decent footballers.”

Goalkeeper and captain, Lauren McCormack made a spectacular penalty-save in the 15th minute, which helped turn the tide in Westmeath’s favour. “Lauren made a great save,” Browne said.

“That the beauty of having Pat Geraghty doing video analysis for us. We had analysed Catriona Murray’s penalties – we knew. Lauren took a step to the left to tease her to go to the right, and she went for it, so it was a really good save.

“Lauren was really, really steady – not just today, but throughout all of our League campaign and all of the Leinster Championship. She’s been just a true leader for us.”

Browne also had high praise for Rachel Dillon. “Rachel was outstanding; she covered every blade of grass,” he said. Browne was angry on the sideline towards the end, and did not hide his frustrations after the game. “I thought the referee maybe lost control of it a little bit there. There was a sin bin; there was a foul on Fiona Coyle where he gave a Wexford free – how, I’ll never know. He gave Vicky Carr a free over on the sideline, and then changed his mind.

“Fair play to Wexford, they won by a point, but that’s just gut-wrenching stuff. And look, if the shoe had been on the other foot, I’d have been doing the same thing – we would’ve been cynical, and pulling down, and all that.

“In the bigger debate, that’s always the danger of the clock in the corner – you know you can kill the game and you know you can buy yourself a bit of time.”

But for all his frustrations and disappointments, Browne was ultimately philosophical about the day’s events.

“We’ll lick our wounds, and we’ve to go in two weeks in the All-Ireland series,” he said. “But right now, we just want to get into the dressing room and pull together our own little circle to see where we’re at.

“It’s a game of football, on a beautiful, sunny afternoon in the middle of the summer – where else would you want to be? We’ll take a day or two, we’ll go back training, and then let’s go at it again; because you know what? That’s what we do as sports people.”