McCabe praises players after ending wait for victory
After a tough run of results since taking over in the Westmeath senior football hot seat, Dermot McCabe finally had a win to savour last Sunday. Westmeath’s 4-24 to 1-17 victory over Antrim marked McCabe’s first win as manager, ending a frustrating run of eight winless games.
In a light-hearted moment, the Cavan native was reminded that it was his ninth attempt to win a competitive fixture since his arrival. “Yeah, thanks very much for that,” he joked.
“We’re delighted to get a win. We were hugely disappointed and felt we’d done a lot of things right in Newbridge (in the Leinster quarter-final against Kildare), and unfortunately just a few little things happened to us, maybe a little lack of experience; maybe we didn’t manage a couple of situations. We wanted to put them right, and a lot of lads wanted to put them right.”
That desire to correct past wrongs was evident throughout a high-scoring encounter, particularly in a dominant second-half display in which Westmeath outclassed the visitors
“The goals were big for us. We probably left a good few goals behind us; there were ones off the crossbar and we had other opportunities,” McCabe reflected.
“We had done a few uncharacteristic things in the first half. We gave away the ball a few more times which was foolish or not normal from us. Whereas in the second half, I think we had only five turnovers. And if we don’t count shots dropped shorts, I think we were turned over once. That’s the type of stuff that we’re trying to work on as a collective.”
McCabe had to plan without midfield general Ray Connellan, a significant absentee, but the Westmeath boss praised the panel for stepping up.
“The lads knew that, and so knew the work had to go in. We’re working off a small panel and there are a few niggles and injuries. We’ve had very good sessions, and lads work extremely hard and are really putting the shoulder to the wheel. And it’s been working well for us.”
The stand-out performer on the day was undoubtedly Luke Loughlin, whose remarkable 1-17 tally underpinned Westmeath’s win.
“Luke has been huge for us. We met Luke early and I suppose we’re attack-minded as coaches. The new rules have probably suited Luke. And Luke has really pushed hard. But Luke’s work was during the week - the unseen work. He’s very early there. He always has a ball in his hand and he’s in great shape. He’s doing various trainings, even too much training! But Luke has worked extremely hard and hard work has paid off for him.”
McCabe also gave due credit to the depth of his panel, with several young players making an impact.
“One of the lads told us, I think from this time last year, we had four of the starters from there. While it was frustrating for all of us, the league and that championship defeat, I do think a lot of lads have gained experience. We’ve used a hell of a lot of numbers, and hopefully we can continue to improve each day.”
He highlighted the efforts of his defensive unit too, including Sam Smyth, who returned from a long injury lay-off. “Sam Smyth was really unlucky for us in January. We thought he was ready to return to training, and he had a setback that really put him out for six weeks or eight weeks - which was the entire league. And Sam was excellent. But Joe Moran was brilliant in covering for us. You don’t like to single out lads, but definitely Sam is a man-marker and has no fear of taking on that challenge.
“We know we have lots of work to do. But the good thing is the lads are coming to learn. There’s a good buzz at training and we’re sort of excited. We have had numerous, numerous setbacks. But the reaction of the players has been amazing, and I’m just delighted with them.”
McCabe noted the challenge Antrim posed to All-Ireland champions Armagh in the Ulster championship. “Antrim are a good team. They give lots of trouble to Armagh for long stages in Corrigan Park. I suppose the difficulty of travel and all that type of stuff didn’t help them. We knew it wasn’t going to be easy. As an Ulster man, I know that it wasn’t going to be easy. I never had it easy in my life against Antrim.”
There was some concern over Brían Cooney, who was forced off early with what appears to be a calf muscle or Achilles issue.
Looking ahead, McCabe said the next challenge, away to London on Sunday, won’t be straightforward. But with victory achieved at last, Sunday marked a welcome change in fortunes for Westmeath, who now look ahead to the London trip with momentum and renewed belief.