Late cancellation of Lake County’s O’Byrne Cup clash

There was frustration as the Westmeath versus Longford O’Byrne Cup game was called off ten minutes before the start on Saturday at Glennon Bros Pearse Park.

Offaly referee Kevin Williamson deemed the Longford venue unplayable with a portion of the goalmouth at the town end still frozen following a severe frost on Friday night. Westmeath senior football manager Mark McHugh and Westmeath County Committee secretary Keith Quinn were informed by the referee of his decision and players from both sides had taken to the field of play.

As per competition regulations, Leinster GAA ruled that Westmeath advanced to the O'Byrne Cup quarter-final at home to Louth on Wednesday night, a match which is scheduled to take place in Lakepoint Park, Mullingar at 7.30pm.

It is believed Westmeath officials were dissatisfied with the manner of the late decision and the fact that no alternative arrangements were made, with some people having travelled long distances for the fixture.

The late call on Saturday left many people frustrated and particular emphasis on the goalmouth at the town end of the ground which was described by one of the match officials as ‘rock concrete.’

“Absolutely shambolic, full day wasted. Anyone could have made that call at 11 or 12 and saved everyone a lot of trouble,” one management team member said after a long day on the road.

There were a number of games cancelled over the weekend due to current cold snap and some observers have called into the question the wisdom of fixing preseason competitions.

Saturday's postponement means Mark McHugh will have to wait another while to take charge of his first competitive game with Westmeath. The Kilcar man and Donegal All-Ireland winner from 2012, previously served as coach alongside Dermot McCabe at the 2022 Tailteann Cup winners.

He was appointed manager in September, with Emmet McDonnell of Coralstown/Kinnegad serving as assistant manager and selector, while Tyrone duo Ryan Daly and Stephen 'Archie' Beattie joined as head coach/selector and coach respectively. Jamie Gonoud of Tyrrellspass is a selector, while Tom Gribben from Armagh is head of performance.

Mark McHugh had named Boidu Sayeh at wing-back for the Saturday’s encounter after the Rosemount player impressed in a challenge match against Connacht champions Galway shortly before Christmas. Sayeh has made a return to the county’s senior side, as has Jason Daly of St Loman’s, Mullingar, who was named sub goalie for Saturday’s game.

The vast majority of McHugh’s first starting XV had some senior inter-county experience, with full-back Darragh O'Keeffe (St Loman's, Mullingar) possibly the only debutant at senior inter county level.

Westmeath team selection vs Longford): Jack Connaughton; Danny Scahill, Darragh O'Keeffe, Tadhg Baker; Boidu Sayeh, Ronan Wallace, Brian Guerin; Jonathan Lynam, Brían Cooney; Danny McCartan, Senan Baker, Matthew Whittaker; Luke Loughlin, Brandon Kelly, Robbie Forde. Subs: Jason Daly, Kevin O'Sullivan, Devin Hill, Dillon Matthews, Eoghan Hogan, Kealan Connell, Jack Geoghegan, Shane Corcoran, Harry Niall, Stephen McGonagle, TJ Cox.