Five star Westmeath far too slick for Longford

Facile victory sets up Meath clash

Westmeath 5-25, Longford 1-16

Nobody said it was going to be so easy. Westmeath claimed their first Leinster SFC victory since 2022 with a comprehensive dismissal of Longford at Glennon Brothers Pearse Park last Sunday.

Any fears in advance that Westmeath could fall victim to an ambush from their neighbours were quickly dispelled. Despite playing against the swirling wind, Westmeath hit an incredible five goals in the first half.

At the interval, the visitors led by 5-9 to 1-8, leaving Longford requiring a miracle in the second half. Brandon Kelly and Luke Loughlin scored a brace of goals apiece, with the other green flag raised by Shane Corcoran.

Westmeath went into this game trying to shake off the disappointment of missing out on promotion form Division 3 in agonising fashion. On the other hand, Longford were boosted by securing promotion to Division 3 and a competitive showing in the Division 4 final against Carlow.

In truth, the challenge posed by Longford was weak on the day, but it was a performance laced with many positives for Westmeath. Twelve different players made the scoresheet. Of the 5-25 tally, 5-23 was from open play and six points came from players introduced from the bench. Three members of last year's promising U20 team, Tadhg Baker, Shane Ormsby and Shane Corcoran (scorer of 1-3), all acquitted themselves well.

The victory sets up a tantalising Leinster championship quarter-final against Meath in Tullamore next Sunday. The recently crowned Division 2 league champions, Meath also reached the All-Ireland semi-finals last year, defeating Dublin, Kerry and Galway along the way. Therefore, the Westmeath management and players certainly don't need to be told about the step up in class they will be facing. Yet the burden of expectation will be on Meath and it's a challenge that Westmeath should relish.

There was a quite small crowd in attendance and with a chilly wind blowing, combined with some showers, there were few trappings of a traditional championship fixture. Longford had to make four changes to their listed starting team, three in defence and, no doubt, this contributed to the ease with which the Westmeath attack created openings.

There is hardly space to describe all the scores so we'll restrict ourselves to the highlights reel. Longford's Dylan Farrell gave a foretaste of what was to come when he opened the scoring with a two-pointer from a free. He ended the game with four two-pointers to his credit in addition to two singles.

Mark McHugh’s side responded with a fifth-minute goal. Much of the credit went to Brían Cooney, who executed a turnover with a determined tackle. The move was carried on by Charlie Drumm and Ronan Wallace, whose pass found Brandon Kelly and the Milltownpass man did the rest with a composed finish.

Within the space of a minute, an affliction which dogged Westmeath throughout their league campaign resurfaced - the concession of a soft goal. A seemingly innocuous delivery inside was not dealt with by goalkeeper Jason Daly and James Moran took full advantage.

Yet Westmeath did not allow this setback to derail their march. Points from Kelly and Matthew Whittaker (a splendid individual score) levelled matters at 1-2 each.

Good defensive work by Tadhg Baker (a solid presence throughout) preceded Westmeath's second goal, scored by Luke Loughlin (tenth minute). The Downs player was probably aiming for a point but his shot went over the head of Longford keeper Eoin McGuinness, who appeared to be badly positioned.

After Daniel Reynolds replied for Longford, Westmeath hit a 1-2 salvo to open up daylight. Loughlin and Whittaker hit the points before a great catch by the influential Ray Connellan led to Kelly's second goal (15th minute).

Farrell kept Mike Tolan’s charges in touch with a brace of two-pointers, in between a Shane Corcoran point (a hesitant Longford defence allowing the ball to bounce over the bar). Points from Connellan and Cooney left six points between the sides.

Things got even better from Westmeath’s perspective when Loughlin grabbed a 28th-minute goal, his shot finding the roof of the net despite being under pressure from the Longford rearguard. A scarcely believable fifth goal followed in the 30th minute, Corcoran applying the finish after a pacy run forward by Whittaker.

When Farrell sent over a point to make it 5-8 to 1-8, a Longford voice in the press box said sardonically "only four goals in it now". Whittaker's third point then left 13 points between the sides at half-time.

The home side obviously needed a bright start to the second half, but instead it was Connellan who sent over a two-pointer to embellish Westmeath's lead.

Farrell's fourth two-pointer was followed by a brace of singles from the lively Corcoran. After Loughlin's point attempt came from the crossbar, Dessie Reynolds landed a two-pointer to give Longford a brief lift, but Westmeath reeled off five on the trot in reply. Three of those points came from substitute Conor Dillon, who made a notable impact having originally been listed to start. The other white flags in this sequence were supplied by Loughlin (it could easily have been a goal) and sub Danny McCartan.

With the genuinely competitive element having evaporated from the game, Dessie Reynolds hit his second two-pointer. Kevin O'Sullivan and Paddy Moran (60th minute) exchanged points before Connellan raised his second orange flag. Tom Molloy became the 12th Westmeath player to make the scoresheet with a brace in the closing stages.

In stoppage time, Westmeath registered their only score from a free on the day, Sam McCartan the scorer of a two-pointer, completing the 5-25 to 1-16 scoreline. Longford had 13 wides over the course of the game, while Westmeath had eight, on a day when the visitors' winning margin was far greater than anyone expected.

Scorers - Westmeath: L Loughlin 2-2; B Kelly 2-1; S Corcoran 1-3; R Connellan 0-5 (2tp); M Whittaker and C Dillon 0-3 each; T Molloy and S McCartan (tpf) 0-2 each; B Cooney, R Wallace, K O'Sullivan and D McCartan 0-1 each. Longford: D Farrell 0-10 (4tpf, 1f); Dessie Reynolds 0-4 (2tp); J Moran 1-0; P Moran and Daniel Reynolds 0-1 each.

Westmeath - Jason Daly; Daniel Scahill, Charlie Drumm, Tadhg Baker; Ronan Wallace, Shane Allen, Matthew Whittaker; Brían Cooney, Ray Connellan; Kevin O’Sullivan, Sam McCartan, Shane Ormsby; Shane Corcoran, Luke Loughlin, Brandon Kelly. Subs: Conor Dillon for Ormsby (44 mins); Adam Treanor for Allen (50); Robbie Forde for Loughlin (inj., 52); Danny McCartan for Corcoran (54); Tom Molloy for Whittaker (61).

Longford - Eoin McGuinness; Patrick Fox, Cian Brady, Bryan Masterson; Matthew Flynn, Niall Farrelly, Dessie Reynolds; Liam Glennon, Oisin O'Toole; James Moran, Matthew Carey, Daniel Reynolds; Dylan Farrell, Joseph Hagan, Paddy Moran. Subs: Aaron Farrell for Carey (49 mins); Gavin Farrelly for N Farrelly (52); Aidan McGuire for Daniel Reynolds, Iarla O'Sullivan for J Moran (both 58); Caolán Lynch for Glennon (64).

Referee - Kieran Eannetta (Tyrone).