Goal before half-time "a sucker punch" admits McHugh

Westmeath manager Mark McHugh admitted that Galway were the better team last Sunday, though his side almost pulled off a late smash and grab raid at a packed Pearse Stadium.

“I think we could have pulled it out of the fire. I’m not sure would we have deserved it. Over the course of the game, I thought Galway were probably the better team. They cut us open a few times and could have had more goals, I suppose, and it’s something we need to look at,” McHugh told the assembled media afterwards.

“The game was played at a very high pace and intensity right from the off. It was a cauldron on a warm day in Salthill and it made for a good game. We got back in the game in the first half, against the breeze; and we gave away the goal just before half-time which was a sucker punch. We were in control of that play, and we either should have put it dead or even held onto the ball.

“So that kind of sucked a wee bit of life out of us. And then when you give Galway, who are so used to playing out there, the ability to hold onto the ball in the second half, and they’re so good at it, they’ll cut holes into you, and we were going to struggle,” he continued.

Understandably, however, McHugh said he was “very proud of the battling qualities” shown by his side, also praising the impact of the subs who came on.

The loss of midfield ace Ray Connellan and the versatile Matthew Whittaker were difficult blows to overcome. “Ray is a huge player for us and Matthew has been struggling throughout the whole campaign, and we’re just patching him up every day. To be fair to him, he’s putting in huge shifts for us. And Ray is our leader in the middle of the field. I thought Shane Ormsby did well, caught a lot of kickouts. And (John) Heslin came in (to midfield) and won a few. We battled well but we probably didn’t do enough on our own kickouts to get our hands on enough possession,” said McHugh.

The Donegal man confirmed that Westmeath won the toss and opted to play against the wind in the first half. “Listen, I think we would have been in some position if we were four points down (at half-time), to be honest with you,” he remarked.

“It's just when you give Galway the ball, they know how to play so well out here. They've some unbelievable footballers like the half-backs, (Dylan) McHugh and (Seán) Kelly coming up the field. They got scores from everywhere, and that's why they're such a good team, a top table side, and that's where we need to get.”

McHugh ruefully described the manner of the third Galway goal as “the thing that sucked the life out of us”.

“We were in a great position, at four points down. At half-time, you could see a few heads down. It was a bit of game management and we managed it poorly, there’s no point in saying any different. All we can do is learn from it and move on,” he said.

“But listen, you have to tip your hat to Galway. They were brilliant to a man and it's well known that they're getting men back on the field. They are such an aerial threat, you know, and they're dangerous everywhere. If you press them high, they'll get you over the top and if you don't press them, they'll get the ball away. They're moving well and they're rightly in the quarter-finals and best luck to them.”I think we dropped three balls short in the first half, and I think maybe 1-3 came off it. That's a killer, and we know how dangerous balls dropping short are. I know the breeze was tricky, but we still shouldn't be putting them dead because at least you can press a kickout, you know.

“It's disappointing but the game takes on a mind of itself out there, and decision-making in the heat of the moment can be difficult. We have to learn from it and if it does arise again, that we can deal with it better.”

Speaking before Monday morning’s draw handed Westmeath a trip to Clones to face Monaghan in the third round, McHugh said: “We’ll learn from this and we’ll move on. It’s going to be a quick turnaround. We can’t feel sorry for ourselves today and we’ll have 15 men ready to go on the field next week again.

“It’s a short window. We’ll probably be lucky to be able to train once this week. And even at that, I don’t know how much we’ll be able to do with the bodies. I just think, after the whole campaign we’ve had – this is our sixth game and we’ve had three going to extra-time - there are a few tired bodies in there, and hopefully we’ll get it right for next week.

“We’ll dust ourselves down and we’ll have 15 Westmeath men ready to go again next week, and we’ll embrace it wherever it is.

“It's our first defeat of the championship, you know, there's many of teams at the minute who have lost two. We have felt defeat before in the league. It's just a loss, there's another game, and we'll see how that goes.”

McHugh also urged Westmeath fans to “just keep supporting the team” - not just for the remainder of this year's championship but next season as well.

“The league will be back around next year soon as well no matter what, and we hope supporters will follow them through thick and thin. They've given the sport a lot; it's been a great summer and people are very appreciative of it, but there's another day and I'm sure they will get the support, and it's brilliant to see.

“Even coming in here today, I know it's all maroon today with Galway and Westmeath playing, but it was just great to see the amount of Westmeath people who have come out. I think that bodes well for the future generations; young boys and girls will want to play football in a county that maybe has a lot of other sports and hopefully they can be at the top table with Westmeath,” he added.