Westmeath on the road again as Farney army await

Having had their winning streak ended by Galway last weekend, Westmeath are now preparing to face Monaghan in the third round of the All-Ireland SFC this Sunday.

Monaghan will have home advantage with the game set to be played at St Tiernach’s Park, Clones, throw-in 4pm.

Westmeath lost to Galway by 3-21 to 2-21 in their round 2A game at Pearse Stadium last Sunday, while Monaghan were emphatic 1-20 to 0-14 winners over Roscommon in Clones the previous day - see report here.

Monaghan reached this year’s Ulster final where they lost out to Armagh after extra-time, on the same day as Westmeath’s Leinster final triumph over Dublin.

The last competitive meeting between Monaghan and Westmeath was a Division 2 league encounter last year, when the Farney men claimed a 2-29 to 2-21 victory at St Tiernach’s Park.

Westmeath’s other potential opponents in the draw were Kerry and Meath and while Monaghan, a Division 1 team this year, will undoubtedly present a difficult challenge, Lake County supporters will surely relish a trip to Clones.

However, injuries to key players remain a considerable concern ahead of the showdown against Monaghan. Matthew Whittaker has been named in the starting team, despite ongoing concern over his ankle injury, with Scahill among the subs and Connellan on the standby list.

Connellan came off last Sunday shortly after winning the second half throw-in, while Whittaker played 48 minutes and Scahill managed to play the entire match as he was tasked with keeping tabs on Galway talisman Shane Walsh. The knocks will certainly have taken a toll on the players and fatigue will be a factor in such a quick turnaround.

Westmeath players took to the sea in Salthill after Sunday’s game as the recovery began immediately, and they will be determined to keep their summer alive.

Irrespective of injuries, Shane Ormsby was pushing hard for a starting berth based on his showing off the bench against Galway and he has been duly selected at midfield alongside Brían Cooney - see here for match-day squad.

Versatile Monaghan wing-back Conor McCarthy, scorer of 0-3 from play, was a key figure against Roscommon and Westmeath may ponder deploying a dedicated man marker to track his runs. Jack McCarron scored 0-7 against the Rossies, with Stephen Mooney grabbing the Monaghan goal in a game where they created several goal chances.

The Westmeath camp will also have to consider the ability of Rory Beggan to find teammates with radar-like kickouts, in addition to the two-pointer threat he offers from long range frees.

Back in 2003, Westmeath met Monaghan in an All-Ireland qualifier at St Tiernach’s Park, with the home side winning by 0-14 to 1-9. This match, which proved Luke Dempsey’s last in charge, came shortly after Westmeath were beaten by Meath in a Leinster SFC quarter-final replay.

The other third round fixtures are Donegal vs Dublin, Mayo vs Meath and Kerry vs Armagh, with the latter game a blockbuster clash of the last two All-Ireland champions.

The winners of the third round games will advance to the All-Ireland quarter-finals, where Galway, Cork, Louth and Tyrone lie in wait.

It’s expected that Clones will welcome another big Westmeath following, with a capacity of around 29,000 well equipped to cope if there is a large crowd. Tickets for the Monaghan vs Westmeath game are on sale via Ticketmaster (there is a link on the GAA website) and they are also available in the usual Centra and SuperValu stores.

The Monaghan vs Westmeath match will be shown on the GAA's streaming service, GAA+, with Maryland GAA (Drumraney Community Centre) and Rosemount GAA (Rosemount Community Centre) among the local clubs showing the game for supporters who are not travelling to Clones. A number of clubs are running buses to the game, including Athlone GAA.

All-Ireland SFC third round fixtures

Saturday, June 20: Kerry v Armagh, Fitzgerald Stadium, Killarney, 4pm (GAA+); Mayo v Meath, MacHale Park, Castlebar, 6.15 (GAA+).

Sunday, June 21: Donegal v Dublin, Croke Park, 1.15 (RTE); Monaghan v Westmeath, St Tiernach’s Park, Clones, 4pm (GAA+).