Disappointed Dowdall looks to the future

By Paul Hughes

St Loman’s, Mullingar manager Paddy Dowdall was left reflecting on fine margins and missed opportunities after his side narrowly lost out to The Downs in a pulsating Westmeath SFC final last Sunday.

Despite the heartbreak of coming out the wrong side of the result in such a tight contest, Dowdall’s over-riding emotion was immense pride in his players.

“For starters, I’m very proud of the bunch of guys in there,” Dowdall stated firmly after the final whistle. “From start to finish in that game they pushed and pushed. We probably had a couple of chances in that last 15 to 20 minutes. We could have had a penalty. They’re a disappointed bunch in there but we’re just so proud of them.”

Bolstered by Ronan O’Toole’s return from Australia, St Loman’s enjoyed a blistering start to the final, opening up an early three-point lead before The Downs found their rhythm. Dowdall felt his side left scores behind them during this dominant period, which ultimately proved costly when The Downs struck for a goal just before the interval.

“For the first 10 or 15 minutes we were playing really good football,” Dowdall reflected. “We probably gave away a lot of negative turnovers in that 15 minutes and missed a couple of scores in the second quarter.

“It was disappointing to finish out that first half by conceding the goal because I thought we defended very well. But look, these things happen.”

Despite trailing by three at half time and slipping four points behind well into the second half, St Loman’s showcased their trademark grit to haul themselves back level. However, key moments down the stretch swung the tie away from the Mullingar men. Missed opportunities, including seven second half wides, proved costly.

“When we went level, we missed a couple of chances after that,” the St Loman’s bainisteoir explained. “We had a really good goal chance and they got a good block on it. It’s small margins out there, and fair play to The Downs, they kept going, had a purple patch in added time and got a couple of scores.”

While the defeat is a bitter pill to swallow for a club accustomed to lifting the Flanagan Cup in recent years, Dowdall emphatically dismissed any suggestions that St Loman’s are on any sort of downward curve. He pointed to the injection of youth into the panel as proof that the club will remain a dominant force in Westmeath football in the years to come.

“As I said to the guys, everybody thinks our age profile is through the roof; it’s not,” he insisted. “We have a lot of really quality young players in there and a couple of young guys coming up from minor as well, who are quality as well. The future is bright for St Loman’s.”

Despite the personal disappointment, Dowdall acknowledged that the final itself was a fantastic advertisement for the sport in the county.

“For any neutral out there watching that game today, they’d be proud as a Westmeath supporter to see the calibre of players. The quality out there was top-notch,” he opined.