Leinster SFC Westmeath V Longford

[Mentalman]

Here we go, from Hoganstand:

Dolan boost for Westmeath
06 July 2007


Gary Dolan has returned to the Westmeath starting line-up for Saturday's All-Ireland SFC qualifier with Longford at Cusack Park after recovering from an eye operation.

Dolan, who previously left the panel, has been selected at full-forward while brother Dessie will fill the corner-forward slot.

The Westmeath team to face Longford is as follows – G. Connaughton; F. Boyle, D. Donoghue, J. Keane; D. Healy, M. Ennis, G. Glennon; P. Bannon, M. Flanagan; D. Glennon, J. Smith, F. Wilson; A. Mangan, G. Dolan, D. Dolan.

[Mentalman]

Gary Dolan's return will hardly strike fear into the heart of Longford. I expect to see the usual insipid display, jawing and pushing anyone who looks at Dessie. If he does score it will be a goal, as he is not known with his point taking.

Gary Glennon back in again, game lad, and as Heavin is gonzo, probably the best option in the panel to replace him.

No sign of any the panel "newcomers" yet.

[AN other]

On his day G Dolan can be valuable.
Connellon should be getting more games, every game, he has more ability than any of the other forwards, Dessie aside. If any of the forwards (Dessie aside again...) aren't producing it early in the match he should be brought on to replace them straight away.
I'm not as furious about the inclusion of Smith this time following his reasonable outing the last time, lets just hope he can build on it or produce the same again.
I don't see us winning, or sharing the winning of midfield, alot is going to depend on the defence and they really need to perform this time. Healy, Keane and O'Donoghue had alot to answer for the last day out.
I expected us to win the last day out, this time, I'm not sure if I'm even hopeful...

[Croí na hÉireann]

No Shaugho, big loss, hopefully he'll come on and put in a performance like he did against Galway last year. A lot of pressure on Flanagan now, hopefully he has the legs. I suppose he can swap with Gary if he needs a breather. Bannon back in the only position he's suitable for, must perform.

Hopefully they leave Dessie in de corner where he can do most damage. Big games needed from Budda and Willo who didn't perform the last day and if Smyth plays like the last day he better not be taken off this time. If Dennis is inside we need points and lots of them, else strong running with the head up and early ball if lads inside are free.

Goalie and defence picks itself really, don't expect Heals to have as poor a game again. I'd put JK on Kavanagh from the off and trust there won't be any dropped balls or slipping this time...

Oh just to let folks know, the minor game between Westmeath and Armagh is on before hand, so the park should be open at a reasonable hour, for those early birds.

According to GAA.ie this game is off???

[AN other]

25-1 Martin Flanagan to score the first goal on Paddy Power, worth a punt!

[Mentalman]

25-1 Martin Flanagan to score the first goal on Paddy Power, worth a punt!

We all know he'll be trying for it anyway, probably from the first ball he gets into his hands!

[Mentalman]

Oh just to let folks know, the minor game between Westmeath and Armagh is on before hand, so the park should be open at a reasonable hour, for those early birds.

According to GAA.ie this game is off???

Well there ya go! Thought it was still on, up until last night anyway.

[Mentalman]

On his day G Dolan can be valuable.
Connellon should be getting more games, every game, he has more ability than any of the other forwards, Dessie aside. If any of the forwards (Dessie aside again...) aren't producing it early in the match he should be brought on to replace them straight away.
I'm not as furious about the inclusion of Smith this time following his reasonable outing the last time, lets just hope he can build on it or produce the same again.
I don't see us winning, or sharing the winning of midfield, alot is going to depend on the defence and they really need to perform this time. Healy, Keane and O'Donoghue had alot to answer for the last day out.
I expected us to win the last day out, this time, I'm not sure if I'm even hopeful...

As you can gather I'm not a Gary Dolan devotee, it's my belief there is at least one other player on the current panel that is twice the player he is, in any position.

I honestly haven't seen enough of Connellon, but according to all and sundry he's a real prospect. Like you said needs more games, but is a bit light still, might not be doing him a huge favour starting him in a game of this intensity, bring him in when legs are a bit more tired maybe?

Smith is a trier, even iif all he tries is your patience Pity about the end product, but effort could not be faulted, I'd say he's a great trainer somehow.

Midfield? Flan has had some great games in patches from midfleld for his club, but then again what is he up against in the situation? Depands on which Martin shows up on the day. The one who dragged us to two division 2 titles, or the guy he more or less let the game pass him by the last day, other than his goal. I hope it's the former.

Would have to agree wrt to the defence.

Not hopeful for tomorrow.

[Croí na hÉireann]

Dempsey delighted to have avoided 'big three'

Longford football boss Luke Dempsey has admitted that although it is not ideal to be facing Westmeath for a second time in the championship, it could have been worse and they could have been paired with one of the three big sides, Armagh, Donegal or Mayo.

Longford edged out Westmeath already in the Leinster championship but home advantage has reversed and Dempsey and his troops will be entering a hostile environment in Mullingar.

''It's not ideal and I suppose from a general point of view we would have preferred a more novel pairing, but the reality of it is we can't be complaining too much, because I'm certainly glad that we avoided three of the bigger teams left in there, Donegal, Mayo and Armagh,'' Dempsey said.

''We are just looking forward to another championship game, and going back to Mullingar, where I have some very fond memories. So we are only seeing the positive in all this,'' he added.


Pin it up on the dressing room door there Tomas, hopefully Lukies prematch words have the same outcome as his last day out... Traffic is gonna be bad around the town apparently, get down there early...

[navaniarmhi]

Lots of positives for Westmeath today with O'Donoghue, Flanagan and Keane all excelling. Flanagan's one-handed catch was a real gem in a good display of fielding by him. The backs smothered Longford well. Difficult to see why Wilson was sent off - two yellows I hope. His free taking from the right side in the first half was deadly accurate and a pleasure to watch.

Will Denis Glennon ever get that goal...someone needs to teach him to be more subtle directly in front of the goalkeeper.Otherwise he played well turning his man regularly and scoring a couple of lovely points. Goal chances were ever present with Gary Dolan being ignored on the edge of the square on more than one occasion. Flanagan was carrying a yellow card for much of the match but the referee bottled it when he fouled badly with ten minutes to go. I was sure he was gone but two Westmeath men off in a relatively clean match that they dominated would have been an oddity and I think the referee knew it.

This sort of made up for the loss to Longford in Leinster but it remains a fact that Westmeath haven't won a Leinster championship match since they won it out three years ago.


Arrived at the ground at twenty to five with my six-year old son. Still missed the first ten minutes and at one stage it was dodgy enough for small children at the town end stiles. At another point a Garda was actually sneering at us from behind the wall. People didn't see any humour in his vacuous remarks and they were greeted by a stunned silence by those outside who were listening to the crowds reaction to the opening scores. A pleasant female Garda outside redirected people to the Stand turnstiles telling us that they had been 'reopened' but this turned out not to be the case and we had to rejoin our original queue. Elsewhere, exasperated people scaled the wall to gain entry, always a frightening development at sports grounds.

[shark]

Yeah it was too yellows for Wilson, and quite harsh I might add, nothing cynical in either foul.
Glennon seems to have no problem burying the goals in the club championship but playing for Westmeath he seems to want to rip the net out of it, other than that it was his best display for Westmeath since 2004.
Longford really were terrible, slower to every ball and aside from Kavanagh never looked like getting the scores.
Weatmeath will be fairly confident of repeating last years run.

[Shamrock Shore]

Jesus - we absolutely stunk the joint. Westmeath went easy on us at the end. Absolutely embarrassed by our challenge as I thought we had left those days behind.

Only positive was the performance of Michael Kelly who came on as a sub. Former Mostrim underage now playing with the Slashers.

Westmeath beat us in every sector - with Flanagan absolutely majestic in the centre. Our full back line struggled but most would as they had no cover in front of them. The sending off was perhaps unmerited but it made little difference.

No complaints on Cusack Park - got in and out with no bother, under the canal tunnell - paid €5 (in error) to the Westmeath Supporters GAA halftime draw. Came within 6 tickets of winning it - which was won by someone from Longford - which led to a few merited half time comments from the Longford wags around me.

Good luck to Westmeath - I hope Donegal give ye a better game.

[navaniarmhi]

Any info on the Athlone player listed at 29 ... Michael Greene. People from Athlone didn't seem to know much about him save that he was an 'Underdog'. Has he any form at club level?

[Mentalman]

Game well digested at this stage. Not trying to take the wind out our sails but Longford didn't really turn up did they? I'd like to say thanks to whoever the Longford player was that clipped Flan after about 8-9 minutes, because just about that time it looked like our midfleld might fade out again, as they did the last day, but that didn't half get him going. Great fielding from the big man, even if his distribution was a bit dodge, hard to offload the ball cleanly when you are being swarmed though. Couldn't believe he got a black card, after a deserved yellow,  for what looked to me to be a perfectly executed dispossession, all before half time. Thought he might see the line too given that. Wilson's sending off was fairly pathetic, given the first card was for reacting to a bit of a head. From a Westmeath point of view it would be easier to pick out players who didn't really perform. Thought Buddha had another shocker. Not wanting to go on about it but I really don't see what Gary Dolan brings to the party? He flinched on his goal chance, and in the second half the best thing he did was keep his marker down the other end of the pitch. Not convinced by Ennis at number 6. Very easily turned on a number of occasions. For the positives there was our dependable - Dessie. He got through some work, particularly after Wilson's sending off, obviously very fired up for the game. Denis had one of his best games in ages, worked back a lot in the first half, as well as taking scores, and provided the threat in the 2nd, with Longford kind of were forced to play into our hands, having to push the spare man up they left Denis isolated, so we always had an out ball. Smith - yes he's a trier, but that bloody nose made him try even harder, got a score too, delighted for him, did serious work between half back and half forward. Wilson took some vital scores, and not the easiest to kick either, his best game in a long while also. Flan? It's all being said. Davie Duffy still reminds me of bambi on ice by times, if he fielded better he could clean up, but is a more mobile option than say Shaugho is right now, but without the presence and experience. Gary Glennon showed well, both defensively and going forward, you can't do much better than seeing off your marker, and at half time too. Heals was quiet by his standards, with a few vital interventions, but it's obvious, given his injury too, that he's nursing his way through the games. Donal O'D has rarely seen so much uncontested ball in one game, and used it quite well, Luke's patented 2 man forward line didn't work out on the day. Keane started slow but came into his own. Was very impressed with Boyle, a very game lad and fits in well. Connaughton gave us a few scares, not sure if they were real or imagined because of the last day, pulled off a brilliant save, and his distribution was better by his standards.

As for the park, very strange atmosphere, no? A bit tense. Everyone on the terraces where I was anyway seemed to be holding their own counsel after the events of the last day. So much so at the beginning, when the teams ran out, it sounded like there were more Longford heads than Westmeath. Even at the end it was more relief than jubilation, and good portion of the travelling support had already departed the scene.

Donegal should be interesting, a real yardstick of just where this team is at.

[AN other]

Martin Flanagan was the big difference between Saturday and May 13.
Mentleman, you're spot on about Flanagan getting clipped. You could instantly see him upping it a bit and really getting into the game. A class performance, man of the match without a doubt. He'd be some player, capable of matching any midfielder in the country, if he could produce half that level of performance consistenly.
Glennon was probably the second best performer on the day, seems to have recaptured some of his 2004 form.
Connellan should be on the team ahead of Mangan and should have been replaced alot earlier. I thought that Mangan might have played well following his opening point but he faded into oblivion. O'Flaherta's always been a fan of Mangan though, so he'll probably start against Donegal.
The defence were efficient without actually performing to the full of their ability. There's plenty more in Keane, Healy, Ennis and O'Donoghue, but then again, they did little wrong.
I really don't know what to make of our chances of progressing to a reasonable stage of the championship this year with performances being so erratic since the start of the league.