New Westmeath football selector Pat Flanagan is urging supporters to keep the faith after a disappointing start to 2009. Pat Flanagan believes 2009 could still have a silver lining for Westmeath, despite the county's demotion from Division 1 of the National Football League. Speaking in the wake of Westmeath's penultimate round defeat to Donegal, which confirmed their relegation back to Division 2 after just one year, the new Lake County selector was refreshingly upbeat as he reflected on a campaign which failed to produce a win, and was overshadowed by a crippling injury list. While acknowledging that the mood in the county is downcast at the moment, the former Tyrrellspass supremo believes the Westmeath players have gained a lot from playing in the top flight of league football, and that this will stand them in good stead come the championship. "It was a learning curve not just for the young players who came in, but for the established guys and the management as well," he explains. "The results were disappointing and nobody likes losing, but having said that, we had stepped up a division and the opposition was a lot stronger than what we faced last year. "We knew it was going to be a tough task to stay up, and our task was made all the more difficult by the amount of injuries we had. It forced us into blooding six or seven under 21 players, who couldn't be expected to make the step-up in class straight away." Flanagan adds: "Ideally, we would like to have brought in one or two new players, rather than six or seven at the same time. But our hand was forced by the injury situation and we had no option but to bring in the young lads. "While the league may have been a baptism of fire for a lot of the lads, they will have gained huge experience from playing against the best of the best, and we hope they can now bring that onto the championship stage." The Clara native feels Westmeath were unlucky not to pick up at least two wins during the seven-match league programme. "It always seems harder for the underdog to get the breaks, and I think that applied to us in this league. We should have beaten Galway and Tyrone, and we gave Kerry a right rattle for 60 minutes. By and large, we were competitive in all of our games, which is something you'd have to be pleased about in the circumstances. "We had got ourselves into a winning position against Galway, only for disaster to strike when two of our defenders collided and the Galway forward took full advantage by scoring a goal at a crucial time. We had Tyrone beaten, only for them to score the winning goal with almost the last kick of the game after Gary Connaughton had made a great save. I don't think the fella who scored it (Colm Cavanagh) knew must about it, it just hit him on the leg and went into the net. "If we had won those games, it would have given us serious impetus going forward, and instilled confidence in the players. The injuries hit us especially hard in the forwards where Denis Glennon was the only ever-present. Every week we went out, we had a different front six and the understanding between the forwards just wasn't there. And it goes without saying that we were desperately short of experience in that department when you're without the likes of Dessie Dolan, Fergal Wilson, Martin Flanagan and Alan Mangan." Pat agrees that the two-month break between the league and the championship is a "good thing" for Westmeath as it gives the injured players time to regain fitness, and the rest of the squad time to regroup. "We need this time to catch up on some training and to concentrate on the championship," he says. "The new ban on collective training during November and December didn't suit us because we had been knocked out of last year's championship in July. I'd imagine we'll have all of the injured players back for the championship, but then again we were hoping to have them back for the tail-end of the league and that didn't happen." Despite their dismal league campaign, Westmeath will be strongly fancied to account for either Longford or Wicklow in their Leinster championship opener on June 13. However, Flanagan insists they will be taking nothing for granted. "We won't be underestimating either Wicklow or Longford, and they'll also be coming into the game with a championship match under their belts which is always an advantage. Last year, Wicklow beat Kildare, who were a Division 1 team at the time, so it would be dangerous to underestimate them, or Longford that matter. "Westmeath were very disappointed to lose to Dublin in the Leinster semi-final last year, and the goal for this season has to be to go one step further. But with no disrespect to the youngsters who played during the league, we'll need to be at full strength for that to happen." Pat was appointed a Westmeath selector at the end of last year, filling the double void left by new county hurling manager Eamonn Gallagher and Tommy Kelly. His appointment was well received after his achievements with Tyrrellspass over the previous four years. Under his management, the 'Tidy Town' enjoyed unprecedented success by winning back-to-back senior championships in 2006 and 2007, and reaching the Leinster club final in '07. He also guided Tyrrellspass to an under 21 championship success in 2005. Prior to that, he managed his native Clara to an Offaly senior championship in 2003, and to two minor championships in 1995 and 1996. He also had a successful spell in charge of Kilbeggan Shamrocks, delivering an intermediate championship in 2000. Explaining his decision to leave Tyrrellspass, he says: "While I greatly enjoyed my time with them, I was extremely disappointed that we didn't win the three-in-a-row and a Leinster club championship. We were not that far away from achieving both of those goals. Like in any job, you can become stale when you're in it for a while, so when Tomas (O Flatharta) asked me to join him and Paul Conway on the Westmeath management team, I decided to give it a go. I regarded it as an excellent opportunity to further my coaching career, and I have to say it has been a brilliant experience so far. "The biggest eye-opener for me has been the amount of time and commitment involved. The sacrifices the players make are extraordinary. They're out training nearly every night and this is something the supporters don't see. Tomas puts in a huge effort also, as do all the other people working behind-the-scenes, and I have already learned an awful lot from being involved in such a well-run and professional set-up," he concludes. Tweet

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