Things can only get better
April 30, 2011Like the Irish economy, Westmeath football has been in the grip of a recession for the past two years that has had a demoralising affect on both players and supporters alike.
Since 2008 when the National League Division 2 title was claimed and both Dublin and Tyrone were put to the pin of their collars in the championship, Westmeath have been in freefall, losing 14 consecutive National League games, which has seen them drop from Division 1 to Division 3 in double-quick time, and only managing to beat Wicklow in the championship. Take the two wins against Wicklow out of the equation and Westmeath have lost a whopping 18 competitive matches in two years.
It is a depressing, shocking and embarrassing record for a county that celebrated an historic Leinster championship success just seven years ago. Following the record 27-point loss to Dublin in the 2009 Leinster championship, it was said that it could take years for Westmeath football to recover from such a hammering. However, there were signs in the championship games against Wicklow and Derry last year, and even in the closing stages of the Leinster semi-final against Louth, that the slide has been halted and things could be looking up again.
With last year's under 21 team reaching the Leinster final and the players and county board in agreement that Pat Flanagan is the right man to lead Westmeath forward for the next two years, there is light at the end of the tunnel. However, it's going to take a massive effort and a lot of rebuilding to get back up to the level of a few years ago.
"We're starting from afresh here now," Flanagan said following his appointment as manager on a permanent basis last September.
"The whole set-up will be brand new. The whole idea will be to build a new team and make new rules and regulations from the word go in an attempt to get Westmeath football successful in the near future."
Flanagan, who has won county championships in both Westmeath and Offaly with Tyrrellspass and his native Clara, was appointed manager on an interim basis last April after Brendan Hackett was forced to step down after just seven months in charge. He had previously served as a selector during Tomas O Flatharta's reign.
Just six weeks after his appointment, he guided the Lake County to an unexpected Leinster quarter-final win over Wicklow. But that was as good as it got in 2010 for Westmeath who subsequently lost a very winnable provincial semi-final to Louth before going down to Derry in the All-Ireland qualifiers.
However, Flanagan still made enough of an impression to secure the job until the end of 2012, with a review to be carried out at the end of this year.
"It's great to get the opportunity to build the team and go forward for one year and be judged on that," he continued.
"Obviously, I was very disappointed with the way things turned out during the summer. I thought we left something behind us up in Croke Park (against Louth) and then not to beat Derry was very, very disappointing. People can say that we didn't play well against Louth, but maybe we didn't give Louth due credit.
"At times they never allowed us to get momentum going. Their superior fitness I thought prohibited us from getting our game plan working and I felt if we had another few weeks together it would have been different. The lack of confidence caused by the fact that there were so many games lost during the year, when we came under pressure, we found it difficult to cope with."
Flanagan will hope to fare a lot better than his predecessor Brendan Hackett who had probably the shortest reign of any Westmeath manager. Although a surprise appointment, he initially impressed everyone with his plans which would have involved building a new team over a three-year period. But it all turned sour after a winless National League Division 2 campaign which saw Westmeath relegated for the second year in succession.
Hackett's cause wasn't helped by the defections of marquee forwards Dessie Dolan and Denis Glennon, and the retirements of key defenders John Keane and Derek Heavin (all four returned to play in the championship). Furthermore, the Lake County's abysmal record at underage level since 2000 has left the county with a dearth of talent, although the achievement of last year's under 21s in reaching the Leinster final, where they were unlucky to lose to eventual All-Ireland champions Dublin, provides hope for the future.
Hackett's promise of "short-term pain" certainly came to fruition and the failure to win any one of seven National League games against Donegal, Armagh, Meath, Laois, Kildare, Down and Tipperary ultimately cost him his job.
Following the players' coup against Hackett, Pat Flanagan was installed as manager for the duration of the championship. The odds were firmly stacked against Westmeath ending their losing streak against Wicklow in Tullamore, but showing great heart and character, they eked out a long-overdue 0-15 to 1-11 victory.
Wicklow looked to have done enough to force extra-time when they struck for the only goal with time almost up, but Westmeath's resilience shone through, and despite being reduced to 13 players, they mounted one last attack which yielded the winning point from Denis Glennon.
Westmeath settled quickly and carved out a 0-4 to 0-1 lead by the end of the opening quarter with Martin Flanagan, captain Michael Ennis and dual star Paul Greville making early impressions. Wicklow reduced the deficit to the minimum, 0-4 to 0-5, at half-time, but the Lake County took a grip on the proceedings after the restart with points from man of the match Conor Lynam, Greville, Paul Bannon and Doran Harte - after a magnificent Flanagan catch - pushing them five points clear with 14 minutes remaining.
There then followed a crazy spell of three dismissals in two minutes, all for second yellow cards. Westmeath full back John Gaffey was first to go in the 60th minute, followed quickly by Wicklow's Leighton Glynn. David Duffy also received his marching orders, leaving Westmeath with just 13 players for the last 10 minutes or so.
Wicklow threw everything at a tiring Westmeath team in the closing stages and were rewarded when Paul Earls fired home the equalising goal in the 70th minute. But before their supporters had stopped celebrating, Glennon had popped over the winning point at the opposite end.
Remarkably, Westmeath were now just 70 minutes away from a Leinster final appearance and the return of John Keane and Derek Heavin to the fold only served to heighten expectations of victory against Louth. But, in a terribly disappointing performance at Croke Park, the Lake County succumbed to a 2-10 to 1-15 defeat - a scoreline which flattered them greatly.
Despite being outplayed in the first half, Westmeath only trailed by 0-5 to 0-8 at the interval. The Wee County stretched their lead to four points on the restart before Westmeath were awarded a penalty which Paul Bannon converted to leave the minimum between the sides.
Pat Flanagan's charges were expected to drive on from there, but instead Louth replied with points from Paddy Keenan and Derek Maguire before Colm Judge scored a goal in the 59th minute after Denis Glennon had been dispossessed at the other end of the field.
By this stage, Martin Flanagan - who was unable to start due to an ankle injury - had been introduced and he made an immediate impact when he fielded a high delivery before dummying Louth full back Dessie Finnegan and side-footing a delightful goal.
Glennon pointed almost immediately after and suddenly the margin was down to the minimum again.
But Louth were not about to let victory slip and a late point from Judge sealed their place in the Leinster final for the first time in 50 years.
In the All-Ireland qualifiers, Westmeath drew Derry at home in Cusack Park. But despite a spirited effort which was much improved on the Louth display, they were out-muscled in the wet conditions by a physically stronger Derry team who prevailed on a 0-13 to 1-7 scoreline.
The visitors led for most of the game and were six points to the good before Martin Flanagan once again came off the bench to score a goal in the 48th minute. However, despite dominating possession after Joe Diver's dismissal in the 53rd minute, Westmeath were unable to convert a host of chances as the Oak Leafers held on for the win.
If there is an upside to being in Division 3 of the National League this year, it is that it's a more suitable place to blood young players and to team build. It will also provide the new management with an opportunity to build on the slight progress that was made at the end of last season. Tweet
