Paidi Ó Sé's two-year reign as Westmeath football manager ended in bitterly disappointing circumstances last July when the Lake County crashed out of the All-Ireland qualifier series to lowly Clare. It was the final act in a season which not only saw Westmeath relinquish their Leinster title, but also lose their National League Division 1 status as well as key forward Paul Conway through retirement. What began amid a blaze of publicity and hype on October 17, 2003 ended in very different circumstances on July 3 last when defeat to Clare in the second round of the All-Ireland qualifiers signalled the end of Paidi O Se's reign as Westmeath football manager. Having delivered a first ever Leinster senior football title to the Lake County in his first year, O Se's reign will be deemed a success. However, last year's fall from grace leaves his successor and fellow Kerryman Tomas O Flatharta with a major rebuilding job on his hands. In truth, Westmeath were but a pale shadow of the team that brought so much joy to supporters in 2004. They struggled badly in both the league and the championship and didn't seem to have the 'stomach' for the qualifiers after relinquishing their provincial crown to Kildare on an entirely forgettable day in Croke Park. A fortuitous victory over Tipperary did little to lift the air of doom and gloom, and such was the team's vulnerability that the defeat to Clare wasn't regarded as a major surprise. "I've no problem saying I had two very, very special years with Westmeath. But I'm looking forward to taking some time out, I will do that this time I can assure you," O Se told a small knot of supporters outside the dressing-room in Cusack Park in Ennis. "Winning Leinster was a special moment but that's done and dusted now and I wish Westmeath all the best." And with that, the O Se era had ended. Despite a poor National League campaign which culminated in relegation to Division 2, supporters clung onto the hope that the team would come good in the championship, just as they had done in 2004. But a 0-11 to 0-14 defeat to a physically strong Kildare team saw Westmeath dethroned as Leinster champions in their first title defence. The Lilywhites recovered from the 20th minute dismissal of influential wing forward Ronan Sweeney to completely outplay a Westmeath team that, apart from captain Dessie Dolan, offered little resistance. Dolan kicked seven magnificent points, but he found himself fighting a lone battle against a Kildare side that lorded the midfield exchanges and had two outstanding finishers in John Doyle and Tadgh Fennin. Between them, the deadly front two scored 0-10 as Kildare - so lucky to overcome Wicklow in an earlier round - qualified for the provincial semi-final where their shortcomings were brutally exposed by Laois. Experienced campaigners such as Glenn Ryan, Killian Brennan and Dermot Earley also played their hearts out as the Lilywhites made it seven wins from eight championship encounters with the Lake County. Padraig Nolan's charges showed the sort of hunger that was required to win a contest which threatened to boil over on a couple of occasions and was not helped by referee Michael Daly who awarded over 50 frees but somehow missed a disgraceful incident which left Dessie Dolan nursing a swollen jaw. They looked to be in trouble after the opening five minutes when Westmeath stormed into a 0-4 to 0-0 lead, but had dragged themselves back into contention before Sweeney was harshly sent off for a high tackle on John Keane. Sweeney had been booked earlier for a challenge on a grounded Denis Glennon. Despite Alan Mangan's penalty miss on the half hour mark, Westmeath could have no complaints about the outcome. They failed to cope with the intensity Kildare brought to their play after the sending off and got no change out of the challengers' midfield and half back line. The decision to use corner back James Davitt as the spare man also backfired badly on the champions. It all looked so promising for the men in maroon after their first four attacks yielded points from Fergal Wilson, Alan Mangan and Dolan (two). But Kildare gradually found their feet and three quick points from Fennin (two) and Sweeney had them within touching distance. Dolan restored Westmeath's two-point advantage before Sweeney's dismissal saw Kildare step up their performance a couple of notches and adopt a more physical approach in the process. A brace of points from Doyle brought them level and, while Dolan edged the champions back in front, Doyle was quick to equalize following a clever flick-on by Fennin. Then, in the 29th minute, Westmeath debutant David Glennon was tripped by corner back James Lonergan as he was about to shoot and a penalty was awarded. However, Alan Mangan fired his spot-kick straight at Enda Murphy, who may have put the penalty taker off with his Jerzy Dudek-style antics. Dolan's fifth point gave Westmeath a slender 0-7 to 0-6 lead at the break, but the Lilywhites restarted with unanswered scores from Earley, Fennin and substitute Derek McCormack to hit the front for the first time. Westmeath levelled after 52 minutes courtesy of points from Dolan and another newcomer, Paddy Mulvihill, but the momentum was still with Kildare who moved 0-11 to 0-9 in front after a brace of points from Doyle and under 21 star Mick Foley. With six minutes of normal time remaining, a great chance fell to Dermot Earley after Doyle's attempt for a point rebounded from the upright, but his shot was smothered and the danger was cleared. But Kildare's pressure was relentless at this stage and it was no surprise when Doyle gave them a three-point cushion for the first time after he brilliantly sold a dummy to Damien Healy. Dolan kept Westmeath in it with his seventh point from a free, but in the four minutes of injury-time allotted, Doyle and Fennin fired over the insurance points with a wilting Westmeath's sole reply coming courtesy of substitute Paul Conway. The All-Ireland qualifiers offered Westmeath a chance to resurrect their season, but their poor form continued against Munster minnows Tipperary and Clare. A listless display in Thurles gave Tipperary a great opportunity to create a shock. But fortunately for Westmeath, they were unable to take it as the visitors hung on for a far from impressive 0-12 to 1-8 victory. Westmeath were not so fortunate on the injury front, however, as Dessie Dolan and Paul Conway - starting his first match since the 2004 All-Ireland quarter-final defeat to Derry - suffered serious injuries which ended their involvement in the campaign. As in the Kildare match, Westmeath started brightly with points from David O'Shaughnessy and Dolan (two) easing them into a 0-3 to 0-0 lead within four minutes of the throw-in. Further points from Fergal Wilson and Dolan stretched the visitors' advantage before Tipperary hit four unanswered points to trail by the minimum at the interval. Tipperary picked up where they left off before the break when Declan Browne - whose participation had been threatened by an abductor muscle injury - slotted home a penalty to give the home side a 1-4 to 0-5 lead. A clearly stung Westmeath responded well to this setback and reeled off five points without reply between the 39th and 47 minutes to move into a 0-10 to 1-4 lead. But once again, Westmeath handed the initiative back to Tipperary and they had reduced the deficit to the minimum when Browne was presented with a late, late opportunity to tie the match. But his effort curled narrowly wide, leaving Westmeath very fortunate to avoid the perils of extra-time. The second round draw was equally kind to Westmeath who were paired with a Clare team that had lost heavily to Cork in the Munster championship semi-final. Even without Dessie and Gary Dolan, Paul Conway and Rory O'Connell, Westmeath were still expected to emerge victorious, but such never looked like materializing in front of 4,154 spectators at a rain-soaked Ennis venue. Clare were the better side throughout, leading from the first minute to the last, and if anything the 0-12 to 0-9 scoreline flattered the losers. The home side used their physical strength to good effect and raced into a 0-6 to 0-1 lead after 35 minutes, with points from Enda Coughlan (two), Rory Donnelly, Odran O'Dwyer (two) and David Russell. Russell could have put the game beyond Westmeath's reach if he had made better use of the huge amount of possession he won. He kicked two wides and dropped another into Gary Connaughton's hands. Stephen Hickey missed two goal chances as the wastefulness continued. Alan Mangan pulled one back for the Lake County to leave it 0-6 to 0-2 at half-time. On the restart, two Denis Glennon frees and another Mangan effort reduced the gap to two points, but the momentum wasn't for real and the next two scores came from Donnelly and Peter O'Dwyer. Fergal Wilson and Damien Healy did their utmost to bring Westmeath back into the game, but the closest they could get was within two points, 0-10 to 0-8. Clare goalkeeper Dermot O'Brien denied Michael Ennis with a reflex save, and Wilson shot wide after a great run as Westmeath's hopes of progressing to the third round evaporated in the rain. Westmeath face into a new season without Paul Conway, who has retired from the inter-county scene but Rory O'Connell has made himself available after a short-lived retirement. The new panel drawn up by Tomas O Flatharta is almost unrecognizable from that which made history in 2004 with up to 10 new faces involved this season. The rebuilding process begins in Division 2 and much patience will be required as the Dublin-based bank official plots a return to the glory days of two summers ago. Tweet

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