Westmeath manager Dermot McCabe said he was frustrated for his players after they were defeated by rivals Meath with the last kick of the game at TEG Cusack Park yesterday.

Conor Duke’s goal edged a 3-14 to 1-17 victory for the Royals which keeps them right in the hunt for promotion to Division 1 of the Allianz Football League, while their neighbours were consigned to a fifth straight loss and now stare relegation in the face.

Speaking to RTE Sport after the game, McCabe felt that Duke’s goal should not have stood as it was scored after the hooter had sounded in the 70th minute.

"I'm just frustrated for the lads," he said. "You know, they put in a huge effort. We've had setback after setback with injuries and even two of our players, Ronan Wallace and Kevin O'Sullivan, pulled up in the warm-up and weren't able to start the game.

"I would have felt that the rule is the rule, when the hooter goes on 70 and you score it on 70:03, then it's not a goal.

 "The second point is that we had an arm up, the advantage is meant to go on for 10 seconds, but three seconds later, there was a free out.

"I'm sure there'll be reasons, I'm sure the FRC will get around to it and they'll apologise or something like that tonight."

The former Cavan star added that he holds no ill-will towards referee Barry Judge, saying: "It's really difficult for the ref. I said that it's going to be hugely difficult for the ref, that they have hundreds of extra decisions.

"There was a huge Meath support here, I couldn't hear myself talk and it was impossible to hear the hooter. But that's the system and that's it. It's not that these weren't identified as problems before thing started.

"I wouldn't really blame anyone, but I do feel that probably Westmeath will be brushed off and if maybe it was another team there might be a little bit of an uproar about it."

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