Derry end Westmeath dream

Derry 2-9 Westmeath 0-13

Even at half-time on Saturday, the expectation was still that Westmeath would advance to the last four for the first time in their history. That, despite the fact that they were trailing to a pair of sucker-punch goals.

The reality is that Derry’s victory was the best example of rope-a-dope tactics since Muhammad Ali bushwhacked George Foreman in Zaire all of 30 years ago. From the first minute to the 60th, Westmeath kept the scoreboard ticking over.

Nothing spectacular, just a steady stream of points. Derry on the other hand soaked up the pressure for large spells and struck in short, sharp explosive bursts every time it seemed Páidí Ó Sé’s men would streak clear.

Just three men in red and white managed to find the target, Paddy Bradley, Enda Muldoon and substitute Eamon Burke. Terminal on your average Croke Park outing but not here. As a statistic it says everything about the lack of quality on show.

Bradley struck the first serious blow, picking up Kevin McGuckin’s ball before thumping it past Gary Connaughton and into the top corner of the net after 21 minutes.

That made it 1-2 to 0-3 and negated all of the Leinster champion’s good work from the off. Nine minutes later Muldoon plucked Francie McEldowney’s long ball out of the sky and flicked another past the Westmeath keeper. 2-4 to 0-6.

At the other end, Dennis Glennon missed two gilt-edged chances in front of the posts after 34 and 47 minutes. “We had two great goal chances in the first half and they didn’t come off,” said Ó Sé. “The second one Dennis got the ball, but just lost balance at the last minute. When you look at it though, this is a team that has won it’s first Leinster championship and was competing in a first quarter-final. You’re not playing in your own habitat anymore, you’re playing a team with a different style of football. Possibly, that might have had a bearing on it.”

All well and good, but Westmeath’s style of football, dogged defence and economical attack, is a style more associated with Ulster than Leinster football. Whatever the style, they looked odds on to take the spoils on Saturday once Dessie Dolan pointed his first from play 61 minutes in to give the midlanders the lead for the first time since the 21st minute.

The roar was spine-chilling, but inside six minutes it was drowned out by sheer disbelief. Without a score in 20 minutes, Derry came off the ropes to strike back with a trio of points from Burke and Muldoon (2). Westmeath didn’t score again.

Just like last year then, the last four will feature no representative from Leinster but, disappointing as Westmeath were in their last game, it shouldn’t overshadow the enormous strides made this year, says selector Tomás Ó Flatherta. “Nobody gave us any chance of beating anybody this year. They broke a lot of hoodoos against teams like Offaly and Dublin and they worked hard all year long and in the Leinster final especially. We thought we might go a bit further and this defeat is disappointing, but credit Derry. They had their homework done.”

WESTMEATH: G Connaughton; J Davitt, D O’Donoghue, J Keane; M Ennis, D Healy, D Heavin; R O’Connell, D O’Shaughnessy; B Morley, P Conway, F Wilson (0-2f); A Mangan (0-1), D Glennon (0-2), D Dolan (0-5, 3f and 1 ‘45’).

Subs: J Fallon (0-2f) for Wilson 36 mins, S Colleary for Morley 45, G Dolan (0-1) for Conway 50

DERRY: B Gillis; M McGuckin, N McCusker, SM Lockhart; F McEldowney, P McFlynn, P Kelly; F Doherty, Patsy Bradley; J Donaghy, J McBride, C Moran; J Bradley, Paddy Bradley (1-2, 1f), E Muldoon (1-6, 4f).

Subs: G Donaghy for Moran 55 mins, E Burke (0-1) for J Bradley 58, C Gilligan for McBride 62, G O’Kane for McCusker 63.

Referee: M Curley (Galway).