Westmeath switch focus to Dublin

MAKING a small piece of history is all very well, but with Dublin lying in wait just two short weeks down the road, Westmeath know the hard work has only just begun.

Yesterday, much of the county was still coming to terms with Sunday's win over Offaly. That's understandable really, as this was the first time in 55 years that their senior team had defeated their neighbours in the Leinster Championship.

After a succession of recent high-profile summer heartbreaks against Meath, it was a victory this team badly needed for both morale and self-belief.

"We were delighted, yeah, but we've only got two weeks before we play Dublin, and in Croke Park as well," said midfielder David O'Shaughnessy yesterday.

"That's enough in itself to bring us back down to earth. They're always a very, very strong team and that'll be no different this year. It'll be an even tougher test but we'll prepare as best we can for it."

Many of this squad have been playing side by side in the county colours for the best part of ten years.

Successes at minor and U21 levels raised the bar for the senior team, but despite showing much promise, especially in 2001, they have failed to land silverware.

Sunday's win may be the first step on the road to redemption.

"It's certainly our biggest win in the Leinster Championship in a long, long time," admitted O'Shaughnessy. "We're delighted with the win, even if it was only a first round match. Offaly are a quality side.

"They had a great league run and had the game in Croke Park against Down a few weeks ago. We know them well and to beat them was a great achievement for us.

"I suppose we have been on the wrong end of some close games in the past few years, especially in Croke Park, so winning that one was important for us.

"Is it a monkey off our backs? I suppose so, but we weren't thinking of the game like that when we went out. You can't. It's a different game, a different season. We knew what we were capable of and we're just delighted we came out on the right side," said the Garrycastle midfielder.

"Everything seemed to go well for us on the day. When you have a new management, a team will respond to that. We put in an awful lot of effort this year and, even though the results hadn't been going our way, we stuck in there."

O'Shaughnessy and fellow midfielder Rory O'Connell fought superbly with Offaly's respected midfielder Ciaran McManus until O'Connell saw red in the second-half.

The Athlone man will now have to sit out the next round and his loss is a massive blow.

"I didn't see a thing at the time of his sending-off," said O'Shaughnessy. "Whether it was a heat of the moment thing or what, I don't know. Rory will be missed badly against Dublin though. He's a quality player for us.

"It was a fantastic battle with Ciaran McManus and James Grennan.

McManus is a fantastic athlete and I'd say we're happy enough that we managed to just about break even there."

Meanwhile, Declan Meehan is Galway's new football captain, having been nominated by his club, Caltra.

Meehan, one of the county's most consistent players over the last six years, takes over from midfielder Kevin Walsh, who captained the team last year with Sean Óg de Paor having led them in the League final against Kerry in his absence.