Driving out the demons

THE message to be taken from this impressive win, more emphatic than the scoreline suggests, is that the League title-holders Donegal have got their challenge for the All-Ireland SFC firmly back on track.

It still doesn’t exorcise the bad memory of the Ulster semi-final shock they got from Tyrone, but for players and management alike coasting to victory with relative ease — and achieving it through the power and skill of their play — was hugely encouraging.

Thanks to the excellence of goalkeeper Gary Connaughton, in saving a first-minute penalty and preventing a certain goal later, Westmeath were quite competitive for the opening 20 minutes. However, as Connaughton conceded afterwards, they were playing ‘catch-up’ after that.