Driving out the demons
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.