The tough task making it in the midlands

Earlier this decade Laois and Westmeath were basking in the glories of underage and Leinster SFC title successes. So why has their stock fallen so quickly? Brendan O’Brien reports.

IT started with a penalty. Westmeath were three points up in the 1995 Leinster MFC final when Laois star Ian Fitzgerald, showing enviable composure for a 17-year old, slotted the equalising goal under Aidan Lennon at a packed Croke Park.

In all, it took three games and 210 minutes of football to separate the two that summer. It wasn’t quite 1991 and Dublin-Meath all over again but it did take on a life of its own. The first of two replays in Tullamore was delayed by 15 minutes to accommodate the crowd of 8,000.