Westmeath 1-31
Cavan 3-21
The Westmeath train is still on the tracks after five wins. In this Round 1 home game against Cavan at Mullingar, they seemed at key moments to have met their match, as the Breffni men found a way to close the deficit several times in the second half. And then the visitors, led by the home side’s manager from last year, Dermot McCabe, raced to a six-point lead by the half-way mark in extra time as the skies opened at Cusack Park. But the Lake County’s fitness and spirit saw them through to victory with a margin of four points in front of 12,000 fans.
Cavan’s stars early on were Emmanuel Shehu, Paddy Lynch and Ryan Donohoe, but Mark McHugh’s scorers were on form — including Matthew Whittaker, Sam McCartan, Ronan Wallace and Conor Brady — and the home side went in at half time 0-12 to 0-6 to the good.
Each of the game’s four goals were at the heart of a story — the best of them was the first, fired home by Cavan’s Lynch, which set up the first comeback. Paddy Meade’s tap-in, Cavan’s second goal, equalled the score-line later in the game. When Westmeath crept ahead, Conor Casey got a magnificent two-pointer to even it up again. Returning Westmeath retiree John Heslin had a chance to win the game but his free went wide of the target.
Cavan’s and the game’s third goal, from Dara McVeety, was part of the flurry of scores that put them out in front by six points, and Westmeath’s big moment in the second period of extra-time was Kevin O’Sullivan’s rounding goalie Liam Brady to shoot into the net from close range. That gave them a two-point advantage and Heslin got two more single points from frees to add a certain sheen to the winning margin.
Westmeath: Jason Daly; Daniel Scahill, Charlie Drumm (0-01), Tadhg Baker; Ronan Wallace (0-04, 1 2pt), Shane Allen, Matthew Whittaker (0-02); Brían Cooney (0-02 2pt), Ray Connellan; Kevin O'Sullivan (1-00), Sam McCartan (0-04, 1 2ptf, 2f), Conor Dillon (0-02); Shane Corcoran (0-01), Senan Baker (0-04, 1 2pt), Brandon Kelly (0-06).
Subs: Robbie Forde (0-01) for Corcoran (47), John Heslin (0-03, 2f) for S Baker (53), Jack Duncan (0-01) for Cooney (57), Eoghan McCabe for Allen (61), Harry Niall for Dillon (68), Adam Treanor for S Baker (start of e/t), Senan Baker for Whittaker (inj., 76), Eoghan McCabe for T Baker (80), Ian Martin for Scahill (inj., 89).
Cavan: Liam Brady; Barry Donnelly, Brían O'Connell, Evan Crowe; Gerard Smith, Ciarán Brady, Conor Brady (0-01); Jensen Tynan, Paddy Meade (1-00); Tiarnan Madden (0-04, 1 2ptf, 2f), Ryan Donohoe (0-01), Emmanuel Shehu (0-02); Caoimhan McGovern, Fionntán O’Reilly, Paddy Lynch (1-04, 1 2ptf, 2f).
Subs: Darragh Lovett (0-04, 2 2pt) for McGovern (h-t), Conor Casey (0-04, 2 2pt) for O’Reilly (48), Dara McVeety (1-01) for Donnelly (52), Niall Carolan for Crowe (58), Cormac Brady for Tynan (67), Ryan Brady for Carolan (start of e/t), Ryan Tobin for Shehu (start of e/t), Peter Corrigan for Ciaran Brady (85), Niall Carolan for Donohoe (85).
Referee: Paddy Neilan (Roscommon).
