February 16, 2011
By Staff Reporter
By Mark Jones
DUBLIN — Westmeath booked their place in the final of football’s O’Byrne Cup with a narrow 1-10 to 1-8 victory over Laois at O’Moore Park last weekend. If it was fairly typical mid-winter stuff, there was still enough to savor for the 4,000 fans, most of whom were frustrated by Laois’s slack shooting.
The home team held the upper hand for much of the first half, but failed to make it count on the scoreboard. Stephen Kelly with an impressive 1-6 was the only Laois forward to score, but even he was guilty of several misses. Hugh Emerson, Brian McDonald and Paul Dunne all found it hard to hit the target.
Westmeath, by contrast, were much steadier with Joe Fallon, Ger Heavin and Dessie Dolan taking nearly all of the scoring chances which came their way.
There may be many changes between now and early summer when the two counties clash again in the Leinster championship, but for now, Westmeath have struck an early psychological blow.
Their opponents in the final will be Longford, who staved off a second-half comeback by Offaly to come through on a scoreline of 0-14 to 0-12 at Pearse
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Park. Paul Barden and Padraic Davis accounted for nine of the winners’ total.
Meanwhile, Galway got the better of Mayo by 1-12 to 1-10 in a Connacht League game in Claremorris, where 3,000 spectators paid in. Sligo beat Leitrim by 0-14 to 1-9 in the same competition at Drumshanbo.