Leitrim were without injured fullback John Walsh and suspended midfielder Aiden Power. But it was Westmeath that came into this match shorthanded. Several starters were attending teammate Garreth Bailie’s wedding and there is no telling what effect Saturday evening’s historic victory in Ireland had on Westmeath’s preparations.
Needless to say, with two precious points on the line, Leitrim weren’t about to feel sorry for the Lakes County side. Ned Hogan got it started for Leitrim with a well-taken goal after good set-up work from Danny O’Sullivan and Tommy Gee. Gee was back in the starting lineup after battling back from injury and he celebrated his return with a personal tally of 1-4.
Westmeath could offer little resistance as Leitrim waltzed to a 3-5 to 0-0 lead at the half. Paul Murray had two first-half goals as Leitrim sealed the result in the opening stanza.
There would be no brave Westmeath fight back in the second half. An early Tommy Gee goal mirrored Hogan’s first-half effort and the only suspense left was whether Leitrim would pitch a shutout.
P.J. Ward erased that possibility with the first of his three second-half points, but it mattered little as Leitrim earned the facile victory.
Man of the Match: Paul Murray
Leitrim: Gary Skully, Kevin Fitzgerald, James McFadden, Michael Lynch, Ciaran Power, Victor O’Shea, Andy O’Connor (0-1), Darragh Phelan, Ken O’Connor (0-1), Danny O’Sullivan, John Murphy (0-2), Paul Murray (2-0), Ned Hogan (1-3), Tommy Gee (1-4), Shane McDermott. Subs: Jeremy Holland, Mossie Doran (0-1).
Westmeath: Chris Clarke, Pat Spellman, Peter Dalton, Ray Reynolds, Dave O’Neill, John Dowdall, Derek Costello, Paul Dillon, Darrren Petit, Tomas Maher, P.J. Ward (0-3), James Stones (0-1), Leon Carberry, Frank Kavanagh, Tom Quinn.