February 16, 2011
By Staff Reporter
Donegal 1-13, Westmeath 1-9
This senior football "A" division game had the potential to be one of the games of the season, pitching together two teams that are likely to be there or thereabouts come the end of the season. At the end of their clash at Gaelic Park on Sunday, the result went in favor of Paul Timoney’s Ulster men.
Fielding a number of the New York All-Ireland hopefuls in their panel, Donegal looked very impressive on paper. But this was no game of noughts and crosses. Football is played on grass, and the best players around can have their off days. No fewer than nine of last week’s combatants from the Armed Forces game were in action in this clash, including Chicago-born Emmet Haughian in the Westmeath goal who certainly stood out, and Donegal’s scoring machine Edmund Cleary, who had yet another fine display.
The game opened with Donegal going ahead, thanks to a point from Cleary and another from his partner in attack, Brendan Devaney.
Tom Yore hit back from the Westmeath midfield, and half back Tom Moriarty leveled the scores at two points apiece.
Further scores from Cleary, Gary Dowd, Pierce Coyle and Kieran Keaveney threatened to take the tie from Westmeath before the half was even over, but a well executed shot from Niall McCabe, which flew over the line for a goal, and a point from Daithi Regan, brought the Westmeath men right back into the fray.
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Some poor marking in the Westmeath midfield left Gary Dowd alone to run toward goal and set up Devaney for another point, and but for some off target shooting, the Ulster side would have been further in front at the interval. Haughian made two fantastic saves from Cleary and Devaney, then Donegal scored a goal attributed to Keaveney after a long mazy run which left the Westmeath fullback line for dead. Donegal’s Stephen Cassidy had a goal disallowed, seemingly for a foul on one of the Westmeath backs and, at half time, the score was 1-10 to 1-5 in favor of Donegal.
Donegal brought fresh legs on in the form of Ronan Rocks who immediately began battling his way into the danger zone, shooting a number of efforts toward the posts and scoring a point for himself in the process.
The game evened off a little, with both sides coming close, and Yore hitting two over for Westmeath, and Keaveney scoring for Donegal.
Mike Healy brought Westmeath closer to Donegal’s level but a point from the Northerner’s Cassidy gave Donegal an important four-point victory.
Donegal: Eunan Doherty, Keith Nolan, Damian Meehan, Keith Murray, Donal Breslin, Pierce Coyle (0-1), Gerry Kelly, Dave McSweeney, Ian Smith, Gary Dowd (0-1), Kieran Keaveney (1-2), Tadhg Donovan, Edmund Cleary (0-4), Stephen Cassidy (0-2), Brendan Devaney (0-2). Subs: Ronan Rocks (0-1), Dermot Boylan.
Westmeath: Emmet Haughian, John Markey, Frank Kavanagh, David Bailie, Tom Quinn, Collie Mathers, Tom Moriarty (0-1), Sam Yore (0-3), James Kavanagh, Dave Newman, Mike Healy (0-1), Jimmy Hughes, Dave Fisher, Daithi Regan (0-3), Niall McCabe (1-1). Sub: Pat Healy.