By Pierce O’Reilly
Donegal 0-11, Westmeath 1-3
Champions Donegal hardly broke a sweat as they disposed of a weak Westmeath challenge in the main game of day at Gaelic Park. The Ulstermen were by far the better team, yet they struggled to dispose of the Midlanders, who refused to lie down even when the game was over as a contest.
Westmeath started at blistering pace and on a goal from Matthew Gilroy gave them an early lead. Donegal, however, have talent in abundance, and when they clicked midway through, they ran riot. Full forward Peter Loughran and New York native Kevin Lilly hit some excellent points. The Ulstermen led 0-6 to 1-02 at the interval after a half that was both physical and pedestrian.
The entire second half belonged to Donegal, who moved into second gear at the start of the half and almost held the Midlanders scoreless for the entire second 30 minutes. Indeed, Westmeath didn’t score in the second half until the final minute and that effort from Enda Henry came with just 15 seconds to play.
Donegal, meanwhile, were rampant. Mick Moran was outstanding at midfield, while all the forwards moved with a new elegance. The return of J.P. Boyle has added a new dimension to the attack, and with Lilly, Loughran and Rory Gallagher all hitting the target, the Ulstermen ran out easy winners. Westmeath manager P.J. Quinn won’t loss much sleep over the defeat. His defensive players are capable and Kieran Walsh and Brian McCabe are good footballers. Up front, however, Quinn needs serious surgery. If the attack doesn’t improve, they won’t make the playoffs.
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Donegal: E. Doherty, M. McClaferty, O. Cummins, M. Meehan, G. Kelly, D. Boyle, N. McCreedy, M. Moran 0-1, K. Lilly 0-2, A. Diver, J.P. Boyle 0-1, L. Gallagher, R. Sweeney 0-1, P. Loughran 0-5, M. Leahy, Sub: E.Cleary.
Westmeath: K. Traynor, D. Bailey, K. Walsh, P. Dalton, T. Moriarty, B. McCabe, T. Quinn, J. Kavanagh, S. Yore, B. Healy, V. Gallagher, M. Gilroy 1-1, P. Reynolds, E. Henry 0-1, B. Tuohy. Subs: R. McDonald, G. Bailey.