Hackett's Westmeath are no match for slick DCU

O'BYRNE CUP SF ROUND-UP:BRENDAN HACKETT'S reign as Westmeath senior football manager got off to a disappointing start at St Loman's Lakepoint Park in Mullingar yesterday when a much fitter and slicker DCU side registered a 0-18 to 0-8 victory over an understrength home side.

The students led 0-8 to 0-2 at the interval.

A potent attacking division, spearheaded by a particularly strong full forward line of Seánie Johnson (Cavan), Donal Shine (Roscommon) and David Kelly (Sligo), caused endless problems for a sluggish home rearguard.

At the other end, regular Westmeath full back Kieran Gavin was a tower of strength for DCU and Tommy McDaniel was the only consistent threat in an experimental Lake County attack. James Durkan’s freetaking helped Westmeath to keep the scoreline somewhat respectable.

Kildare overcame the sending off of All Star midfielder Dermot Earley for a second yellow card to edge past UCD by 0-16 to 1-11 at Newbridge.

Earley received his marching orders for an innocuous-looking altercation with UCD’s Laois man, John O’Loughlin, straight after the resumption.

Kildare led at the break by 0-9 to 1-5 (Longford forward Francis McGee scoring the students’ goal after 33 minutes) and with Rob Kelly unerring from placed kicks, stretched that advantage to four.

Despite the dismissal of former Dublin defender Rory O’Carroll late on, UCD reduced the margin to one before Ken Donnelly’s point calmed Kildare nerves.

Athlone IT registered a deserved 0-12 to 0-8 win over Luke Dempsey’s Carlow side at Dr Cullen Park. Athlone led 0-6 to nil after 22 minutes with scores from Ray Galligan (free), Frank Burke, David Egan, Galligan again, David Reilly and John Reynolds.

Carlow took 27 minutes to register a score, from a pointed free by left full forward John Kavanagh, and trailed 0-6 to 0-3 at the break.

Athlone ensured victory with two fine points from a 55-metre Paul Bannon free and a fine effort by John Reynolds.

Offaly eased to a facile 1-23 to 0-6 win over struggling Kilkenny at Thomastown, while Meath defeated Longford by six points, 2-13 to 0-13, in yesterday’s first round clash at Ballymahon.