Offaly upset formbook

NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE/Division 2 A - Offaly ... 1-13 Westmeath ... 1-10: Offaly ended Westmeath's 100 per cent record in Division 2A when they registered a three-point victory in Tullamore. The result may have made a mockery of form, but, on the day, the home side fully deserved to win.

Westmeath will be consoled by the fact that they are still most likely to gain promotion but yesterday's performance exposed many previously concealed weaknesses, not the least of which was the lack of penetration in their attack.

Only two of the visitors' starting forwards managed to score, and it was not until secondhalf substitutes P J Ward and James Conroy were introduced that Westmeath showed a bit of bite upfront.

Offaly had the man of the match in Ciaran McManus whose partnership with Alan McNamee enabled the home side to dominate midfield.

Westmeath started brightly with early points by Martin Flanagan and Colin Whyte, but were then pegged back by a sixth minute goal by Karol Slattery. The visitors hit back almost immediately and regained the lead through corner back Damian Healy's goal but then went 29 minutes without a score.

In contrast, Offaly reeled off a string of points through Colm Quinn (3), Neville Coughlan, Ciaran McManus, McNamee and Pascal Kellaghan.

The second half followed a similar pattern, with Westmeath showing a promise they failed to fulfill. Within eight minutes they had cut Offaly's lead to two points before falling away and having no answer to points by McManus, Coughlan, Kellaghan and Quinn.

A futile late rally, in which the visitors outscored their hosts by four points to one, put a more respectable look on the scoreboard.

OFFALY: C McNamara; C Daly, G Rafferty, B Mooney; J Kenny, M Mitchell, K Slattery (1-0); A McNamee (0-1), C McManus (0-3); C Quinn (0-4), N Coughlan (0-2), P Mulhare; P Kelleghan (0-3), J Reynolds, B Malone. Subs: J Grennan for McNamee, J Hurst for Malone

WESTMEATH: A Lennon; D Healy (1-0), D Mitchell, K Henson; B Morley, D Gavin (0-1), D Kilmartin; R O'Connell (0-1), M Flanagan (0-2); F Wilson (0-1), S Colleary, A Mangan; C Whyte (0-2), G Dolan, J P Casey. Subs: P J Ward (0-1) for Dolan, J Conroy (0-2) for Whyte, P Leavey for Colleary. D Heavin for Kilmartin.

Referee: S Doyle (Wexford)