Antrim struggle to put away 13-man Westmeath

NHL DIVISION TWO Antrim 2-13 Westmeath 2-9:ANTRIM STRUGGLED to overcome 13-man Westmeath in a poor standard fifth round tie in Division Two of the National Hurling League, played in front of a very small crowd at Cusack Park, Mullingar yesterday afternoon.

Westmeath started the brighter and were 0-2 to 0-0 ahead after 11 minutes before Karl Stewart opened Antrim’s account. Midway through the first half, full forward Conor Carson got a touch to a long range free from Stewart and deflected the ball to the net. The same player displayed his opportunistic instincts again in the 27th minute when he poked the ball home from a scooped effort by Michael Armstrong. A minute before the break, Alan Devine nabbed the home team’s only score from play in the opening half when he found the net from point blank range. At the break, the sides were level on a scoreline of Antrim 2-2, Westmeath 1-5.

There was very little to choose between two evenly-matched sides for long periods of the second half, with Dan Carty’s well-taken goal in the 62nd minute edging Westmeath ahead. The teams were level at 2-9 apiece when Brendan Murtagh was dismissed on a second yellow card with 10 minutes remaining. Three minutes later, Brian Smyth joined his colleague in the dug-out, this time on a straight red.

The numerical advantage proved too much for Westmeath and the visitors pulled away with four late points to secure a precious brace of league points.

ANTRIM: S Hawes; K McGourty, S Shannon, K Molloy; A Graffin, M Herron, J McCouaig; S McCrory, S McNaughton (0-2); N McManus (0-7, 0-4 frees), K Stewart (0-3), M Armstrong, D Hamill, C Carson (2-0), B Fall. Subs: J Black (0-1) for Armstrong (half-time), C McGuiness for Fall, P Shiels for Hamill (both 50 mins).

WESTMEATH: P Burke; E Price, D McCormack, A McGrath; J Shaw, A Mitchell (0-4, 0-3 frees, 0-1 65), P Gilsenan; J Clarke, N Flanagan; C Curley, B Smyth, N Dowdall; A Devine (1-0); B Murtagh, D Carty (1-4, 0-4 frees). Subs: A Price (0-1) for Curley (half-time), C Scally for Burke (56 mins), C Mackey for Dowdall (69 mins).

Referee: D O'Driscoll(Limerick).