LEINSTER SFC FIRST ROUND/Westmeath 2-10 Longford 1-10:YESTERDAY'S OPENING to the 2008 championship was marked by the restoration of the old theme tune to The Sunday Game.
If Westmeath didn't quite join in this mood of happy recollection they at least avoided reliving the bad memories of a year ago, as they hung on to win by three points in Pearse Park, Longford.
Westmeath may be relieved to have survived into the next round but that was the extent of the positive sentiment. The new NFL Division Two champions left the field with the sheepish air of a bare-knuckle fighter who's just defeated a Hare Krishna over 28 rounds.
For most of this match the result was dawdling towards its all too predictable conclusion and with an hour gone Westmeath led by eight, 2-9 to 0-7. Then in the final 10 minutes the home side rallied and rattled off an unanswered 1-3 and it took a last-minute converted free to provide the winners with the fig-leaf of a three-point margin.
Longford's revival might have been heartening for Luke Dempsey and his team but for the existential nightmare of a 69-day wait until they play in the All-Ireland qualifiers on July 19th. Dempsey was understandably unhappy at the prospect of his players scattering to the Atlantic winds in the interim.
There were similarities with last year's championship curtain-raiser: a fine sunny afternoon and a crowd of around 8,000 and a good start by Westmeath. But the critical comeback by Longford was this time too little, too late and the football never reached the breathless levels of engagement that were attained 12 months previously.
Whereas a season ago Longford took the game to their neighbours and wiped out their eight-point half-time deficit in the space of 10 minutes with 2-2, yesterday they huffed and puffed for the third quarter and made no inroads on the smaller margin of five. It was, as the managers conceded afterwards, dull enough.
Westmeath brought in Des Dolan to start in place of Dermot Bannon, who had been ill in the run-up to the match. Although obviously short of match practice after his hamstring injury Dolan's performance sharpened up as the match progressed.
The area where Longford most needed to get on top was at centrefield in order to reduce pressure on their defence and try and get serviceable ball into Brian Kavanagh. This didn't happen.
Westmeath dominated the first-half exchanges in the sector, with Donal O'Donoghue's tremendous work rate covering an expansive area of operation from getting in good blocks on Longford attacks - including one that looked to be unfairly penalised in the 21st minute - and distributing the ball well going forward, including picking out Glennon for the second goal.
Martin Flanagan was equally busy around the middle and kicked two good long-range frees as his team eased into control. The main instrument of that control was a penalty by Alan Mangan, awarded after the always menacing Denis Glennon, who might have got a fist to the ball sent in by the excellent Damien Healy but instead took it down and was fouled by Damien Sheridan.
That wasn't the end of the goalkeeper's indignity. Mangan's shot was straight at him but the ball bounced off him into the net. By the 20th minute the margin was 1-3 to 0-1 - the only score from play Kevin Mulligan's opening point for Longford.
Westmeath's defence was again impressive. Longford tried two up front but Francis Boyle was comfortable keeping Francis McGee company farther out and not enough good ball went in to his colleagues on the inside. On top of good defensive pressure, inaccuracy helped the wides total reach eight before half-time.
Full back Kieran Gavin rode his luck from time to time - Connaughton saving well when the defence was opened up just before the break - but the important statistic at the end was that Brian Kavanagh ended with just one point from play as opposed to 2-2 last year and had to come out the field in the second half looking for possession.
The Westmeath full back forced his talented opponent into a couple of unwise shots from the wing and held his own for most of the match.
Just before Kavanagh's goal chance Westmeath took an iron grip on the match when Glennon soloed in along the end-line, surviving a number of challenges before dropping the ball and scoring from almost 180 degrees on the near post for a 2-4 to 0-5 half-time lead.
For the second half the lively Paddy Dowd swapped with Mulligan at wing forward but although Longford secured better possession and position but made no inroads on the lead until the late run on Westmeath, which was triggered by Paul Barden's 65th-minute goal - a calm finish after he had been well placed by Noel Farrell.
Diarmuid Masterson got the margin down to two in injury-time before Wilson's free restored the winning margin to three and steadied the visitors' well-frayed nerves.
WESTMEATH: 1 G Connaughton; 2 F Boyle, 3 K Gavin, 4 J Keane; 6 D Heavin, 5 M Ennis, 7 D Healy; 8 D O'Donoghue, 9 M Flanagan (0-3, two frees); 10 F Wilson (0-3, all frees), 11 J Smyth, 12 D Harte; 13 A Mangan (1-1, goal penalty), 14 D Glennon (1-1), 28 D Dolan (0-2, both frees). Sub: 29 D Duffy for Harte (55 mins). Yellow cards: D Healy (33 mins); J Smyth (42 mins).
LONGFORD: 1 D Sheridan; 4 D Masterson, 3 A O'Connor, 7 P Kelly; 6 E Williams, 2 N Farrell, 5 DC Reilly; 8 L Keenan, 9 P Dowd; 10 K Mulligan (0-1), 11 P Barden (1-1), 12 P Berry; 13 J Martin (0-3, two frees), 14 B Kavanagh (0-2, one line-ball), 15 F McGee (0-3, frees). Subs: 24 D Barden for McGee (half-time); 20 S Mulligan for Berry (49 mins); 25 P Foy for K Mulligan (58 mins); 26 C Casey for Kelly (65 mins); 17 D Brady for O'Connor (65 mins). Yellow cards: D Masterson (29 mins); P Barden (41 mins); L Keenan (47 mins); B Kavanagh (59 mins).
Attendance: 8,000.
Referee: M Hughes (Tyrone).
