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Westmeath made the most of his eight-point margin of victory in the rearranged Allianz National Football League Division 2 game played in ideal football conditions at TEG Cusack Park, Mullingar.
Before the game, the two Midland teams were tied at five points each with an identical score difference of minus eight (Westmeath was just ahead in points scored) and neither side was sure if they would operate in Division 1 , 2 or 3 in 2021.
Westmeath’s star player John Heslin had tweeted his concerns during the week about the resumption of inter-county activity, but St Loman’s man Mullingar looked a lot like a man who wanted to play football in the first half while leading to the Laois. he defends a lighthearted dance, kicking half of his team’s dozen points, with three of them in open play with either foot.
The home team played outstanding football in the first half, with Ray Connellan and Ronan O’Toole scoring a double each.
Laois’ first four points came from free, the fourth of them from goalkeeper Niall Corbett from the 45-meter line in the 21st minute. His fifth marker came courtesy of Gary Walsh at the half-hour mark when the corner forward could have found the network. Westmeath paid off their 0-12 lead to 0-05 at halftime.
In truth, even though Diarmuid Whelan opened the scoring in the second half with a great point in the 40th minute, moments after his manager Mike Quirke was banished to the empty stands, the visitors never seemed to make any serious inroads into the deficit. .
Lorcan Dolan nullified Whelan’s point with his second ‘mark’ of the afternoon and Jack Cooney’s men continued to keep the score going.
Heslin’s first score of the second half came from a free kick in the 59th minute, and clubmate O’Toole followed up with possibly the point of the day to put his team ahead 0-16 to 0-08. Any lingering doubts about the outcome were dispelled when the great play by Luke Loughlin and Lorcan Dolan beat winger Jamie Gonoud, who shot the ball into the net from the blank spot in the 63rd minute.
Gary Walsh converted five late free kicks for Laois, but points from Heslin and rookie Brandon Kelly completed an impressive display by Westmeath.
Westmeath: J Daly; J. Smith, R. Wallace, B. Sayeh; J Dolan (0-01), K Maguire, J Gonoud (1-00); P Holloway, S Duncan; L Loughlin, R O’Toole (0-03), R Connellan (0-02); L Dolan (0-02, 0-02 points), J Heslin (0-08, 0-04f), K Martin (0-01).
Subs: B Kelly (0-01) for L Dolan (66), D Lynch for Holloway (69), C McCormack for Loughlin (70 + 3), A McGivney for Martin (70 +3).
Laois: N Corbett (0-02, 0-02f); T Collins, D Booth, R Pigott; A Farrell, S O’Flynn, E Buggie; K Lillis, J O’Loughlin; G Dillon, M Barry (0-02, 0-02f), B Byrne; D Whelan (0-01), E O’Carroll (0-01, 0-01f), G Walsh (0-06, 0-05f).
Subs: D O’Reilly (0-01) for Dillon (ht), R Munnelly for Barry (46), E Lowry for Byrne (51), M Keogh for Whelan (60), B Daly for O’Carroll (64),
Referee: P Maguire (Longford).
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