Daire Cregg of Roscommon in action against David Giles of Westmeath during the Allianz Football League Division 2 match between Westmeath and Roscommon at TEG Cusack Park in Mullingar, Westmeath. Photo by Michael P Ryan/Sportsfile.
Allianz Football League Division 2
Westmeath 1-19 Roscommon 2-16
By Gerry Buckley in TEG Cusack Park
Roscommon will play in Division 1 next spring after drawing their final game in Division 2 in Mullingar as Westmeath staged a great second half comeback to garner their first point of an unlucky 2025 for them with a wonderful last-gasp two-pointer from veteran sub Kieran Martin.
The value of the new two-point score was particularly evident in this contest with Westmeath scoring five of them (all from play), while their opponents registered none over the course of a remarkable contest.
Ciarán Lennon edged the visitors ahead after 40 seconds, but Luke Loughlin responded quickly and in the best possible fashion when Brían Cooney teed up Westmeath’s marquee forward for a well-taken goal. However, Davy Burke’s men, who had the advantage of a swirling wind, took virtually complete control for the next 25 minutes, scoring freely from a variety of angles.
Ciaráin Murtagh goaled in the fifth minute, after the referee had played a good ‘advantage’, and points followed from the same player, Cian McKeon and Daire Cregg. Conor McCormack prevented Diarmuid Murtagh from scoring another Roscommon goal at the expense of an unconverted ‘45’, but a further point from McKeon and a slapped goal from Diarmuid Murtagh put the Connacht men 2-5 to 1-1 ahead midway through the half.
Five more unanswered points followed – two of them from Cregg – as Roscommon totally dominated the midfield exchanges. However, Dermot McCabe’s men rallied somewhat in the closing stages, four one-pointers without reply (including Cooney with a fisted score after the hooter had sounded) leaving them trailing by 2-10 to 1-5 at the break.
Despite the outstanding Ray Connellan scoring the first of a remarkable hat-trick of two-pointers from open play in the 41st minute, his side still trailed by 2-14 to 1-8 with 46 minutes elapsed. In the 52nd minute, Loughlin spurned a goal chance and Enda Smith’s shot was taken off the line seconds later at the other end. Roscommon led by 2-16 to 1-13 when Sam McCartan appeared to score a two-pointer, but it was deemed that goalkeeper Conor Carroll had touched the ball en route.
A Smith thunderbolt came back off the crossbar, but Westmeath – who had been very close in five of the previous six games with no points on the board to show for their efforts – continued to show an abundance of heart and they could have goaled again when Conor Dillon opted to pass the ball to sub Nigel Harte with the goal at his mercy in the 64th minute.
However, there was no shortage of drama in the closing stages, with the Lake County men plugging away via a successful Loughlin ‘45’ (his second of the contest) before sub Eoghan McCabe’s long-range shot was allowed to hop over the crossbar for a two-pointer. With the hooter just sounded, Martin kicked a sublime equaliser from another two-pointer.
Roscommon fans were made to wait to see if other results had gone their way, but their promotion was eventually announced over the public address system.
Scorers for Westmeath: R Connellan 0-7 (3 2pt), L Loughlin 1-2 (0-2‘45’), B Cooney, E McCabe (2pt), K Martin (2pt), S McCartan (1‘45’) 0-2 each, R Forde, M Whittaker 0-1 each.
Scorers for Roscommon: C Murtagh 1-6 (0-2f), D Cregg, C McKeon 0-3 each, D Murtagh 1-0, E Smith 0-2, C Lennon, C Cox (f) 0-1 each.
Westmeath: Conor McCormack; Jamie Gonoud, David Giles, Conor Dillon; Joe Moran, Ronan Wallace, Sam McCartan; Ray Connellan, Fionn O’Hara; Danny McCartan, Brían Cooney, Matthew Whittaker; Robbie Forde, Luke Loughlin, Adam Treanor. Subs: Nigel Harte for Moran (34), Brandon Kelly for Treanor (34), Eoghan McCabe for Forde (46), Kieran Martin for D McCartan (60), Andrew Kilmartin for Cooney (67).
Roscommon: Conor Carroll; Colm Neary, David Murray, Niall Higgins; Shane Cunnane, Ruaidhrí Fallon, Ciarán Lennon; Enda Smith, Keith Doyle; Eddie Nolan, Daire Cregg, Conor Hand; Diarmuid Murtagh, Cian McKeon, Ciaráin Murtagh. Subs: Cathal Heneghan for Cregg (inj., 34), Senan Lambe for Neary (h-t), Conor Cox for D Murtagh (53), Ronan Daly for Cunnane (54), Shane Killoran for McKeon (62), Cian McKeon for Lennon (blood, 67).
Ref: Jerome Henry (Mayo).
