No major progress likely while minor disasters continue

The Gerry Buckley Column -- Reporting commitments elsewhere - Navan (our inconsistent senior hurlers played very well), followed immediately in DCU (our improving senior footballers played reasonably well) - meant that it was with a heavy heart that I missed the opportunity to see our minor footballers in the flesh last Saturday when they took on Longford in their second outing of this year's Leinster Championship.However, from all reports, I am told I was lucky in that the experience would have broken my heart, had I been in Cusack Park between 3 and 4.20 pm on May 22nd.Any punter, casual or otherwise, would spot very quickly that there are two or three staff members collecting for each one that is handing back cash in any bookmakers, so gambling on sport (or anything else for that matter) is a risky pastime. I also have a lifetime rule set in stone that I simply never back against Westmeath or Ireland - how a 'fan' could collect money when their 'own' team loses is simply beyond me. My Clare-based pal still talks of his regret in not investing a few euro on the Banner footballers at 7/2 when I advised him to do so for their Qualifier game against a rapidly-disapproved Westmeath in Ennis in 2005, on the basis that I wouldn't do so (reason for same already explained). Where is this all leading? I may have been a clairvoyant (Clarevoyant?) five summers ago, but I also had a bad gut feeling about last weekend's encounter against our neighbours and age-old rivals donned in blue and gold, who are justifiably always keen to get one over on a county who have been much more in the limelight over the past decade-and-a-half than Longford.My unease with the tie grew in direct proportion to my cholesterol as I tucked in to my weekly fry-up last Saturday morning and read Vincent Hogan's (as always) excellent interview with Waterford footballer, Michael Ahearne, who recounted the horror of the Decies' league defeat by London in Ruislip a couple of seasons ago, having approached the away fixture in a self-confessed "stag party mood" (without the pre-match drink, in fairness) and thinking "sure it's only London". I feared that a "sure it's only Longford" mentality would prove fatal and seemingly it did. Despite their 19-point hammering from Offaly in the first round, the Longford lads, to their great credit, regrouped in the 'back door', defeating Wexford (by eight points) and Carlow (by nine points - the same winning margin as ourselves in Dr Cullen Park). I am told by all and sundry that last Saturday they produced a passionate on and off-the-field performance and were not remotely flattered by their one-goal winning margin. And good luck to them from here on in in the province.Without wishing in any way to sound overly-pompous or thinking "sure it's only Carlow/Kilkenny/Wexford", the truly depressing statistic I often trot out (and in a chat with Brendan Hackett since his dignified resignation, the Monaghan man instantly recalled it as one of the first worrying stats I threw at him) is that the Barrowsiders, the Cats and the Slaneysiders are the only three counties we have managed to beat in the last ten years in the Leinster Championship (and, at that, we also lost to a fine Carlow side, Brendan Murphy et al, in 2007). A year before this litany of failure commenced we were provincial champions (as part of a minor/under-21 double) under the guidance of the under-appreciated Ambrose McGowan. Indeed, despite that memorable (if somewhat fortunate) win over Dublin and subsequent heartbreaking defeat by Mayo (after a replay), only Donal O'Donoghue from the side of 2000 went on to establish himself as a senior inter-county regular, with Gary Flanagan, Gary Glennon and Daniel McDermott the other men from that squad still featuring in Pat Flanagan's panel, when those young men should be in their absolute prime as footballers.Facts and figures can be boring, but they don't lie. Despite our lowly status in the senior roll of honour (one win in 2004 - in case you hadn't heard - leaves us tied with Carlow and Longford behind eight more prolific counties). However, in the minor grade we stand proudly in joint-sixth spot with Kildare (last success in 1991) on five wins, with two of the five ahead of us, Louth and Offaly, having failed to win a title since 1953 and 1989 respectively. We appeared in two provincial finals in both the 1980s and 1990s (famously winning not just Leinster, but the All-Ireland, under Luke Dempsey in 1995). Our record in the Gerry Reilly under-16 tournament in Oldcastle and the Fr Manning Cup, at the same age level (both sadly discontinued in their original formats) remains solid, but for some mysterious reason our minors continue to flop, a mere two years later. (Incidentally, I expect to see a former Cavan player from his Gerry Reilly days, Killian Sheridan make his full international debut v. Paraguay the day before this paper goes to press. Only our own Denis Glennon impressed me more in many years watching that splendid competition. Depressingly, the third-best player I picked out no longer plays even meaningful club football in this county and he is still in his mid-20s).Ger Heavin's emotional speech as he lifted the NFL Division two trophy in Croke Park in April 2001 (it is not inconceivable that he could have been lifting Sam five months later - oh Ollie Murphy, I'll never get you out of my mind) proved, as if proof were needed, that the maroon and white jersey meant so, so much to the Moate man. So, I don't doubt for a split second his total commitment to preparing the minors for the past few seasons, nor indeed that of the previous incumbents in the bainisteoir's bib since 2001.However, this depressing sequence has to end. And that must start in 2011.Westmeath's ten-year record in the Leinster MFC2001 v. Wexford (drew, won), v. Offaly (lost)2002 v. Dublin (lost)2003 v. Laois (lost)2004 v. Offaly (drew, lost)2005 v. Offaly (lost)2006 v. Kilkenny (won), v. Carlow (won), v. Dublin (lost)2007 v. Wexford (won), v. Carlow (lost)2008 v. Carlow (won), v. Offaly (lost)2009 v. Carlow (won), v. Meath (lost)2010 v. Carlow (won), v. Longford (lost)