Westmeath deserve to be in Division 4 says Heslin

Westmeath were in Division 4 this term because they "deserve to be there", according to star forward John Heslin.

The St Loman's man is the highest scoring forward in this league campaign with 3-48 to his name after the first six games. However, despite his rich vein of form, he doesn't believe that he and his team mates are too good for Division 4.

Speaking to Colm Parkinson on The GAA Hour podcast (from 56 mins), he said that Tom Cribben's men were in the lowest rung of the national football league because of the standard of their performances in recent league campaigns.

"We weren't hand-picked and put in Division Four. Likewise, when we got to Division One, we deserved to be there because our results got us that promotion. And it was the same with the relegation."

After drawing with Carlow in the first game of the campaign, Westmeath have won five games in a row, including last Sunday's promotion clinching victory against a weakened Wexford side.

Heslin believes that his team's upturn in fortunes is about more than the quality of the opposition they have faced.

"The big thing this year is that we have more options. It's all well and good saying, 'Oh, you went defensive against this team and that team,' but maybe we didn't have the strength and depth in the panel at the time.

"This year, a lot of guys have committed to the inter-county scene who wouldn't have done so in years gone by and we have bigger and stronger bodies. They've brought training onto another level and even yesterday [against Wexford], we had two or three lads start who didn't play at all last year."

Regardless of the result in Sunday's home game against London, Westmeath will face Wexford in the Divsion 4 final in Croke Park on Saturday April 8. Heslin says that he's looking forward to another big day out in Croker.

"Promotion was our main focus but anyone who gets to a final wants to win it...We are playing London this weekend and that's a game we want to win, and then we are playing Wexford again. We want to win a bit of silverware in Croke Park and that's something that you don't always get to do."