Glennon goal seals deserved win for Westmeath

Allianz Hurling League Division One Group B

Westmeath 2-18 Antrim 1-15

By Gerry Buckley

Goals in either half from Eoin Keyes and Davy Glennon proved crucial as Westmeath’s senior hurlers picked up their first Allianz Hurling League points of 2024 with a deserved six-point win over Antrim yesterday (Saturday).

This game was played in front of a small crowd in wet and windy conditions in TEG Cusack Park .

After the match, winning manager Joe Fortune conceded that the overall performance was not on a par with the recent ‘moral’ victories against Limerick and Tipperary. But a ‘proper’ win was all Lake County Gaels craved, and they got this with a little bit to spare against a saffron and white-clad outfit which was inferior to the one which comfortably defeated their hosts last May to retain Liam MacCarthy Cup status.

While much of the fare on offer was scrappy – the conditions were an undoubted factor in this – a victory was a timely boost for the men in maroon and white, whose campaign had opened dismally in Salthill.

The home team finished the half strongly to lead by 1-12 to 1-8 at the interval. Former All Star nominee Killian Doyle was lively when sprung from the bench and he chipped in with two points from play.

In truth, Westmeath never looked like being overturned in the closing stages despite the best efforts of Darren Gleeson’s troops, who were forced to try unsuccessfully to manufacture a face-saving goal in injury-time.

Scorers - Westmeath: D Williams 0-8 (5 frees, 2 ‘65s’); E Keyes 1-2; D Glennon 1-1; D O’Reilly, K Doyle 0-2 each; P Clarke, R Greville, J Boyle 0-1 each. Antrim: C Cunning 0-7 (5f); N McKenna 1-1; C McCann, N O’Connor, E Campbell 0-2 each; E McFerran 0-1.

Westmeath: Noel Conaty; Darragh Egerton, Tommy Doyle, Conor Gaffney; Jack Gillen, Kevin Regan, Johnny Bermingham; Robbie Greville, Shane McGovern; Niall Mitchell, David Williams, Owen McCabe; Eoin Keyes, Joey Boyle, David O’Reilly. Subs used: Aaron Craig for Gillen (32 mins), Killian Doyle for O’Reilly (h-t), Peter Clarke for McGovern (h-t), Davy Glennon for Keyes (52), Micheal Daly for McCabe (66).

Antrim: Tiernan Smyth; Phelim Duffin, Rory McCloskey, Paddy Burke; Scott Walsh, Ryan McGarry, Niall O’Connor; Eoghan Campbell, Enda Óg McGarry; Ronan McAteer, Rian McMullan, Niall McKenna; Conal Cunning, Conor McCann, Fred McCurry. Subs used: Conor Boyd for McGarry (45 mins), Eoin McFerran for Walsh (45), Christy McGarry for McMullan (54), Arron Bradley for McAteer (58).

Referee: Shane Hynes (Galway).

*See more on the game in next week's print edition.