Dessie hopes for huge support as ‘great occasion’ with Galway looms

Dessie Dolan has issued a rallying call for supporters to get behind the Westmeath senior football team as they prepare to face Galway at TEG Cusack Park next Sunday (3pm).

Following last Saturday night's away defeat to Armagh (0-16 to 0-11), Westmeath will have home advantage against the Connacht champions and Dolan is hoping for as much support as possible.

Despite the obvious disappointment over the defeat to Armagh, Dolan’s demeanour was quite upbeat afterwards and he quickly turned the focus to the Galway clash.

“We'll have Damien Comer, Shane Walsh, Sean Kelly and a host of top-class players coming to Mullingar, so hopefully the supporters will come out and support Westmeath," said Dolan. “The Cusack Park pitch is lovely at the moment; we were training on it the other night. It will be a great occasion; we don't get them too often and I think we all need to appreciate them. So, I'd ask people to bring the kids along and enjoy the match and enjoy meeting some of the best players in the country.

"If we could get seven or eight thousand people into Mullingar, wouldn’t it be a brilliant atmosphere? Galway are three-in-a-row Connacht champions, and Pádraic Joyce and all the boys are coming to town. We're playing at this level so hopefully people will embrace it and that supporters will come out and support Westmeath football."

Reflecting on the Armagh match, Dolan said: "I think just after half-time our kickouts went astray. They just got a purple patch at a crucial time and it gave them a little bit of breathing space. We probably didn't create enough opportunities (in the second half)."

Dolan felt missed chances in the first half, when wind-assisted, was the main reason behind his team's defeat against Armagh in round one, pointing to aspects like shot selection.

“Ultimately for me, it came down to the first half where we dropped five balls short and they were good opportunities. I think from five of those shots that went short, they got four points.

“That's a swing of nine points and that's massive at this level. That's the level we're at and we have to judge ourselves against very high standards. Mistakes are made because you're under pressure; it's not because lads can't do it, they are well able to do it," he opined.

“You could be playing Tailteann Cup or in the All-Ireland series. The build-up to this game, the stadium, the pitch, everything about it is the level you'd want to be at it, and that's where you learn.

“Leaving here, I'm probably disappointed that we had a lot of opportunities that we didn’t take. They would probably say something similar but from my team's perspective, there were decent opportunities that we didn't execute, even down to the last few plays.”

In terms of their effort and application, Dolan expressed pride in his players. "The main thing for us is that we stay together and stay united and know that there is a better performance in us," he said.