Westmeath minor manager pleased with players' brave approach

Westmeath minor football manager David Geoghegan believes his young side are starting to show their true potential, after they bounced back from a disappointing opening round result with a convincing win over Longford last Thursday evening.

It was the county's first win in the Leinster MFC since 2022 and only the second in six years.

Speaking following his team’s 3-15 to 2-9 victory in Kinnegad, Geoghegan praised the players' approach and their growing confidence.

“It’s good for the young fellas to get over the line, because I would have thought above in Meath (in round 1) if they believed more in themselves, there was more in them," said Geoghegan, who felt his charges "played within themselves" against Meath.

Geoghegan feels self-belief is a key factor and he praised his team for playing on the front foot.

"We scored 3-15, there were 29 shots. I didn't see them (statistics), but I'd imagine they won most of the possession at midfield. It was a great performance from the lads tonight. We asked them to be brave, go for it, play football, and that's what they did," he said.

"We struggled the last day at midfield, but I think we came out on top there tonight. We can see from all the other teams with the new rules, it's breaking ball, it's kickouts; it's keeping it wide, running off the shoulder. Sometimes those things work and they worked tonight because they went for it."

When asked about Will Scahill's crucial goal just before half-time, Geoghegan was full of praise for the talented forward, while also underlining the importance of a collective effort. “Look, Will has those things in his locker every day when he's out to play. We asked them for a team effort: we've all got to play our part, we've all got to stand up and put our shoulder to the wheel. They did that and when Will scores goals like that as well, you get a boost. That's the fuel that drives you on.

"No time is a bad time to get a goal, but when you get a goal like that, it spreads belief, the whole length of the field back to the corner-back."

Next up for Westmeath is a crucial trip to Newbridge tomorrow night (Thursday, throw-in 7.30pm), and Geoghegan knows just how tight the group is proving to be. “Look at how competitive it is. Kildare beat Meath by five points and Longford drew with Kildare. It’s all to play for in Newbridge on Thursday night. The whole thing's wide open now.”

Confidence is building, but the manager is keen to ensure the players stay grounded. “That’s what you need. You have to have confidence, but it has to be measured as well. There are no cups here tonight," he added.