NHL Division 1B: Westmeath 2-18 Antrim 1-15
An opportunist goal from former Galway player Davy Glennon in the 60th minute helped Westmeath to pick up their first league points of 2024 with a deserved six-point win over Antrim in front of a small crowd in wet and windy conditions in Mullingar.
Wind-assisted Westmeath raced into an early three-point lead courtesy of a David Williams free, and scores from play by David O’Reilly and Eoin Keyes. Freetaker Conal Cunning soon opened the visitors’ account, but Westmeath were still three points to the good (0-6 to 0-3) when top scorer Williams, who had scored a whopping 2-12 against Tipperary in the last round, converted a 12th-minute 65. Cunning took too long to set himself up for a 65 on the quarter-hour mark and the referee threw in the ball.
The gap was down to the bare minimum when Joe Fortune’s charges scored a fortuitous goal from the stick of Eoin Keyes in the 23rd minute. His point attempt from an acute angle ended up with Antrim goalie Tiernan Smyth spilling the sliotar over the line under no great pressure.
The visitors quickly responded with a goal of their own when Niall McKenna, who had earlier been denied a three-pointer by the acrobatics of Noel Conaty, batted the ball to the net from close range at the end of a Scott Walsh delivery. The home team finished the half strongly to lead by 1-12 to 1-8 at the interval. Remarkably, the Glensmen shot no wides in the first half.
Half-time sub Peter Clarke increased Westmeath’s lead with a quality point soon after the change of ends. Williams slotted over another free which was quickly cancelled out by recently-introduced Antrim sub Eoin McFerran. The winners’ lead was three points (1-15 to 1-12) when impressive sub Glennon found the net on the hour-mark, after a Williams free into the wind had dropped just short.
Former All Star nominee Killian Doyle was lively also 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. A late rally forced them to try unsuccessfully to manufacture a face-saving goal in injury-time.
After an awful first game in Salthill, Westmeath now seemed primed to be real contenders for the Joe McDonagh Cup, while Antrim will need huge improvement if they are to be competitive in the Leinster Championship.
WESTMEATH: N Conaty; D Egerton, T Doyle, C Gaffney; J Gillen, K Regan, J Bermingham; R Greville (0-1), S McGovern; N Mitchell, D Williams (0-8, 0-5f, 0-2 65), O McCabe; E Keyes (1-2), J Boyle (0-1), D O’Reilly (0-2).
Subs: A Craig for Gillen (32 mins), K Doyle (0-2) for O’Reilly, P Clarke (0-1) for McGovern (both h-t), D Glennon (1-1) for Keyes (52), M Daly for McCabe (66).
ANTRIM: T Smyth; P Duffin, R McCloskey, P Burke; S Walsh, R McGarry, N O’Connor (0-2); E Campbell (0-2), E Óg McGarry; R McAteer, R McMullan, N McKenna (1-1); C Cunning (0-7, 0-5f), C McCann (0-2), F McCurry.
Subs: C Boyd for McGarry, E McFerran (0-1) for Walsh (both 45 mins), C McGarry for McMullan (54), A Bradley for McAteer (58).
Referee: S Hynes (Galway).
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