A strong closing quarter enabled Westmeath to ease past Limerick in changeable weather conditions in Mullingar, thereby ensuring a winner-takes-all showdown for the Lake County men in Wexford next Sunday to secure promotion to Allianz Football League Division 2.
The first half was an all-action affair, with goal chances coming thick and fast at either end. Four of them were converted, two for each team. Tony McCarthy opened the scoring with a two-pointer for wind-assisted Limerick, but a great Westmeath move resulted in a Luke Loughlin goal some two minutes later.
Ronan Wallace and Shane Corcoran could have raised green flags for the home team but their second three-pointer eventually arrived in the ninth minute courtesy of Matthew Whittaker to put them 2-01 to 0-02 ahead.
Limerick got a lifeline in the 12th minute when poor goalkeeping by Jason Daly gifted Shane Cross a goal.
A well-taken second by Peter Nash in the 17th minute, when teed up by the lively Danny Neville, levelled the scoring at 2-04 each. A classy point from Sam McCartan edged Westmeath ahead, and a point exchange between James Naughton and Kevin O'Sullivan (moments after Eliah O’Riordan had fly-kicked a goal opportunity wide) left Mark McHugh’s men ahead by 2-06 to 2-05 at the interval.
Westmeath appeared to be coasting when sub Robbie Forde’s 45th-minute goal put them six points clear at 3-09 to 2-06, but Jimmy Lee’s troops responded well with a well-taken goal from Naughton.
The midlanders led by four points, 3-12 to 3-08, with just under an hour on the clock and it looked like relegation-threatened Limerick were still very much in the hunt.
However, with the wind behind them and their subs making noteworthy contributions, Westmeath scored 1-09 without reply in the closing stages, thereby overtaking rivals Wexford in the score difference table.
Inspirational captain Wallace scored the goal in the 62nd minute, and he also kicked his second two-pointer of the afternoon from play. Brían Cooney, who was prominent all through, also raised an orange flag as his side pulled away in impressive fashion, while corner back Boidu Sayeh wrapped up the scoring with a tidy point.
Westmeath: J Daly; D Scahill, C Drumm, B Sayeh (0-01); R Wallace (1-04, 2 2pt), S Allen, M Whittaker (1-01); S McCartan (0-02, 1f), J Lynam; K O’Sullivan (0-01), D McCartan, B Cooney (0-04, 1 2pt); S Corcoran, L Loughlin (1-03, 1f), T Molloy (0-01). Subs: R Forde (1-01) for Molloy (41), B Kelly (0-02) for D McCartan (46), C Dillon for Corcoran (53), E McCabe for O’Sullivan (58), TJ Cox (0-01) for Lynam (66).
Limerick: J Alfred; O Collins, D O’Doherty, D Buckley; C O’Duinn, O Moss, K Ryan, T McCarthy (0-02, 2pt); S Clancy, T Childs; S Cross (1-00), C Fahy, E Riordan; D Neville, J Naughton (1-01), P Nash (1-00). Subs: M McCarthy (0-02, 2pt) for O’Duinn (inj., 6), C Woulfe for Collins (inj., 9), R O’Brien (0-01) for Childs (h-t), J McCarthy (0-01) for Clancy (inj., 39), C McSweeney for T McCarthy (inj., 48), P Maher (0-01) for Naughton (temp, 57).
Ref: D Boylan (Monaghan).
