Flanagan makes no decision on his future role with Westmeath
Wednesday, 14 July 2010
SHAKING LOOSE: Westmeath's Ger Egan attempts to break free of Derry's Charlie Kielt. AV2826
WESTMEATH interim manager Pat Flanagan is playing his cards close to his chest regarding his future role with the county. On Saturday evening he stated it was not the time for making such decisions.
“I don't know. It was good to get involved and we (The Management) said we would run the course until the end of the championship so I actually don't know what will happen in the future. Our total focus was on the match today and nothing else as it was for the games against Wicklow and Louth and what happens in the future, happens in the future and today is not about that. We came here hoping to beat Derry, hoping to give Westmeath football a lift and although we didn't win I would like to think the passion and desire we showed in the last twenty minutes and the amount of effort the players have put in, has hopefully given our supporters something to go away and be happy about.
“What happens in the future is entirely up to the county board and I definitely didn't look beyond that today. It has been extremely disappointing because no one realises the amount of effort and the amount of work these guys put in. They burst a gut to try and achieve success and it is heartbreaking to see grown men in there (dressing room), who are near to tears. They absolutely died for Westmeath and it just didn't happen today and sometimes that happens, when you don't get the scores you deserve.
“All I can say is that hopefully Westmeath football can start climbing up that ladder again and get out of division three next year and give another good performance in the Leinster championship."
Flanagan admitted his side gave everything they had and went down fighting. "It is extremely disappointing but you can't fault the players. They worked like Trojans out there and they kept going to the bitter end and we just couldn't seem to get any break. They were occasions when we could have got close in frees that might have brought us a bit closer but that didn't happen today.
“The bottom line is we kept battling away and on a day like today it either goes for you or it doesn't and with ten wides in the second half, that sums it up for us."
He was also pleased with the performance of the youngest player on the field.
“We continued to make chances and Callum (McCormack), came in and produced it on the day and he would probably have been in the set up a lot sooner, but he was doing his leaving cert and that shows the quality of the player that is coming on in Westmeath. On another occasion that ball would have drifted past the goalkeeper, but today getting the scores was very, very difficult.
“To their credit Derry packed the defence and made us work extremely hard to make opportunities. If we had played the same a fortnight night ago with the same passion we probably wouldn't be playing here today, we would be playing tomorrow in Croke Park."
Speaking on the decision to play Denis Glennon at midfield leaving two players forward, which gave Dessie Dolan a more roving role he explained: "Both of them are extremely experienced players and in conditions like that we would be hoping to get the best value out of them by moving them out and it seemed to work especially in the second half.
“It is a pity you don't have two or three of them around the place but it is difficult with underfoot conditions like that to try and keep a shape about the team and in the second half Derry crowded out their defence and made it very difficult for us.
“Having said that we missed three 45s and a couple of opportunities that would normally have gone over the bar under different conditions."
However he said he also believes the Lake County has every reason to look forward to a brighter future in championship football.
“There is plenty of talent coming through in Westmeath and they were beaten in the Leinster final this year (U21s) and beaten in the semi-final the previous year by the team that won the Leinster final. You can't rule out the players with experience who have put in 100% since I became involved eight or nine weeks ago."
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