28 March 2010
Paul Shiels attempt for what would have been a match winning goal with the last puck of the game in Sunday’s National Hurling League Division 2 match against Westmeath in Mullingar was turned over the bar by the home team’s defence as the Saffrons slumped to another disappointing defeat.
After a promising display last week against table toppers Clare they travelled to Westmeath with high hopes of collecting a win and keeping their slim chances of staying in the promotion race alive. However they return home empty handed after a 1-15 to 1-14 defeat by the relegation threatened Midlanders as their desperately poor season continues.
Westmeath were on top for most of the opening half and were 1-4 to 0-3 ahead after twenty-eight minutes. Antrim did produce a late first-half rally and two points from Cormac Donnelly frees, two from Shane McNaughton and one from Colm McFall saw them trail by just one at half-time. (0-9 to 1-7)
There were high hopes for Antrim when a storming start to the second-half saw Shane McNaughton grab a goal and two points folowed by one from half-time substitute Paul Shiels to take a four point lead after forty-five minutes.
However in the final twenty-five minutes of play they managed just two more points, and both of them came from Paul Shiels. Westmeath rallied and a series of points from Alan Dowdall, Derek McNicholas (2) and Brendan Murtagh (3) saw them record their first win over the campaign.
Scorers -- Westmeath: B Murtagh 0-5 (0-4f, 0-1 '65), D McNicholas 0-4, C Curley 1-0, A Dowdall 0-2, J Clarke, E Price, D Carty 0-1 each. Antrim: S McNaughton 1-6 (0-4f), K McKeegan (0-2f, 0-1 '65') and P Shields (0-2f) 0-3 each, PJ O'Connell 0-1.
Westmeath -- B McLoughlin; G Gavin, A Price, C Jordan; J Shaw, A Mitchell, D McCormack; N Flanagan, E Price; A Dowdall, D McNicholas, J Clarke; D Carty, B Murtagh, C Curley Subs: L Smith for Flanagan (43), P Greville for Gavin (44), R Jackson for Clarke (70).
Antrim -- G McGee; N McAuley, J McKeague, B McFall; PJ O'Connell, C Donnelly, C Herron; P Shivers, K McKeegan; S McNaughton, P McGill, S McCrory; C McFall, A Smiley, E McCloskey Subs: P Shields for McGill (h-t), T McCann for Smiley (h-t), D Hamill for McCloskey (50), M Scullion for C McFall (63).
Ref -- E Hassen (Derry).
