St Loman's manager Luke Dempsey is adamant that his charges will give Castledaly the utmost respect in Sunday's Westmeath SFC final.

The Mullingar-based club are massive favourites to win the title for the second time in the three years, but they face a side who go into the decider with the proverbial statement that 'they have nothing to lose' and that fact is not lost on the experienced Dempsey.

Last year, Castledaly narrowly avoided relegation and now they are in a county final for the first time since 2008 when they won their one and only Flanagan Cup.

Dempsey stressed to the Westmeath Independent that as a rural club, Castledaly have a unity that some urban clubs struggle to display on occasion.

"It is a family-based country club, and its players would die for the cause. They have improved with every game and they showed great resilience against Killucan in the draw and the replay," said Dempsey.

"Against Tyrrellspass, despite conceding a goal at the worst possible time, they went on to be convincing winners. Overall, they have come on leaps and bounds. Their manager John Donnellan comes from a famous football family with a huge pedigree. The 'Donnellan' name is synonymous with Galway football over many decades."

Tweet

Most Read Stories