Having returned to his GAA roots after a five-year stint with League of Ireland outfit Athlone Town, Gary Connaughton now has his sights set on becoming Westmeath's first choice football goalkeeper (Taken from Hogan Stand Magazine). Big, brave, imposing and blessed with a tremendous kick-out, Gary Connaughton would appear to have all the qualities that are required to make it as a top-class inter-county goalkeeper. However, Connaughton has a battle on his hands to secure the number one jersey in Westmeath as the current incumbent Aidan Lennon is unlikely to be dislodged easily. "While I would love to establish myself as Westmeath's first choice goalkeeper, I know it won't be easy with Aidan Lennon around," the 24-year-old from Tubberclair says. "Aidan has proven himself to be an excellent goalkeeper and he has already seen off Cathal Mullen who was the first choice 'keeper when Westmeath reached the All-Ireland quarter-final in 2001. I have been on the county panel for the past year and a half and I'm still waiting for my big chance. But hopefully that will come this year. "Myself and Aidan get on very well together, but in saying that, there's also a healthy rivalry between us. I'm sure he would be the first to admit that the competition has helped his game," he adds. Until recently, Connaughton played both Gaelic football and soccer but following his call-up to Westmeath squad by former manager Luke Dempsey, decided to concentrate on football only. "I was probably more into the soccer than the Gaelic for much of that time," he explains. "I played for Athlone Town for five seasons in the League of Ireland before deciding to throw in my lot with Westmeath in 2002. I went back to play a few games with Athlone last summer, but I had already made my mind up at that stage that Gaelic was the game for me. "I was able to combine the two when my only Gaelic involvement was confined to Tubberclair, but you just don't have the time when you're playing county football. In any case, my background is in the GAA and it's nice to be able to go back to it." Connaughton, who has represented Westmeath at all levels and was a member of the team which won a Leinster under 21 championship in 2000, may well have made it in the Premiership if a few breaks had gone his way as a teenager. "I got a trial with Newcastle United and I was also picked by Brian Kerr and Noel O'Reilly to play for the Ireland Youths team in 1998. We took part in a six-nation tournament in Portugal and actually won it out. "As the only League of Ireland-based goalkeeper in the squad, I didn't expect to get a game, so I was delighted when I was picked to play against Austria. I also receiving coaching from the likes of Packie Bonner and Shay Given at different stages. But I suppose my soccer career didn't turn out as I had hoped." While the basic requirements of a soccer and Gaelic football goalkeeper are the same, Connaughton can see many differences between the two codes. "In Gaelic, a goalkeeper needs to be braver, must have a good kick-out and must also have a big presence," he says. "A soccer goalkeeper has a big advantage over outfield players in that they aren't allowed to use their hands to contest high balls. As a soccer goalkeeper is generally involved in the action a lot more than his Gaelic counterpart, he needs to be very fit. But having said, I don't think I have ever been as fit as I am now." The appointment of Kerry legend Paidi O Se as Westmeath football manager has given rise to much excitement and expectancy in the Lake County. While acknowledging that O Se's arrival is a huge boost to Westmeath, Connaughton stresses that the task of bringing success to the county ultimately lies with the players. "Paidi O Se is someone who Westmeath badly needed. He is one of the biggest names in the GAA and we are very lucky to have someone of his experience managing us. "But at the end of the day, it is up to the players to bring success to Westmeath. The way I look at it is if we can't respond for Paidi O Se, we can't respond for anyone. With Paidi in charge, there is a great opportunity for Westmeath to win a Leinster championship. But the attitude of every player will have to be right for that to happen," he opines. The midlanders have been handed a tough draw for the 2004 Leinster championship with the challenge of neighbours Offaly awaiting them in the first round at Tullamore. And should they clear that hurdle, Dublin will provide the opposition at Croke Park in the provincial quarter-final. "If we're going to win a Leinster championship this year, we're going to have to do it the hard way. Even if we did manage to beat both Offaly and Dublin, we would still be only at the Leinster semi-final stage. "A lot can happen between now and then and I think it's vitally important that we hold our own in Division 1A of the National League from a confidence point of view. "We would love to get a good running going like Laois did last year and for that momentum to continue through the championship. But whether Paidi can win a Leinster championship with us in his first year, just as Mick O'Dwyer did with Laois, remains to be seen. Certainly, I believe the potential is in the side to achieve great things." These are also exciting times for Gary's club Tubberclair who are regarded as an emerging force on the local scene. In 2002, they won an intermediate championship with a team that had an average age of 21. Under manager Danny Sammon, they built on that progress last year by reaching the senior championship quarter-final where they lost to Coralstown/Kinnegad after a replay. "For a team that had been just promoted from the intermediate ranks, I thought it was a great achievement for us to reach the senior championship quarter-final. With no disrespect to Tyrrellspass, we were disappointed that we had to play our replay there because it is such a tight pitch. If we had got Coralstown/Kinnegad on a wider pitch - somewhere like Cusack Park - I'm convinced we would have beaten them." Tubberclair didn't finish the year empty-handed, though, as they were crowned All-County League Division 2 champions after an unbeaten campaign. They could also take great encouragement from their feat in reaching the under 21 'premier' championship final, even if it did end in a heartbreaking defeat to St. Loman's, Mullingar. "With the amount of young talent that's in Tubberclair at the moment, we should be aiming to win a senior title in the next few years. The likes of Fergal Wilson, Thomas Doogan and Francis Spollen are as good as anybody in the county and hopefully we'll have more success to look forward to in the near future." Gary is employed in the family business, Connaughton Sand and Gravel Ltd, which is based in Glasson, a few miles north of Athlone. The company was founded in the early 1980s by Gary's father Charlie and has numerous customers, including Spollen's Concrete who are the main sponsors of Tubberclair. * Since this article appeared in the Hogan Stand Magazine in February 2004, Connaughton has established himself as Westmeath's first choice goalkeeper. Tweet

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