Just a year after he travelled to San Diego with the Vodafone All-Stars, David Mitchell now finds himself out of favour with new Westmeath manager Paidi O Sé. But he doesn't intend to be out of the limelight for too long as he explains to 'Maroon and White'. For so long an automatic choice on the Westmeath football team, former All-Star nominee David Mitchell now faces a huge battle to make the starting line-up for the Leinster championship opener against Offaly at Croke Park on May 23. A year is a long time in football and nobody knows this better than the lion-hearted St. Mary's player who has been part of the Westmeath set-up for the past 11 seasons. In January 2003, Mitchell travelled to San Diego with the Vodafone All-Stars as a reward for his magnificent displays at full back for Westmeath during their exciting championship run two years earlier. There, Mitchell rubbed shoulders with the cream of Gaelic football while also availing of the opportunity to recharge his batteries ahead of the new playing season. But within three months of his return home, Mitchell's world was turned upside down when he broke his leg following an accidental clash with Longford's Niall Sheridan in the National League Division 2 semi-final at Hyde Park. And while he recovered to play with his club in the latter stages of last year's county championship, he has been unable to command a regular starting place on the Westmeath team since the injury. "It's very frustrating, but all that I can do is keep plugging away and hope that my chance will come," the 28-year-old says. "I'd love to force my way back into the reckoning for the Offaly game, but if it doesn't happen, it doesn't happen and I'll just have to get on with things. Having said that, though, I'll be doing everything I can to impress the selectors between now and then." 'Mitch', as he's affectionately known by Westmeath fans, concedes that he made a mistake in returning to football too soon after his leg break. "I was back playing for St. Mary's within 12 weeks and, in hindsight, that was way too soon," he admits. "My form suffered and it's really only now that the leg is coming right again and that I'm getting back to full fitness. I started two games for Westmeath this year against Louth (O'Byrne Cup) and Fermanagh (National League) and I didn't feel comfortable in either of them. But those games were played in January and February and I'd like to think that I have regained some of my old form since then." Mitchell's commitment to Westmeath can never be questioned and in recent months, he has been making the long trek from Waterford to training in Ballinagore. "I'm working down in Waterford at the moment as a Health and Safety Manager with KN Networks Service where we are installing the Broadband network. The travelling can take a lot out of you, but I'm fortunate that my employers are so understanding when it comes to football. I'd like to put on record my thanks to Donagh Kelly (managing director) and Tommy Naughton (chairman) for all their support," he says. Mitchell, who began his inter-county career as a goalkeeper before moving outfield in 1997 (he has since played in every position for his county except full forward!), is hopeful that Westmeath will give a good account of themselves in the championship after a league campaign which yielded just one win. "Before we beat Mayo in our final game to stay up in Division 1, you could sense that things were beginning to pick up. The training had been stepped up and fellas like Damien Healy and Paul Conway were coming back to full fitness. "It was a big boost for us to beat Mayo because we had gotten ourselves into a bit of a rut before then. We have since won a few challenge matches which would suggest that we are coming into form at the right time. But we're under no illusions about the task we face against Offaly. They have been playing very well of late and we'll need to be at our best to beat them in Croke Park." Westmeath's march to the O'Byrne Cup final generated unprecedented hype in January, but looking back on it now, Mitchell feels that too much was made of it. "At the end of the day, the O'Byrne Cup is only a tournament and it has no bearing on the league or championship. There was a lot of hype in Westmeath at the time owing to Paidi's arrival as manager and I suppose it was easy for supporters to get carried away. "But we only beat two mediocre teams in Louth and Carlow and a Kildare team which was heading off on holidays a few days later. When you think back to it now, you'd wonder what all the excitement was about." Apart from regaining his place on the county team, Mitchell's other big aim for 2004 is to assist St. Mary's in their quest to rejoin the senior ranks. The Rochfortbridge club surrendered their top-flight status last year following a play-off defeat to Tyrrellspass, but David is confident that they can bounce back. "We were bitterly disappointed to go down last year, but I suppose the injuries to myself and Damien Healy didn't help our cause. A club like St. Mary's can't afford to be without anyone, but hopefully we'll be closer to full strength this year. "The only good thing about playing in the intermediate championship this year is that it gives us a chance to regroup. We know that we'll have our work cut out to go straight back up, but I'm hoping that the experience we acquired from playing senior football over the last eight years will give us an edge over the other teams," he adds. For the past three years, Mitchell has been the Westmeath football team's Gaelic Players' Association representative and last year he was honoured with the GPA Football Rep of the Year award for his selfless work in raising money for the Aoife McGrane Fund. Aoife, who was in need of urgent medical treatment in the US, is the daughter of Dublin hurler Tomas McGrane. "The GPA has been good for the GAA from the point of view that it ensures fair treatment for players. It has also resulted in the establishment of a scholarship scheme for young players, while the profits from the deal that was struck with Club Engerise last year go back into a player's benevolent fund," he concludes. Tweet

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